Lamborghini to "Surprise" us at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show as well

On Wednesday, an official source from within the VW Group more or less confirmed the debut of a luxury SUV concept from Lamborghini at the Beijing Auto Show in China in April.
Today we learn that the Sant'Agata sports car maker has yet another "surprise" in store for us, this time at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March.
The news comes from an email statement from a Lamborghini spokesperson after the crew over at GT Spirit asked the company about the rumors circulating around the web. Here's what the press representative answered

2012 Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante

Most people who drive the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder invariably come away depressed, thinking the same thing: With 552 hp, a 0-to-60-mph time of about 3.5 seconds, and a claimed top speed of 201 mph, this thing is too damned slow. Lamborghini gets it. Although public attention is focused on the upcoming V-12�powered Murci�lago replacement, Lamborghini's engineers have given the Gallardo Spyder the Superleggera treatment, dubbing the result the Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante. The car was shown by Lamborghini concurrently with the L.A. auto show.

It's Lighter and More Powerful, Naturally

At 562 hp, this car's 5.2-liter V-10 makes 10 more horsepower than the one in the regular Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. Full power is available at a screaming 8000 rpm; maximum torque is 398 lb-ft at 6500 rpm. The small power bump comes entirely from adjusting the engine management software. Would this change alone justify the "Performante" label? Certainly not, so Lamborghini shaved weight, pulling off a claimed 143 pounds�the Gallardo coupe's Superleggera conversion dropped 154�which would place this thing around 3700 pounds by our estimates.

Forty percent of the weight improvement is achieved by using carbon-fiber composite materials throughout the Spyder Performante, including for the engine cover, the optional rear spoiler, the diffuser, parts of the underbody panels, and the mirror caps. Inside, carbon fiber covers the center tunnel, the trim around the gear selector, and�most important�the seat shells, which shave off a big chunk of weight. Alcantara substitutes for the regular Gallardo's leather, saving more weight and adding even more eau de exotic to a car that hardly needs the help. Twenty-nine pounds comes out of the car by way of fitting the Gallardo Superleggera's 19-inch wheels.

Between the weight savings and the horsepower boost, Lamborghini boasts that the Spyder Performante can dispatch a 0-to-62-mph run in 3.9 seconds on its way to a 201-mph top speed. We figure the acceleration claim to be conservative, though, and would expect a time in the low threes for a 0-to-60-mph run. The Spyder Performante features a sportier suspension tune than on regular Gallardo Spyders, as well as special rubber. Lamborghini's e-gear transmission, an automated single-clutch system, is standard, but the excellent six-speed manual with its gated shifter is available as a no-cost option. Lamborghini truly is doing heaven's work.

Beautiful on the Outside, Too

The Spyder Performante�s exterior is distinguished by a new, more aggressive nose, a body-colored grille, special body stripes, and the plethora of visible carbon-fiber bits. The car is officially available in yellow, orange, gray, black, and white, but it's hard to imagine that Sant'Agata Bolognese wouldn't paint one up in whatever color a customer requests�so long as the request comes with an extra sack of money. We recommend the Murci's nuclear Pearl Metallic Flue Green.

Badging will indicate Performante, rather than the Gallardo coupe's Superleggera moniker, and according to Lamborghini that's very much an intentional distinction. "We basically wanted to make an open version of the Superleggera," says Lamborghini design chief Manfred Fitzgerald, but he agrees that the idea of a Superleggera�which translates to �super-lightweight��doesn't fit with the Spyder's extra heft. And so Performante seemed like a better fit for this model. We love the Superleggera and its fabulous dynamics, but when it comes to 10-cylinder Lamborghinis, a roofless one is the best way to enjoy the engine�s raucous symphony. If it happens to be a few dozen pounds lighter? All the better. View Photo Gallery

Lamborghini Athon

The Lamborghini Athon is a sports car advised by Bertone for Lamborghini. It was aboriginal displayed at the 1980 Turin Motor Show.Widely praised, the architecture was based on the Silhouette chassis, which was out of assembly at the time. It was a glassy topless roadster, with a cautiously detailed, affected interior. The Athon was powered by a 3L, 260 bhp (194 kW) V8 engine. The agent was never advised to be put into production, with Lamborghini's banking troubles at the time sealing its fate. It appeared on the appearance car ambit and again was beatific to the Bertone museum.

