Reports about Gallardo LP560-4/Spyder

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First Drive: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

To a large extent Lamborghini exists today because of the Gallardo. While the Murcielago has always remained the top model in the company’s line-up, it was strong sales of the Gallardo that allowed it to reach profitability after almost 30 years of losses. At its initial launch back in 2003 there was the worry that this new ‘entry-level’ Lamborghini would dilute the brand’s exclusive cachet. As the first model completely designed under the watchful and sensible eye of Audi, there was also some concern the carmaker was expanding its market share at the cost of exclusivity and heritage. But once the first trickle of reviews came in, all fears were put to rest, and the new car was able to strike an almost impossible balance between accessibility and exclusivity. It’s since gone on to become the Italian marque’s most successful model to date - selling around 7,100 units - and its reputation as an everyday supercar is the best descriptor of the new Lamborghini: outrageous but still entirely livable. However, Lamborghini was never one to rest on its laurels. Just as it had done with the Murcielago and the more extreme LP640 variant, designers also tinkered with the Gallardo and added some extra kit to make it a much more vicious machine. Put on a diet, the brand new LP560-4 loses 20kg over the standard model and is given another 40hp (30kW) for extra bite. The most significant changes come in the form of a new aerodynamic package that improves downforce considerably and makes the car a far more formidable track weapon than the standard Gallardo. Technical Named for its 560hp (418kW) output and 4WD powertrain, the latest incarnation of the Gallardo impresses on several fronts. With its highly-strung 5.2L V10 the LP560-4 has stunning performance, accelerating to 62mph (100km/h) in just 3.7 seconds and going on to reach a top speed in excess of 200mph (320km/h). The engine emits a deep bellow when pushed, and is most brutal in the lower end of the rev-range where it seems to summon the most force. Hitting the top end is equally exciting because the torque curve remains flat and stable throughout the rev-range. It’s strange to think of the self-titled ‘Most outrageous car company’ considering emissions and fuel economy in its marketing materials, however even Lamborghini is beginning to think about tough new pollution regulations to be ratified by the EU. For this reason it has introduced a new Bosch direct injection system, giving the LP560-4 more power and torque but better fuel-efficiency and lower emissions than the previous Gallardo. Styling and interior Lamborghini has updated the Gallardo’s shell to bring it more in to line with the Murcielago and recent Reventon concept. You can clearly see the family resemblance in the new model with giant air dams and new lights in the front. The rear has also been altered significantly, with cooling vents, new rear lights and bumper plus a redesigned diffuser all contributing to its changed appearance. In what may be a subconscious nod to its German cousin, the LP560-4’s rear looks a little like the Audi R8’s. The rear lights are now positioned in a ‘Y structure’ and the same motif appears in the front LED daytime running lights. Sitting inside, the interior resembles that of the regular Gallardo. The seats are set extremely low but leg and shoulder room are generous for both driver and passenger. Lamborghini offers the LP560-4 with either leather or Alcantara upholstery for the seats, and the same options are given for various accents around the cabin. While the interior hasn’t changed much from the pre-facelift model, the driving experience certainly has. Gone is the instability during high speed cornering and the tendency to understeer that were the negative hallmarks of the Gallardo. The LP560-4’s new aerodynamics package has significant effect at speed, and the front spoiler and rear diffuser work together to improve aerodynamic efficiency by a staggering 31%. On the road The optional carbon-ceramic brakes are also excellent, though we wish Lamborghini would follow cross-town rival Ferrari’s example and make them standard on the new model. Still, there’s not much to complain about when you’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a car and the brakes deliver up to 1.2g of seatbelt-straining force. With its high-revving engine, excellent four-wheel drive system, improved down force and powerful brakes, the LP560 is more confident around a track than the Gallardo. The suspension has also been tuned and lightened, and is adept at keeping the car stable during high-speed cornering. Body roll is now almost non-existent. Steering the car through the pedals was necessary more than a few times, especially when understeer reared its ugly head. However, these were rare occasions and generally the car was responsive to our steering inputs. The transmission comes in three modes, Normal, Sport and Corsa, with the final being the most hardcore option. In Corsa mode the gear shifts are around 40% faster than normal. There’s also a launch control option, during which both brake and accelerator are depressed, locking revs at 5,000rpm and sending the Gallardo off while matching traction with power perfectly. The LP560-4 isn’t brilliant in all areas though. The carbon-ceramic brakes still lack proper feel for stop-and-go traffic, a problem we’ve noticed on a number of other cars fitted with them, including the McLaren SLR (not sold here) and the Porsche Carrera GT (now out of production). The extremely low front spoiler also makes the car hard to take around town and even when you do use the handy front-raising feature there’s still the occasional painful sound of grating metal. Final verdict The LP560-4 takes Lamborghini’s biggest success and changes the formula - as a driver’s car, it is devastatingly quick and a delight to throw around a track but as just a car, a daily driver, the old Gallardo made more sense. Then again, when did buying a Lamborghini ever make sense?

