A wrecked Lamborghini Murciélago came back with twin turbos and a manual in about nine weeks

Throtl, a YouTube build channel, and WD-40 have rebuilt a wrecked 2006 Lamborghini Murciélago for the 2026 SEMA Show, swapping in a built 6.5-liter V12 with twin Garrett turbochargers and replacing the car’s automated gearbox with a gated manual. Autoblog reported on Nov. 9 that the job took about nine weeks. Nine weeks is a short span for a project that changes the engine, the transmission and the body.

The day in tech, in one email: TLDR is the daily newsletter with links and TLDRs of the most interesting stories in startups, tech and programming.

Get TLDR →

We may earn a commission if you sign up.

The finished car is the second Throtl and WD-40 collaboration after a wrecked 2005 Ford GT shown at last year’s show. Where that earlier build, according to Autoblog, took over three quarters of a year, the Lamborghini was compressed into a single autumn schedule, with a deadline set by the show floor.

From a 6.2-liter V12 to a 6.5 with two turbos

Autoblog says the Murciélago left the factory with a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V12 making under 580 horsepower. The replacement is a fully built 6.5-liter engine from the later LP 640 cars, a 48-valve unit with a longer stroke and bigger bore that measures 6,496 cubic centimeters against the original 6,192. Autoblog’s report on the SEMA build adds that a custom Garrett twin-turbo system now sits on top of it.

The swap did not go smoothly. The team ran into integration problems between the donor engine and the original wiring harness and sensors, and replaced the setup with a standalone MoTeC engine controller, setting timing by hand. The first start produced white smoke, which Autoblog traced to missing oil restrictors on the new turbochargers. Cooling uses water-to-air intercooling, with a heat exchanger, pump and coolant reservoir in the nose connected by custom coolant lines. Because the Murciélago is a mid-engine car, that plumbing has to run the length of the chassis from the engine bay to the front, which is part of why the cooling system was among the last items Supercar Blondie reported finished.

Power output has not been confirmed in the press material. Supercar Blondie, writing on Oct. 26 with the team less than two weeks from the show, repeated a claim of around 2,000 horsepower and said earlier estimates had been near 1,400, so the number should be read as a target rather than a measured result.

Replacing E-Gear with a six-speed gate

Autoblog says the car’s original E-Gear automated transmission was removed. The build drops it for a six-speed gated manual conversion by Royalty Exotics, a spec confirmed in WD-40’s own announcement dated Aug. 31. Lead builder Quinn Clark of Throtl said the team chose the Murcielago as a car able to stand alongside the Ford GT as its own icon, and called it the end of the Bizzarrini V12 era. In the September coverage in The Shop Magazine, Clark added that enthusiasts often call the Murciélago the last true Lamborghini, a reputation that explains why the team treated a wreck as a car worth saving instead of a parts donor. The remark also frames the manual conversion: the build keeps the V12 character the car is known for and changes how the driver reaches it.

Evan Beckerman, a Throtl co-founder, said the aim was to build the ultimate version of a Murciélago and push the platform further. Felicia Reno, U.S. brand director at WD-40 Company, tied the project to the brand’s more than 70 years of helping professionals with tough jobs, saying the build required grit, perseverance and creative problem-solving.

Liberty Walk body, HRE wheels, Alcantara cabin

The body wears the Liberty Walk Silhouette WORKS Murcielago GT EVO widebody kit. Autoblog says the front evokes the Reventón while the rear nods to the Diablo and Countach. Torrey Pines Collision Center handled bodywork and paint, and AirLift air suspension carries the car on HRE wheels, with a P301 Monoblok design at the front and a Vintage 454 at the rear, both coated with Zycoat. Brembo brakes and Michelin tires complete the chassis.

Inside, AP Upholstery supplied leather and Alcantara, and AW Italian is credited for parts and support. The SEMA Show listing places the car at booth 24493 in Las Vegas, and a five-part series on Throtl’s YouTube channel documents the work, with progress also posted on Instagram.

Checking the nine-week build against the WD-40 timeline

The announcement and the show bracket the timeline. WD-40 issued its release on Aug. 31 and the car was due on the show floor in November, a window of about two months that is in line with Autoblog’s nine weeks. Neither WD-40’s release nor The Shop Magazine’s September write-up states a build duration, so the figure rests on Autoblog.

The record also leaves open how much of the car had been finished before the announcement. Supercar Blondie’s late-October update had the cooling system complete, the intake nearly ready and oil reaching the engine and both turbos, which suggests the final assembly was still moving only days before the show opened.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

The day in tech, in one email: Get TLDR →

We may earn a commission if you sign up.