Lamborghini Silhouette

The Lamborghini Silhouette P300 was a two-door two-seat mid-engined rear-wheel drive sports car, fabricated in baby numbers by Lamborghini amid 1976 and 1979.Officially presented at the 1976 Geneva Auto Show, the Silhouette began as a administration exercise by acclaimed Italian carrozzeria Bertone. It was based on the beforehand Lamborghini Urraco, but was acclaimed from the Urraco by added angular styling. The Silhouette was the aboriginal Lamborghini to apply a targa top roof. The Silhouette after acquired into the agnate attractive but added acknowledged Lamborghini Jalpa. The car had a 3.0 litre all-aluminium admixture Lamborghini V8 internal-combustion agent army beyond abaft the driver. Of the 54 units congenital (only 12 with right-hand drive), 31 are currently accepted to exist.Official achievement abstracts announce the Silhouette could complete the 0 to 100 kilometres per hour (0 to 62.1 mph) dart in 6.5 seconds, 0 to 100 afar per hour (0 to 161 km/h) in 16.1 seconds, and could ability a top acceleration of 260 kilometres per hour (160 mph)

Lamborghini Bravo

The Lamborghini Bravo was a sports car advised by Bertone for Lamborghini. It was first presented in 1974 at the Turin Auto Show.The Bravo was advised to advertise account for a backup to the Urraco. The absolutely alive ancestor featured a 3L 300 hp (220 kW) V8 that powered the rear wheels, and underwent about 40,000 afar (64,000 km) of testing afore it was placed in the Bertone museum. It was never put into production, but abounding administration appearance of the Bravo would acquisition their way into the Countach, including the angular features, the window arrangement, and the caster design, but the autogenous was never added than what was almost all-important to accomplish the vehicle.

Lamborghini Reventon

The Lamborghini Revent�n is a mid-engine sports car that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is the best big-ticket Lamborghini alley car to date, costing one actor euros (~US$1.5 million, or ~�840,000). Its top recorded acceleration was recorded in Dubai , UAE at 356 kilometres per hour (221.2 mph). The official columnist absolution declared that alone 20 cartage would be awash to the public, with one added car (marked as 0/20) produced for the Lamborghini Museum. Although aboriginal rumors adumbrated the absolute cardinal would absolutely be 100, anniversary Revent�n is acutely formed with its cardinal in the arrangement of 20 amid the driver's and passenger's seats.

Despite the exoteric actuality new, about all the automated elements (including the engine) are sourced anon from the Murci�lago LP640. According to the official columnist release, the Revent�n exoteric administration was aggressive by "the fastest airplanes". To accent this, Lamborghini staged a chase amid a Revent�n and a Panavia Tornado fighter even on a 3 km continued runway. The Revent�n was in the advance for best of the race, but the Tornado bent up "in the aftermost few feet" of the race.

Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murci�lago is a supercar manufacturer Lamborghini ten models of the Italian automaker. Ceilings and steel doors Murcielago another frame. Karbon.Murcielago easier to handle than other cars of Lamborghini fibers, since the system has four wheels, or the movement of four-wheel drive (4WD) and a recovery system which is able to stop driver lost Pls control of the road.

Lamborghini Murcielago

Moreover, most of this car has a unique tradition in the bat differently. He lifted the door and sat on the edge of the car. Then, search boxes, to be withdrawn. Murchielago also famous for its luxury "limited edition of 350 copies worldwide LP670-4 SV. SuperVeloce is terwahid product. SV-type V12 engine, which results in DK 670 workers. Reducing vehicle weight also played up to 100 lbs. Supersport race cars can 0-100 km / h in just 3.2 seconds. the maximum speed reached 342 km per hour for the cans.

Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murcielago

Mega Lamborghini Fest in St. Moritz [with Videos]

More than 100 Lamborghini supercars of all types and ages made their way to Switzerland this past weekend (June 18-20) for this year's edition of the annual 'Lamborghini St. Moritz' event. The driving programme included a route through the scenic Julierpass and Fluelapass to Davos.

According to the Italian company, at least one of every current Lamborghini model was present, including the most recently launched Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera that led the road tour in convoy out of St. Moritz, a 1973 Miura Jota, a 1980s Jalpa and even the famed Gallardo police car, provided by the Polizia di Stato (Italian State Police). Videos after the break.

2012 Lamborghini Gallardo Red LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale - Auto Shows

We�d like to imagine that when it came time pick a shade of red for the new Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale, Lamborghini asked a wise, old pigment specialist, �Which is the reddest of the reds, signore?� To which he replied, �Rosso Mars, it is the reddest.� And yes, it is true.
Slathered with the hue is an equally extreme edition of the Gallardo. (Gray and white are offered for unassuming Lamborghini buyers, although we aren�t sure such people exist in nature.) As the name implies, this car essentially is a roadgoing version of the car that races in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, a single-marque series in Europe. The rear spoiler, which Lamborghini itself describes as �enormous,� is taken directly from the racing version and delivers three times the downforce of a standard Gallardo, helping cornering and high-speed stability. It�s made of carbon-fiber, as is the quick-release engine cover that�s also boosted straight off the track car. Other bare carbon bits include the rocker-panel covers, the rear diffuser, and the side-mirror housings. Along with extensive use of aluminum and lightweight 19-inch wheels, the carbon-fiber addenda help shave more than 150 pounds, dropping the Stradale�s weight to around 3350 pounds.
The V-10 hiding behind the seats has now gone full circle. It started life in the Gallardo Superleggera street car and was passed virtually unchanged to the Super Trofeo racer. As a result, Lamborghini can easily say this new model has a racing engine, even though it really just has the one from the Superleggera. Not that we�re criticizing that move�the 570-hp screamer peaks at 8000 rpm, delivering a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.4 seconds and doubling that speed in 10.4 on its way to a terminal velocity of 199 mph. (As with all Lamborghini acceleration estimates, you can bet on those being fairly conservative.)
Like nearly every Lamborghini sold today, each of the 150 Super Trofeos sold will feature all-wheel drive and an e-gear single-clutch automated manual transmission. In the company�s defense, the race cars shift gears for themselves, too. And because Italians are suggestive and can�t call something �launch control� like everyone else, the Super Trofeo�s system is called �Thrust Mode.� It aims to deliver maximum acceleration with a clutch dump at 5000 rpm. Speed is scrubbed by eight-piston front brake calipers and four-piston rears, with ventilated cast-iron discs as standard and carbon-ceramic discs as an option.
Rosso Mars returns as the dye color for the Alcantara that covers much of the Super Trofeo�s interior. Contrasting black material with red stitching covers the dash top and runs along the sides of the seat, while the steering wheel is wrapped with real suede with red stitching. Anyone who didn�t get their fill of carbon on the exterior can request optional pieces to replace the standard handbrake arm, the center console cover, the lower rim of the steering wheel, the IP frame, and the handles for the doors and glove box. Lamborghini also offers a tubular roll cage, a fire extinguisher, and four-point harnesses for racing types, as well as navigation, Bluetooth, and a lift system for the front end to aid in traversing speed bumps and the like.
Is the LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale our favorite of the countless special-edition Gallardos? That�s tough to say, given the existence of the rear-drive, manual-transmission Valentino Balboni, but we will say that it�s definitely the reddest�and that we can�t wait to drive one.

