Even the Lamborghini Murciélago Has $50 Auto Parts Store Switches
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The Lamborghini Murciélago was the brand's first new model after it became part of the Volkswagen Group. While the new owners had some influence on the parts and pieces that went into the car, it still pulled a lot from its predecessor and a variety of other vehicles. For all you Murciélago owners out there, knowing from what and where could save you some money on your next parts order.
The big pieces of the Murciélago were clearly related to other Lamborghinis, particularly its predecessor the Diablo. For all of their high tech and high speed, they both use a rectangular-tubed steel spaceframe chassis design, one an evolutionary step up from the other. The 48-valve 6.2-liter V-12 with which it debuted, too, was a worked-over version of the 5.7-liter V-12 found in the Diablo. This Bizzarrini-designed engine had a long history at Lamborghini with the first-generation variant of it being used in the 1963 350GT. The Murciélago was the last Lambo to use it. The Aventador got a new V-12, still in use today.
Outside of Murciélago's engine, a lot of other pieces would be familiar to Lamborghini enthusiasts, but some of the not-so-apparent components borrowed from others in the industry.
The combination switch and turn signal stalks that sit behind the steering wheel came over from the Diablo, but that wasn’t the only place they appeared. They were also used in a variety of Alfa Romeo models in the late 1990s such as the 164 and the Spider. Another set of components that were borrowed from yet another Italian car brand are the power window motors which were produced by Bosch and were first used by a competitor. They originally appeared in the Ferrari F355 and were later used in the 360 Modena as well.
Ferrari has to operate under similar constraints for some of its parts and packaging, so it is not a surprise that Murciélago's HVAC blower motor is also shared with the 360. This unit is built for compact packaging and is another off-the-shelf piece and built by manufacturer Spal. It can be acquired from various Spal dealers under part number 011-A54-22 for around $200.
While the power windows were fairly standard, the rest of the electrical system had some unique features including a battery disconnect switch. This switch could be flipped to disconnect the battery from the car so it wouldn't be drained if it sat for longer periods of time. (Lamborghini knows its clientele. Few Murciélagos would ever be roped into anything like daily drive duty. One car, however, managed to rack up a quarter of a million miles, and Car and Driver drove it.) This switch has an ornate carbon fiber cover, but underneath it hides a pretty standard off-the-shelf piece produced by Cole Hersee in Massachusetts.
The Murciélago uses switch part number 2484-16 from Cole Hersee which to this day can be found at various auto parts stores for around $50. This is a bargain when compared to buying the part from Lamborghini which retails for five times that amount under part number 410915519. The most comical aspect of this part is that sellers will ask upward of $599 for used versions even though they clearly display the Cole Hersee part label on them.
Outside of the car, we can find another component that hailed from more primitive roots: the triangular turn signal lights on the corners of the front bumper originally appeared in the first generation Ford Focus in Europe. These side markers were eventually updated with different lenses but always used the same form factor and shape even in the special editions like the Reventon. It retails for over $250 under Lamborghini part number 410953081 but can be found at your local European Ford dealer for around $20 with current exchange rates under part number XS4H3K354A or 4364357.
All of these electrical components are supported by a Bosch alternator which originally appeared as an option in the 1999 to 2003 Volkswagen Eurovan under part number 021903025C. The Lamborghini variant gets some accessories to it and appears under part number 07M903015 which retails for roughly four times the price of the Volkswagen part number. This alternator was also found in a few other vehicles including the 1995 to 2000 Ford Galaxy as well as the Seat Alhambra in the early Aughts.
Parts like wheel bearings are often shared across multiple cars of any given manufacturer so it’s no surprise that the Murciélago shared its wheel bearings with a variety of Audis and Volkswagen ranging from the Phaeton to the R8. These can be found under part number 4E0407625 in the Volkswagen and Lamborghini catalogs but with vastly different prices.
While the corporate family connections are expected, the most interesting parts sharing is probably related to the air conditioning system as the Murciélago employs a Sanden SD7H15 compressor which can also be found in vehicles such as the Kenworth T800 truck and even heavy equipment like Caterpillar combines. The Murciélago specifically uses the 7850 variant of the compressor which can also be found in the mid-1990s Renault Espace II minivan.
Supercars are often composed of the most interesting parts because of their split nature as high performance, low-volume machines. They will have very customized and unique components for things related to the powertrain and suspension in order to reach their performance goals, but will often borrow from more pedestrian vehicles when it comes to parts that are highly regulated like lights, or components that are hidden away. The late, great Murciélago is no exception.
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