In car development, as in evolution, there are winners and losers. Those who saw Italdesign's Cala prototype were certain that this was going to be the baby Lamborghini, the spiritual successor to the Urracco, the SIilhouette and the Jalpa. Back in 1994, it looked exactly right. Put it next to the car which did become the inheritor of that bloodline, the Luc Donckerwolke designed Gallardo, and it looks baggy and overblown, unsubtle in its detailing and determinedly last century. The Gallardo, all crisp lines and geometric precision, still looks fresh and challenging.
It certainly drew some plaudits when it was first shown at the 2003 Geneva Auto Salon, offering a squatter, sharper take on big brother Murcielago. Both six-speed manual and e-gear coupe models were available, both powered by the same 492bhp V10 engine. 2005 saw the release of the Gallardo SE with its Calisto rims, black roof and tweaks to the steering and gear ratios, with engine power rising to 520bhp. A Nera special edition model, of which 184 units were produced, was introduced in early 2006.
2006 was a key year in the Gallardo's development. Few thought that the engine, gearing and steering changes lavished upon the SE would not filter down to the ‘stock' Gallardo model and so the MY2006 car proved. Despite looking very similar to the previous year's car, this model was transformed into an angrier, more effective sports car. Equipment levels were improved and a Spider convertible model was released. The following year saw the release of the hardcore Superleggera coupe, a lower volume model that was 100kg lighter than the Gallardo coupe and was targeted at the well-heeled track day customer.
WHAT YOU GET
The Gallardo's shape works wonderfully well. Although it shares many styling cues with its bigger brother, the Murcielago, the Gallardo is surprisingly small and slightly more aggressive with its chopped-off angles. Luc Donkerwolke, the man responsible for penning both cars, has once again excelled himself. Obviously a Lamborghini, the Gallardo's detailing does enough to distance it from the Murcielago. Park the two side by side and you'll appreciate the differences but such is the success of the Gallardo's lines that the latest Murcielago has adopted a sharper, Gallardo-looking front end.
The Spyder is an interesting piece of kit. The Gallardo chassis was designed from the outset with an open-topped car in mind and hence has an incredible resistance to twisting. Even with the metal roof lopped off, the Gallardo is still a good deal stiffer than many supercar coupes. Only a very small amount of strengthening work was required, with some reinforcements added to the sills.
Unlike the Murcielago Roadster, which has a fiendishly complicated ragtop, the erection of which would make a fitting Krypton Factor finale, the Gallardo shows significant progress with an electrically folding hood mechanism operated by a pair of buttons on the centre of the dashboard. Twenty seconds later, you're good to go, the roof either neatly cinched into place or secreted beneath the engine cover well out of harm's way. The rear screen moves automatically while the hood is being raised or lowered and defaults to a raised position. Unlike its great rival, the Ferrari F430 Spider, the Lamborghini actually looks pretty smart with the roof up, the angular styling giving it a far better resolved profile than the slightly awkward-looking Ferrari.
If ultimate performance is your goal, look no further than the Gallardo Superleggera. Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres, optional four-point seat belts and carbon ceramic brakes signal its intent. The key change was excising just over 100kg from the car's dry weight which dropped to 1,330kg largely through extensive use of carbon fibre. The biggest change to the styling, aside from the CF splitter and diffuser, was the fitment of 19-inch forged alloy wheels with titanium wheel nuts to shave an additional few grammes off. There's also a Superleggera side decal.
Early Gallardos can be found from around £75,000 although you'll need to add £2,500 for the e-gear sequential manual gearbox, should you so desire it. You'll still need £94,000 for a manual model year 06 car. Gallardo Spyders and Superleggeras are still trading for serious money and the canny buyers will wait a while until this market cools down.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The big ticket item to watch out for with a Gallardo is the clutch. Early cars came with a clutch plate made of a material not entirely dissimilar to Swiss cheese and there were reports of some cars with as little as 1,500 miles on the clock on their third clutch. Naturally, this would be dependent on the driver's skill or lack thereof, and in 2005 the clutch was upgraded to a beefier item. Residual values tend to take a sharp dip after two years due to the fact that the 24 month Lamborghini warranty was not originally extendable and many owners took this as an opportunity to offload and move on. Look for scrapes to the front valance caused by car park ramps and also kerb damage to the alloy wheels. The interiors tend to be strong and the Audi-derived major mechanicals are also tough. Some have complained about paint resilience at the front of their cars and the Gallardo does seem very prone to stone chipping. Meticulous owners will apply 3M or similar protective films.
REPLACEMENT PARTS
(approx based on a 2005 Gallardo coupe) Spares are predictably expensive. The Pirelli P-Zero tyres retail at around £180 a pair for the front boots and £280 for the rears (fitted and balanced), which means that a new set of rubber isn't going to leave much change from £1,000. Servicing comes every 7,500 miles and a normal server is around £1100 with bigger ones £2200. Lamborghini dealers have really got their act together in recent years and unlike in days of yore, won't sting you with hidden costs.
ON THE ROAD
Against the clock, the latest Gallardo will register a sprint to 60mph in 3.8 seconds and keep going to 196mph. The four-wheel drive electronics aren't quite as clever as those in a 911 Turbo when it comes to stepping cleanly off the line but get up to higher velocities and you won't begrudge that, the Gallardo behaving for the most part like a traditional rear driver. Only when you're really pushing it over scabby tarmac can you feel the front tyres biting for grip. What impresses most is the body control. Drive the same section of road in a Porsche 911 or even a Ferrari F430 and there would be a lot more roll, squat and dive. The Lamborghini planes flat, almost sucked to the ground, its hefty 19-inch tyres and foursquare stance giving the driver almost unassailable confidence levels.
The Superleggera takes things to another level. The car is definitely louder than a standard Gallardo but the performance differences don't look much on paper: an identical top speed and torque figure, 0.2s knocked off the sprint to 100kmh (now 3.8s) and 10bhp added to the power output. On track, a different picture emerges with the Superleggera offering superior grip and body control, largely down to the tyre choice. Snappy at the limit, it demands respect but is massively capable, on well-surfaced, dry tarmac at least.
Needless to say, it delivers savage punch out of corners.
OVERALL
Before the advent of the Gallardo, the dream ticket was always an Italian supercar with German build quality. Now that such a thing exists, it seems strange that some see fit to complain about an erosion of Lamborghini brand values. The top brass at Sant'Agata hold the belief that the naysayers can complain all they like as the order books demonstrate this to be clearly a winning formula. Used Gallardos are generally sturdy. Look for the uprated clutch and servicing done on the button with no corners cut and you shouldn't go far wrong.
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