 

by caranddriver.com

2012 Lamborghini Aventador orange LP700-4 Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows

It�s called the Aventador LP700-4, and it�s Lamborghini�s newest V-12�powered suckerfish. From its scything mandibles to its gawping monopipe, the 691-hp V-12 replacement for the Murci�lago is all-new, we�re told. That flushing sound you hear is Swiss bank accounts being emptied in anticipation of its August 2011 arrival at a price of $379,700.
The styling for Lamborghini�s latest Concerto for Creases and Trapezoids borrows much from the 20 Revent�n coupes that preceded it. The full-figured lines of the old Murci�lago have been pulled out and toned up, as if the big goombata has discovered Pilates. Naturally, the scissor doors endure, while a buyer can choose from three au courant matte-finish colors (black, white, and brown), along with the usual assortment of metallic and pearlescent paints.
Carbon? Si!
Overall, the Aventador is one big Lambo, longer by almost seven inches than the car it replaces, with an NBA-sanctioned 1.4 inches added to the wheelbase. (Overall length is 188.2 inches.) The roof height is unchanged at a low-flying 44.7 inches, but the car is slightly narrower. The dry weight is a claimed 3472 pounds which, if accurate, and with a full tank of 23.8 gallons and a full oil sump of 13.7 quarts, plus coolant, should put the curb weight somewhere between 3700 and 3800 pounds, a few hundred pounds lighter than the old steel-frame Murci�lago.
Lamborghini�s flagship finally joins the carbon-fiber club founded by cars such as the McLaren F1 and Ferrari F50, encircling occupants in a molded structural tub. Said to weigh 325 pounds naked and 506 with body panels attached, the Aventador�s passenger cell will be made in-house at Lamborghini�s own Sant�Agata plant.
The tub is assembled from carbon-fiber panels, boxes, and tubes with foam and aluminum reinforcements, using a variety of molding techniques. They include high-pressure resin-injection for many of the core structural parts and �prepreg,� or mats of carbon-fiber pre-impregnated by the supplier with heat-curing liquid resin, for surfaces that need a smoother finish for painting or ornamental clear-coating.
Lamborghini builds up the tub in part by employing already-finished carbon-fiber parts as molds for the next pieces to be added. Epoxy foam strengtheners are added at strategic points to increase stiffness of the monocoque and to dampen noise and vibration, while aluminum inserts are laminated into the front and rear of the tub as mounting plates for the front and rear subframes, which support the powertrain as well as the front- and rear suspension. The arrangement cuts production costs and simplifies crash repair, relatively speaking, of course.
F1-like Suspension
Aluminum upper and lower control arms support the body. To centralize and lower the mass as well as reduce un-sprung weight, the Aventador uses inboard coil-over shocks laid horizontally and actuated by pushrods. The front units are at the base of the windscreen, the rears lie just aft of the engine.
Lamborghini says the rigid mounting of the shocks to the body also allows engineers to dial back spring rates for a more livable ride. A pushbutton jacking system on the front axle allows the driver to raise the nose by a crucial 1.6 inches for speed bumps or steeper driveways.
