Lamborghini Gallardo

Group	0
Engine	M 4961 V10
Transmission	4WD 6 speed
Cabin	2 door; 2 seat
Bhp @ rpm	493 @ 7800
lb ft @ rpm	376 @ 4500
Kerb weight/kg	1430
bhp/ton	345
bhp/litre	99
0-60/secs	4.1
0-100/secs	9.0
Max mph	192
Fuel tank/l	90
Year	2003-
Country	Italy
Price when new	£120,000
Number produced	~3000

The Gallardo coupe debuted at the Geneva motorshow in March 2003 and went on sale in the UK that autumn. It was the entry level to their new model lineup that started with the Murciélago in 2001.
 
It was originally penned by Fabrizio Giugiaro of Ital design, Turin but the design was finalised by Lamborghini's head of design, Luc Donckerwolke. It has short overhangs on a long wheel base and sharp angular lines, it's compact, aggressive and athletic, and has 19" wheels, an inch bigger than those on the Murciélago. The name follows a Lamborghini tradition: the Gallardo's were a breed of 18th Century fighting bulls famous for their aggressive beauty and performance, and named after the brothers who owned them.
 
The all-aluminium 5.0l V10 engine is a development of the 4.2 V8 used previously by Audi, now with 2 more cylinders, bespoke connecting rods and pistons and a new cylinder head designed by Cosworth Engineering in England. It has 40 valves, a drive-by-wire throttle, is very strong and produced close to 500bhp in its first incarnation. A dry sump, small diameter twin plate clutch and the wider 90° 'V' allows the engine to be mounted very low in the chassis, ensuring a low centre of gravity. There is variable timing on both intake and exhaust valves and variable intake geometry helping to deliver 80% of the maximum torque from just 1500rpm.
 
The engine is mid-rear mounted with a 6-speed manual stick-shift or 'e-gear' sequential gearbox mounted behind the engine, the later operated via F1 style paddles mounted on the steering wheel. Lamborghini further developed the permanent 4 wheel drive Viscous Traction system used in the Diablo and subsequent Murciélago rather than any of Audi's Quattro technology. This delivers 70% of the available torque to the rear wheels under normal conditions, even more can be fed to the rear tyres under hard acceleration on a good surface, while the viscous coupling will transmit up to 50% to the front when the rear is losing traction. There is also a limited slip differential between the rear wheels to provide further traction and Electronic Slip Protection that can individually brake the fronts wheels to prevent slipping.
 
The chassis is an aluminium space frame using technology from parent company Audi, and is much lighter than steel, body panels are also aluminium while the bumpers are made of tough thermoplastic. Suspension is via double wishbones all-round and Koni's Frequency Selective Dampers that self-adjust according to road conditions. The Brembo brakes are 365mm at the front with eight-piston callipers and 335mm four-piston at the rear, accompanied by ABS and ABD.
 
"Stunning looks, ability, soundtrack" ***** evo Magazine, THE KNOWLEDGE