2001 Lamborghini Murciélago '3 Record'

Introduced in 2001, and in production until 2010, the Murciélago is an all-wheel drive, mid-engined, supercar that sits less than four feet tall and sports dramatic 'scissor doors'. The power output of the early cars was 570bhp, delivered through a six-speed manual gearbox with an integral differential driving the rear wheels and a viscous coupling centre differential providing power to the front. The very low-drag bodywork is constructed from carbon fibre, steel and aluminium and the suspension is conventional independent double wishbone.

This specific example, one of the earliest Murciélagos built by Lamborghini, was internally designated "Pre-Series 6" and was retained by Lamborghini and used by them for testing and early promotion of the model. Most notably, it was taken to the Nardò Ring in February 2002 to gauge the car's overall performance on the 12.5-kilometre banked circuit. There, Lamborghini set production car world speed records for one hour, 100 kilometres, and 100 miles, all from a standing start!

For the one-hour record, the Murciélago covered an incredible 305.041 kilometres, which included one pit-stop to refuel. One hundred kilometres was covered in just 18 minutes and 44.9 seconds, with an average speed of 320.023 km/h. Finally, the Murciélago covered 100 miles in 30 minutes and 9 seconds, with an average speed of 320.254 km/h. Adding to the car's incredible achievement is that these records were set in far from ideal conditions, as high winds blew across the track throughout the testing period.

Following its record runs at Nardò, the car returned to Sant'Agata Bolognese and continued to be used as a prototype, where it was always serviced and maintained by the factory. The car was then sold to an Italian-based collector in 2002. During his ownership, it was driven frequently, and as such, the odometer now shows over 118,200 kilometres (73,446 miles) from new. Now UK registered and supplied with a fresh MoT, the car is ready to be enjoyed and drives extremely well indeed. Additionally, it retains its original books, including the service manual confirming its early service history by the Lamborghini factory.

The Murciélago's success at Nardò clearly helped establish the car's reputation in the automotive world as, not only an excellent replacement for the Diablo, but also a truly capable car in its own right. As this very car set three individual speed records, it holds an important place in the model's history, and demands serious consideration by Lamborghini collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.