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Written by:
Autocar staff
http://www.autocar.co.uk
10/02/2008 - 06:19 PM
London, UK
The redesigned and refined Gallardo represents Lamborghini's vision of the future of the supercar. (Autocar photo) » More Photos
The all-new Gallardo LP560-4 is the living, screaming proof that Lamborghini is taking its future very seriously indeed. Because although it is a faster, lighter, more powerful version of the Gallardo, it is also the cleanest, most economical and ecologically efficient car that Lamborghini has ever produced. And this, surely, is the best news of all for fans of the Sant’Agata supercar maker.
In a nutshell, the 560-4 (560ps, four-wheel drive) represents a new, more modern way of thinking at Lamborghini, and although it may have been launched at a time when $260,000, 200mph supercars aren’t exactly flying out of showrooms, it proves how serious the company is about staying relevant and, more to the point, staying in business.
Eventually Lamborghini plans to make its lineup of cars 40 percent greener than they are now, but without diluting the fundamental appeal of that range in the process. Tough job, but the LP560-4 – 18 percent cleaner than its predecessor and faster/more powerful to boot – looks like a pretty good start.
Don’t be fooled by the familiar, though still deeply seductive, looks of the 560-4. Visually it may have undergone the mildest of rethinks – the nose vents are bigger, the rear lights are smaller and more elegant, while the interior has been “rationalized” to make it easier to interact with, says Lamborghini – but beneath the skin this is mostly a brand-new car.
For starters, it has an all-new 5.2-liter V10 engine which not only has a different firing order from the previous 5.0-liter V10
New 5.2-liter V10 has 552hp and a different firing order. (Autocar photo) » More Photos
Also new is most of the four-wheel drive chassis (there are bigger anti-roll bars front and rear, uprated dampers, and significant changes to the steering and rear suspension geometry) and both the hardware and software for the e-gear paddle-shift gearbox. Lamborghini claims that over 90 percent of Gallardos are bought with the optional paddle-shift ’box and has therefore gone to a lot of effort to improve the system. Shifts in the new Corsa mode occur 40 percent faster now, and even in regular and Sport modes the changes happen faster and more smoothly, says Lamborghini.
As before, carbon-ceramic brakes are optional (they are standard on the Ferrari 430 Scuderia) and were fitted to the test car, even though the regular steel brakes have also been uprated.
The 560-4 isn’t just cleaner on emissions; it’s also smoother through the air thanks to improved aerodynamics and is more efficient mechanically thanks to a reduction in friction throughout the car, all of which helps it to be 18 percent less polluting than its immediate predecessor. Intriguingly, the 560-4 is also lighter than the stripped-out Superleggera version of the previous model, providing it with a thumping power-to-weight ratio of 391hp per ton.
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