On the 2006 Paris Motor Show we were able to admire a very special Murciélago … Automobili Lamborghini SpA had teamed up with Versace to create a very limited number of bespoke Murciélago LP640 featuring amazing looking stitching on the seats, doors, dashboard and central console … this stitching actually represented the famous Versace House, a Greek fret motif.
Only 20 of these ‘fashion’ Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Versace would be built … either Bianco Isis (like the Paris show car) or Nero Aldebaran (shown by Versace during the Fashion Week in Milan) … in fact 10 units of each shade would be made available to the public, complete with Versace keychain and luggage to match …
In early 2007 a very special request was made by Versace … to celebrate the fact Gianni and Donatella Versace received the ‘Rodeo Walk of Style® Award’ from the Rodeo Drive Committee and the City of Beverly Hills on February 8. 2007 they wanted to create a one-off version of the already limited edition Murciélago LP640 Versace … in the form of a custom shade Roadster edition.
Finished in Blu Fontura, a very dark, nearly black metallic shade over a black interior with the special Versace stitching rolling on glossy black wheels, this 2007 Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace (chassisnumber ZHWBU47S97LA02408) looked absolutely amazing … and what made it even better was the fact it was up for auction … proceeds would benefit Elton John’s AIDS foundation.
Back in early 2007 famous actress Sharon Stone led the auction for this one of a kind Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace to a winning bid of $500,000 … the car was won by Vik Keuylian of Lamborghini Orange County, where it was offered for sale … rumor had it the car was valued as high as $1,000,000 at one point, unfortunately this very special Versace Roadster didn’t sell … at least not ‘as is’.
At a certain point this special Lamborghini was shipped back to Italy (it wasn’t really an US specs car to begin with either, for one it didn’t have the required side lights) and converted into a regular LP640 Roadster US-specs car … all the bespoke Versace items were removed from the car and it was listed for sale by Cats Exotics … it eventually sold to a customer in China in 2009 … after receiving a rear wing and a $12k stereo upgrade … the original blue LP640 Roadster Versace no longer exists in fact.
But the story would continue … in June 2008 an official press release gets published … Versace and Lamborghini announced the launch of a new Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace together with a unique collection of accessories to be unveiled in Milan on Monday, June 23rd, 2008 … so even the factory no longer considers the blue Roadster to be a Versace edition … to emphasize this the plaque in this new, all white LP640 Roadster Versace, shows ‘0001’.
This new Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace is built to order only, finished in a pastel white shade with the classic Versace Greek fret on the door it is the first Murciélago Roadster to receive the new glass engine cover while the interior used full grain but very soft Nappa leather … combining black and white leather that is stitched with the Greek fret once again.
A series of Versace/Lamborghini accessories was released at the same time, among them a trolley bag, suit carrier, sports bag, as well as a briefcase, suitcase, gloves, driving shoes, belt, wallet, key ring, beauty case, hat and a pair of jeans … all showing a palladium-engraved tag displaying both the Versace and Lamborghini logos … called the ‘LP640 Collection’.
This white ‘0001’ Roadster Versace did sell initially … and in November 2013 it showed up on the second hand market again, listed at €315,000 (about $425,000) by Amian Cars in Germany with less than 3,000 Miles on the counter it was offered as the one and only white LP640 Roadster Versace … which is isn’t in fact, at least not exactly …
There is a lot of controversy about the Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace … the dark blue metallic early 2008 one is no longer considered to be a real Versace Roadster while this white ‘0001’ one is in fact the car used by Lamborghini in their official press release from June 2008 … but there are in fact two other, white Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace units in the world.
In November 2010 Bellagio Motors, located in Costa Mesa USA, lists a 2008 Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace edition (VIN ZHWBU47S08LA02895) for $635,000 … finished in ‘Bianco Versace’ over a two tone black (Nero Porseus) and white interior … complete with the famous Versace Greek fret stitching and a special Versace plaque between the seats with only 1,200 Miles on the counter … however things get interesting … this isn’t the same car as the ‘0001’ unit shown in the press release!
There are a lot of differences in fact … this US car is a real US-specs car complete with orange and red side lights while the ‘0001’ car had the Euro style triangular side turn signal indicator. Furthermore this US car has the regular Roadster engine cover, the Versace Roadster should have the glass engine cover as listed in the press release. And the list goes on … take a close look at the interior … the ‘0001’ Versace Roadster has seats with a completely white front, the central console is also covered in white leather and the door insets are white too … this US car has completely black door panels, a black central console and the seats only have white centers, the sides on the front are black leather. Also the plaque is different between them, while the ‘0001’ proudly shows this number on the plaque, the US car doesn’t … in fact there is no serial number on the plaque of this US LP640 Roadster Versace.
Upon closer inspection this US-specs Versace Roadster has an interior identical to the one used in the ten Bianco Isis finished Murciélago LP640 Versace units … so is it a detailed replica, did it borrow the interior from a closed Coupé variant … or has it been ordered from the factory in this form through the Ad Personam program? In fact you could order all the special Versace items found on the Murciélago LP640 from the parts department in Sant’Agata … apart from the Versace plaque between the seats … still this US car wears that plaque with proud, so it either came from a real LP640 Versace coupé or the owner was able to get the plaque from the Versace House in Italy … still it looks exactly how a Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace should, but it isn’t the official press release ‘0001’ car that came up for for sale in Germany in November 2013.
So that means there are already two white Versace Roadster in the world … and to make things even more interesting … there is a third one sold to a customer in the Middle East. An avid fan asked the factory to build him a real LP640 Roadster Versace toward the end of the production … initially they refused, but after some serious negotiations and an undisclosed amount on the final invoice Lamborghini agreed to build a genuine, officially numbered LP640 Roadster Versace … complete with correct plaque between the seats showing ‘0002’.
This ‘third’ Versace Roadster was in fact nearly identical to the first one, correct full white interior, transparent engine cover and all the correct Versace Greek fret stitching on the white central console, the white door insets, the front seats and lower sections of the dashboard … the only visible difference between ‘0001’ and ‘0002’ are the electric window switches on the central console.
So bottom line … how many Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace are there in the world? I would say two official, factory built ones wearing ‘0001’ and ‘0002’ plaques between the seats, however the third one that was located in the United States does look very, very close to a real one too, but the plaque is a bit of a mystery … still it has everything a Versace Lamborghini should have … with the initial, dark blue one no longer being considered a real Versace Roadster I would state there are three units out there, two highly desirable ones with original, correct Roadster plaque and a third very interesting one with a regular Versace plaque.
Sources:
Cats Exotics listing of what is believed to be the original, dark blue LP640 Roadster Versace
The November 2010 listing of the US Specs Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace
Check out this 2010 video of the US Specs Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace.
A nice 2012 video showing the ‘0002’ custom built Murciélago LP640 Roadster Versace in Dubai.
The ‘0001’ press release car offered for sale by Amian Cars in Germany.