The steering has hydraulic assist with three boost modes tied into the driver-configurable stability and shift controls. The 19-inch front wheels and 20-inch rears are encased in 255/35 Pirelli P Zeros up front and huge 335/30 hunks in back. The carbon-ceramic brake discs�satellite dishes, really�measure 15.7 inches in front, 15.0 inches in back, with six-piston calipers doing the clamping at the front and four-piston calipers at the rear.
A New Engine, Backwards as Usual
Although it�s described as a clean-sheet design, the 6498-cc V-12, known internally as the L539, carries over several key aspects of the Murci�lago�s engine. They include its 60-degree V angle, port fuel injection, chain-driven four cams, unusual quad-throttle-body intake, dry-sump lubrication, and backwards mounting, the latter trait descending directly from the original Countach. At 76.4 mm, however, the stroke is much shorter, which helps make it possible for the engine to rev past 8000 rpm. (Click here for our full story on the Aventador's powertrain.)
With a compression ratio of 11.8:1, you�ll definitely want to spring for premium fuel, especially to reach the 691-hp power peak at a frantic 8250 rpm. The torque crests at 509 lb-ft at 5500 rpm. Unlike the Gallardo�s V-10, the V-12 will be assembled entirely in Italy by Lamborghini.
Between the seats is a new single-clutch, seven-speed paddle-shifted automated manual that Lambo dubs the ISR (Independent Shifting Rod). No manual will be offered. The 154-pound ISR uses four hydraulically actuated shift forks, and its software hastens gear changes by overlapping the motions of the forks of successive gears during shifts, a technique that has already been embraced by Ferrari in its single-clutch gearboxes. Lambo claims shift times that are 40 percent quicker than in an e-gear�equipped Gallardo.
The Aventador�s transmission also operates as a full automatic. As with the stability control, the shift profile can be altered by the driver depending on whether he or she selects the �Strada� (street) or �Sport� modes. There is also a �Corsa� (track) setting, which is manual-only and includes launch control for maximum acceleration from a standing start. During upshifts, it probably makes the car feel as if it�s being rear-ended.
As denoted by the 4 in its name, the Aventador is all-wheel drive. Power transmits to the front axle via an electronically controlled Haldex clutch; zero to 60 percent of available torque is sent forward depending on the surface conditions and speed.
A More Intimate Cockpit
A more focused dashboard positions digital displays and warning lights around a large central combination tach/speedometer. At the driver�s whim, the thin-film transistor (TFT) display in the cluster can be toggled to show either a large tach or a speedometer. Navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, an iPod port, and other modern conveniences are standard.
Options include a transparent engine cover, a stereo upgrade, parking distance sensors, a rear-mounted camera, and brake calipers painted in wild colors. (The parking sensors and backup camera are pretty much required for any Lambo.) A package of contrasting two-tone leather is also available, or, as has always been the case at Lamborghini, you can go in and order whatever psychotic combination of colors and materials your wallet and bad taste can realize.
Forsaking steel in Lamborghini�s V-12 flagship is both a substantial and long overdue change. With its German-built aluminum space frame, Lamborghini�s smaller Gallardo was technologically years ahead of the pricier Murci�lago. With buyers asked to lay out almost 400 large for the big Lamborghini, now is the right time to add F1-like technology to the F1-like price tag.

