The last car rolled off the Sant'Agata factory on May 11 2010, with car number 4099 going to a Swiss customer. With it marks the end of not just Lamborghini's flagship supercar, but also Lamborghini's iconic V12 engine that has powered its cars for much of the company's history.

The last car was a Murcielago LP670-4 Superveloce in "Arancio Atlas" paintwork, and on November 5 2010, Lamborghini organised a get-together with its other V12 supercars from the past, such as the 350GT, the Miura, the Countach and the Diablo, to escort the final Murcielago on a parade around the factory.

"For almost a decade, the Murciélago was the icon of the Lamborghini brand, and it was enormously successful in the process," says Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. "The Murciélago embodies the pure, unadulterated values of our brand. It is truly extreme, uncompromising and unmistakably Italian. This already makes it one of the legends of the sports car world. But the Lamborghini story continues. In 2011, we will take a huge step into the future with the successor to the Murciélago - with the most innovative technology and, once again, truly stunning design."

The Murcielago was launched in 2001, initially with a 6.2-litre V12 engine with 580bhp. Later in its life the Murcielago LP640 version saw it increase to 6.5-litres and power increased to 640bhp. That went up to 670bhp when the Murcielago LP670-4 Superveloce came along late in the model's life. The Murcielago's replacement is expected to be launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March next year.