Bull Market

The Gallardo LP560-4 is the pinnacle of the Lamborghini range, and the latest generation of the most successful Lamborghini marque of all time. Approximately 7,100 Gallardo models have left Bologna’s Sant‘Agata production plant since its launch in 2003, and although the Gallardo is perceived as the smaller of the Lambo range, there’s nothing small about its 5.2-litre V10 engine – or its frightening performance.

 

In fact, it is as well to compare the car to a 100-metre sprinter: fast, sublime acceleration, yet solidly well-built and aggressive. The precise lines and clean surface edges are evident in the car’s distinctly minimalist design. The enlarged and clearly accentuated cooling intakes meet the demands of augmented engine power, while the low-positioned spoiler between the air intakes improves aerodynamic equilibrium at high speeds.

 

The rear lights, air cooling vents, bumper and diffuser are arranged in precise positions on the car’s exterior, which makes the LP560-4 appear extremely wide and bonded to the road surface. Its stance is always that of an elite athlete on the starting blocks.

 

Despite its low exterior height, the Gallardo LP560-4 welcomes its passengers with a spacious interior. The typically low sports-seats provide secure adherence and support. The middle console is characteristically wide, and accommodates the standard Lamborghini multimedia system as well as the air conditioning.

 

As with all Lamborghinis, the cabin indulges its passengers with aesthetically pleasing materials. Aside from leather and Alcantara interior trims, lightweight carbon fibre can be specified for the interior, covering items such as the air conditioning surrounds, the control panel, the handbrake handle and the gear-stick surrounds. 

 

Nestling underneath the engine cover is a monstrous 5.2-litre V10, creating 560bhp of power and 540Nm of torque. LP stands for Longitudinale Posteriore, meaning a mid-engined layout, and the engine lays lengthways in front of the rear axle. This position is, according to most hard-driving purists out there, unbeatable in sports car production, with the centre of gravity being displaced next to the vertical axis and creating the car’s exceptional dynamics and weight distribution. 

 

Shifting gears can be done manually through the exact “gate” guides of the 6-speed gearbox via the short gear stick, or using the e-gear’s paddle-shift system located behind the steering wheel. The latter solution is fast becoming the preference for the majority of Lamborghini customers, no doubt due to the more relaxed nature of the system – an electronic transmission system that allows a choice of five driving programmes.   

 

While the previous generation of the Gallardo was nothing to gripe about, the new LP560-4 promises even better handling, driving comfort and directional stability at high speeds. The reduction in its weight and the extra power both mean that the power-to-weight ratio has increased to 2.5kg per bhp, which translates to a 0-100kph time in a heart-racing 3.7 seconds, 11.8 seconds to hit the 200kph mark and a top speed of no less than 325kph. Very impressive for the “small” Lambo...

 

But at the end of the day, a Lamborghini is not simply about performance and sporty drive, or for getting from A to B more rapidly than most. A Lamborghini is as much a statement as it is an indulgence; the Lambo driver is tough, fast and elegant. And with Lamborghini’s history of naming its cars after the culture of bull fighting, this beast can hang with the best of them.