2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Prototype Photos - Future Cars

Feast your eyes on this spate of pictures of Lamborghini�s brimstone-respiring Murci�lago replacement�which is all but guaranteed to be called the Aventador LP700-4. As you can see, it�s as feral and vulgar as a Lamborghini flagship should be.

The Aventador�s bulging front fender dominates the car�s profile, but it would be impossible to miss the air intake behind the driver�s door�it�s big enough to kick a football through. That intake will be gulping air for the all-new 6.5-liter V-12 (which we described in detail last month). There will be tremendous stoppers at all four corners, a requirement when the brakes have to rein in 700 hp and 509 lb-ft of torque.

Rather than aluminum or steel, the Aventador makes use of a carbon-fiber monocoque, similar in theory if not execution to that of the Sesto Elemento concept, which will help keep weight down. Add the trick, single-clutch transmission that the company says shifts faster than any dual-clutch unit�Lambo hasn�t allowed any instrumented testing on its prototypes yet�and it seems like the Aventador will tick all the boxes on the bleeding-edge-supercar checklist.

by caranddriver.com

2012 Lamborghini GallardoBlack And Roadster LP570-4 Spyder Performante - Auto Shows

Most people who drive the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder invariably come away depressed, thinking the same thing: With 552 hp, a 0-to-60-mph time of about 3.5 seconds, and a claimed top speed of 201 mph, this thing is too damned slow. Lamborghini gets it. Although public attention is focused on the upcoming V-12�powered Murci�lago replacement, Lamborghini's engineers have given the Gallardo Spyder the Superleggera treatment, dubbing the result the Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante. The car was shown by Lamborghini concurrently with the L.A. auto show.
It's Lighter and More Powerful, Naturally
At 562 hp, this car's 5.2-liter V-10 makes 10 more horsepower than the one in the regular Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. Full power is available at a screaming 8000 rpm; maximum torque is 398 lb-ft at 6500 rpm. The small power bump comes entirely from adjusting the engine management software. Would this change alone justify the "Performante" label? Certainly not, so Lamborghini shaved weight, pulling off a claimed 143 pounds�the Gallardo coupe's Superleggera conversion dropped 154�which would place this thing around 3700 pounds by our estimates.
Forty percent of the weight improvement is achieved by using carbon-fiber composite materials throughout the Spyder Performante, including for the engine cover, the optional rear spoiler, the diffuser, parts of the underbody panels, and the mirror caps. Inside, carbon fiber covers the center tunnel, the trim around the gear selector, and�most important�the seat shells, which shave off a big chunk of weight. Alcantara substitutes for the regular Gallardo's leather, saving more weight and adding even more eau de exotic to a car that hardly needs the help. Twenty-nine pounds comes out of the car by way of fitting the Gallardo Superleggera's 19-inch wheels.
Between the weight savings and the horsepower boost, Lamborghini boasts that the Spyder Performante can dispatch a 0-to-62-mph run in 3.9 seconds on its way to a 201-mph top speed. We figure the acceleration claim to be conservative, though, and would expect a time in the low threes for a 0-to-60-mph run. The Spyder Performante features a sportier suspension tune than on regular Gallardo Spyders, as well as special rubber. Lamborghini's e-gear transmission, an automated single-clutch system, is standard, but the excellent six-speed manual with its gated shifter is available as a no-cost option. Lamborghini truly is doing heaven's work.
Beautiful on the Outside, Too
The Spyder Performante�s exterior is distinguished by a new, more aggressive nose, a body-colored grille, special body stripes, and the plethora of visible carbon-fiber bits. The car is officially available in yellow, orange, gray, black, and white, but it's hard to imagine that Sant'Agata Bolognese wouldn't paint one up in whatever color a customer requests�so long as the request comes with an extra sack of money. We recommend the Murci's nuclear Pearl Metallic Flue Green.

Badging will indicate Performante, rather than the Gallardo coupe's Superleggera moniker, and according to Lamborghini that's very much an intentional distinction. "We basically wanted to make an open version of the Superleggera," says Lamborghini design chief Manfred Fitzgerald, but he agrees that the idea of a Superleggera�which translates to �super-lightweight��doesn't fit with the Spyder's extra heft. And so Performante seemed like a better fit for this model. We love the Superleggera and its fabulous dynamics, but when it comes to 10-cylinder Lamborghinis, a roofless one is the best way to enjoy the engine�s raucous symphony. If it happens to be a few dozen pounds lighter? All the better.
by caranddriver.com

2011 Lamborghini Murci�lago LP670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition - Auto Shows

At the Beijing auto show, Lamborghini is joining Bentley among top-rung luxury manufacturers unveiling �China Edition� cars. Bentley introduced two China editions, one of its Flying Spur Speed and one of the Continental GT. Seen here is Lamborghini�s Murci�lago LP670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition. And we thought Texas was the biggest country to get its own special-edition vehicles. (Yes, we know Texas isn�t a country. But ask any Texan and they�ll tell you: It could be.)
So what sets the Murci�lago LP670-4 SV China Limited Edition apart from all those workaday Murci�lago LP670-4 SVs? Only the strength of an erupting volcano. Well, an orange stripe down the center of the car, anyway, that Lamborghini says symbolizes the strength of said volcano. The rest of the car is matte gray. Inside, the black Alcantara is trimmed with vibrant orange stitching, and the paddles for the e-gear automated manual transmission are painted orange as well.
Otherwise, it�s all humdrum Murci�lago LP670-4 SV, which is to say it�s fantastic. With 661 hp from the 6.5-liter V-12, the SV should get from rest to 60 mph in around three seconds flat, and with a lap of just 2 minutes 53.9 seconds, it was the fourth-quickest street-legal car we�ve ever tested at our annual Lightning Lap. Only 10 Murci�lago LP670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Editions will be sold. While most other special edition cars might be numbered, only the Lambo will have the owner�s name engraved on the number plate as well. So there, Bentley.

