“Fast & Furious” Stunt Car Lamborghini Murcielago Is the World’s Worst Car

This one’s a doozy. It’s tough to pick the very worst car of all time, but if we had to choose just one, it would have to be the Lamborghini Murcielago from “The Fast and the Furious.” That’s not just because it gets torched by Dom. It is an $800,000 car that stalls at every stop sign and breaks down on crowded sidewalks. It’s also a movie car from the Fast & Furious franchise, and you guessed it, fans of the show hated it. It might be the only car that made a roomful of grown adults giggle with glee at its destruction. It makes sense that there is no shortage of terrible supercars in movies. They’ve been popular with villains since James Bond’s nemesis Auric Goldfinger had a tantrum over his Rolls-Royce getting scratched in “Goldfinger.” The McLaren F1, so prized for its performance that one sold for 8 million dollars in 2013, was used as an evil weapon by Austin Powers’ nemesis Frau Farbissina.

Why is this car the worst in the world?

Let’s start with the fact that, in real life, it’s a nice car. Rumors persist that only three were made in whole and there are no pictures of the third one. It is a limited edition model produced for Lamborghini Brand Marketing as part of their 500th-anniversary celebration. The car was painted by graffiti artist Banksy and auctioned off by Sotheby’s for $40,000. It still can’t be driven on public roads without receiving an expert’s blessing. The fact that it gets destroyed so well on screen might be a good thing because it would probably be impossible to own the real thing.

Why is this car used in the movie?

It’s a Lamborghini. What else do you need to know? When people think about American supercars, they don’t usually think about Lamborghinis. They are most associated with Italian supermodels and Austrian bad boys. So it makes sense that the character Dominic Toretto would pick it as his weapon of choice when he deals with the Mexican drug cartel in “Fast and Furious.” And, OK, maybe because he wants to show his best friend Brian O’Connor that he can get just as flashy with his custom Audi R8.

What are the advantages of this car?

It was used in another movie, “The Italian Job,” a little further down the list. It’s super fast and has good handling, capable of overtaking cars with other Lamborghinis. That’s about it for advantages. It is also very ugly, which works in its favor on the show, where it looks like an evil instrument of giant destruction, perhaps the vehicle from which to launch a remote-controlled missile against Dom, his family, and loved ones.

What are some drawbacks?

It’s got a massive price tag. The original build cost about $360,000 just for parts; you have to buy all new parts for such an expensive car to make it street-legal. The parts themselves are expensive. The car’s technology is outdated; it’s not even a computerized car, as far as we know. The brakes are not very good and the fuel tank is low, so you’re only allowed to drive it for about half an hour at a time.