Link: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/s...lardo-lp560-4/
(Pictures included)

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[andreadebi]

now works the link

http://www.autobild.de/artikel/test-...#mmg-bilder-31


from italian economic newspaper

http://www.luxury24.ilsole24ore.com/...rdo_1.php?id=0

very nice the interiori in alcantara

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/f...s?ext_index=27

[a007apl]

[a007apl]

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=6868

[fireguy]

nice article and photos....green is my fav color!

http://windingroad.nextautos.com/win...8web/?folio=73

[a007apl]

Check lambo scan part
Member Scans **56k BEWARE!** ( 1 2 3 ... Last Page)
Go to last page, last post

[a007apl]

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evoc...o-lp560-4.html

[a007apl]

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/...AC/UK)/234106/

[a007apl]

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...0-4/index.html

[a007apl]

Lamborghini's heart-stopping LP560-4
By Sue Zesiger Callaway, contributor

Did he see us?" I screamed to my automotive accomplice, whom I'll call Speed Queen, as I dug into the carbon ceramic brakes and wrestled the new Lamborghini LP560-4 to a standstill. About 100 feet off the car's chiseled bug-green nose, a California Highway Patrol cruiser was attempting to herd the black Lambo Murciélago to the shoulder.
A narrow escape! And only the first, as it turned out, over the course of Lamborghini's annual three-day Giro driving event - this year from Lake Tahoe to Pebble Beach.
As Speed Queen (name withheld to protect the guilty, but I'll tell you this: She is automotive royalty and a real hotshoe) and I crept away, cackling at our good fortune, a second CHP car pulled up alongside us and pointed us over. In fact, he lassoed more than 30 of us at once. The breakdown lane was a techno Italian rainbow.
"Our switchboard lit up with reports of a pack of wild Ferraris tearing up the road," he said sternly to the group.
"Well, guess we can go then - we're all driving Lamborghinis!" I quipped. He released us with a warning, but within a few miles, the same bad behavior resumed - ridiculous speeding, dangerous passes, insane lane changes. Delightful!
Although all current Lambos are likely to increase your blood pressure and decrease your common sense, the latest iteration of the entry-level Gallardo, the LP560-4, is truly a leap ahead. As SQ and I revved our way toward Mammoth Lake, our first overnight, we were impressed by simple yet chic touches, such as the quilted Alcantara headliner and the black suede steering wheel - perfect for grip no matter how sweaty the palms.
As the odometer logged first 100, then 200 miles, we began to worry that the gas gauge hadn't moved much. Malfunction? No: The LP560-4 is 44 pounds lighter than its predecessor, aerodynamically more slippery, and fully 18% more efficient (fuel economy and CO2 emissions) than its predecessor.
We made quick use of every foot-pound of torque, every one of the V-10's 560 horses - and every bit of the all-wheel-drive system's gluelike grip. As we passed (and passed and passed) other Lambos in our herd, I began to thoroughly trust this brawny bull: The LP560-4 (great cars occasionally have bad names) is boldly capable of raw performance, sounds so hot it should have a parental block on it, and looks sexy enough to stand up to the Murciélago, a V-12-powered sibling.
In fact, as we bombed through Yosemite, I realized that Lambo's latest is actually addictive. Why drive conservatively when you can nail yourself to the seat with every shift? The darn thing even navigates brilliantly, thanks to the Audi unit onboard (Audi owns Lamborghini), and a back-up camera solves one of the car's few flaws - rear visibility.
Ferrari has long owned quality and haute performance, but now Lambo has caught up. As we pulled into a foggy Pebble Beach on the last day, the young valet attendant summed it up best: "Wow! I'll put this in the front spot - all those Ferraris here are for old guys, but this is totally cool!"

[a007apl]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,415942,00.html

[a007apl]

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/...P560-4/235033/

[a007apl]

http://www.carenthusiast.com/reviews...&make=&id=2967

[kach22i]

16 Lambo 2009 photos in my gallery - from the track last week.

Sample:
http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x...2i/Automobile/