 by caranddriver.com

2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera - Official Photos and Info

Lamborghini�s chief rival, Ferrari, might be charting new waters by unveiling a hybrid at the Geneva auto show, but the bucking-bull brand is sticking to tried and true formulas with its news. The Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera follows exactly the recipe laid out by its predecessor: less weight, more power. But now that the basic Gallardo LP560-4 puts out 552 horses, the total for the Superleggera sneaks up to 562, courtesy of a more liberal engine-management programming. The power peak still occurs at a siren-song 8000 rpm, and torque remains 398 lb-ft at 6500 rpm.
Lambo says 0 to 60 mph will take only 3.4 seconds, with 124 (200 km/h) passing in just 10.2. Terminal velocity is 202 mph. However, a regular-strength Gallardo we tested recently needed only 3.2 seconds to hit the 60-mph mark. That car also took a mere 11.2 seconds to trip the quarter-mile timing lights at a speed of 130 mph, which suggests that the new Superleggera will land safely among the quickest production cars we�ve ever tested. Lamborghini�s e-gear automated manual transmission will be standard, although we expect that, like the previous car, the Superleggera will offer the gated six-speed manual as a no-cost option. With e-gear, fuel economy is said to be 14 mpg in the city, 20 on the highway. Good luck finding the restraint to achieve those figures.
�Leggera� Just Doesn�t Have the Same Ring to it
In Italian, �Superleggera� means �super light,� which is not entirely accurate in describing a car that will still weigh around 3350 pounds. Euro-market cars drop 154 pounds off the Gallardo�s curb weight, but the Superleggera might see a smaller drop in the U.S. In the last lightweight Gallardo, our government regulations mandated the carbon-fiber-shelled seats from the European car be replaced by fatter thrones with side-impact airbags embedded in the bolsters. We expect to be similarly deprived this time around.
Had carbon fiber been around when Lotus founder Colin Chapman was building cars and spouting immortal words, his famous �add lightness� line might have instead been �add carbon fiber.� In all, 80 of the 154 pounds shaved from the Gallardo to make a Superleggera are owed to the lightweight material. In addition to the seat shells, the center-tunnel cover and door panels are carbon fiber. Outside, it is used for both the standard (small) and optional (large) rear spoilers, as well as the side sills, rear diffuser, underbody paneling, mirror housings, and engine cover. The window in the engine cover through which passersby can ogle the Lambo�s V-10 switches to polycarbonate, as do the rear and side windows. The weight-saving program doesn�t go so far as to delete the A/C, which owners will be grateful for with such a dark interior. Everything inside that was once leather is now lighter-weight Alcantara, including the seats, dash, and headliner.
Not Much Change, But Go Ahead and Stare Anyway
Beyond the spoiler and carbon-fiber mirror housings, exterior changes are few. The front fascia, the bottom of which is now black, grows larger air intakes; and the lower body is tattooed with a sexy �Superleggera� side stripe that now sports three thin lines along its top edge�green, white, and red�in homage to Lamborghini�s homeland. Forged aluminum 19-inch wheels with titanium lugs save 29 pounds compared to the regular Gallardo�s, and wear Pirelli P Zero Corsa rubber. Carbon-ceramic brakes are an option which, if our experience with the last model carries over, should be avoided on account of their nearly unmanageable grabbiness.
Pricing is not yet available, but the last Superleggera added nearly $30,000 to the Gallardo�s base price. If a standard Gallardo doesn�t do it for you and you�ve got that sort of extra bread to toss around, you could also consider giving Jason Heffner a call.

 by .caranddriver.com