RE: Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2: Spotted

RE: Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2: Spotted

Tuesday 12th March 2013

Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2: Spotted

A discreet Lamborghini sounds like an oxymoron but this rare, rear-driven manual Gallardo offers a tempting saving off list



Chris Harris yesterday asked if Lamborghini was in trouble, citing sluggish sales of the (by car industry standards) ancient Gallardo as one sign that the bull was slightly less than raging these days.

Low-key inside too but gated manual appeals
Low-key inside too but gated manual appeals
Well, just 24 hours later a press release appears in the PH inbox boasting of strong sales from last year confirming that demand for Aventadors is, as Chris asserted, strong. Overall Lambo sales are up by 30 per cent, American sales by 53 per cent and turnover by 46 per cent. There's no mention of the 'profit' word in the press release but it would seem building Aventadors is doing the coffers well, and Lamborghini boasts that with the introduction of the Roadster version order books are full for the next 15 months.

Compared with the 922 sales for Aventadors, the 1,161 Gallardos Lamborghini shifted ('where to?' is one question worth asking, if the stories of two hangers full of unsold cars Harris mentions are true) is, in its words, "almost stable" compared with 2011, total sales thus far of 13,000 ensuring it's still the most successful Lamborghini ever in sales terms. To put that in context, Audi has sold just over 20,000 examples of its R8, which is based on the same platform.

Half as much for an older manual Gallardo
Half as much for an older manual Gallardo
Anyway. Enough of the business number crunching. Let's look at what you might want to buy. Like this surprisingly stealthy LP550-2. 'Discreet' and 'Lamborghini' aren't two words you'd usually put together but if you're among those rebelling against the relentless march of technology and electronic nannying the fact it's got a manual gearbox and only two driven wheels might tempt you. And if it doesn't, the £20K-plus saving over a new one might, a bare-bones LP550-2 currently listing at just over £140K (£20K less than a pre-facelift MY12 LP560-4). It's not a Balboni in name (or questionable white stripe) but it is in spirit and performance, the 3.9 seconds to 62 and 199mph top speed both being the same. As, indeed, are the rest of the numbers on the spec sheet.

A V10 Audi R8 gets off the line slightly quicker thanks to its four-wheel drive and a new one costs a similar amount but it's down 15hp, around 200kg heftier and, let's face it, which key ring do you want to carry round with you, given the choice? Half this money would get you into an original manual Gallardo in similarly subdued colours and with less than 30K on the clock, too - but there's something about the back to basics combination of a gated stick shift and rear-wheel drive that appeals. That, and another 30hp.


LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP550-2
Engine:
5,204cc V10
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 550@8,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 397@6,500rpm
MPG: 16mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 315g/km
First registered: 2011
Recorded mileage: 6,514
Price new: £141,067 (plus options)
Yours for: £119,850

See original ad here:

Author
Discussion

Frimley111R

Original Poster:

15,537 posts

233 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
Turnover is vanity, profit is.....err.

MogulBoy

2,925 posts

222 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
QI that Audi appear to have sold 20k R8's in just over half the time that Lambo have taken to sell 12k Gallardos...

On autoscout24.ch [Switzerland], there are 137 Gallardos for sale versus 91 R8's. This represents 40% of the G’s sold in the past 7 years* and 20% of the R8’s sold here in the past 6 years.

'* I don’t have data for the first few years of G sales so this comparison is perhaps a little unfair but it may indicate that used G’s take a while to shift – particularly at this time of year in Switzerland.

Data from this link posted by chandrew,

data here

e.g. Lambo have sold 344 G’s i.e. 50 per year over the past 7 years [2006-2012] whereas Audi have sold 438 R8’s (73 per year) out here




johnyt993

21 posts

151 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
i really like the Gallardo, it always looks to be a perfect size for driving relatively hard too... but after i saw one next to a Murcielago in the Kensington showroom several years back it always felt like the Gallardo was the 'Cayman' to the Murcielago's '911' (albeit with the whole arrangement up-scaled considerably!)... The Murci looked so much better, the design was simple but had space to work, the Gallardo looked like it was the same form-language, put in a vice!

This was strengthened by a great blast back from Spa following a Purple Murci'... looked amazing!

all that said, either would be fine if it was sitting in my garage!

Davey S2

13,075 posts

253 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
The Gallardo has never done it for me although I wouldnt mind driving a Balboni.

The interior is about as exciting as any Audi


DMC2

1,827 posts

210 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
Davey S2 said:
The Gallardo has never done it for me although I wouldnt mind driving a Balboni.

The interior is about as exciting as any Audi
The interior IS Audi!

Mark Wibble

211 posts

223 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
I love the photos of the one in the classifieds! Good job...

Dagnut

3,515 posts

192 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
What a shock Audi with about 10O times more showrooms and 100 times the marketing budget are selling more R8's....WOW...a car 50% cheaper and with half the servicing costs..who'd of thunk it?

julian64

14,317 posts

253 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
Actually thinking of buying a Gallardo at some point soon. I think its quite a triumph of styling to my eyes.

Its simple, neat, and looks very purposeful, without the pseudo halfords wings and fins that seem to be the standard kit to entice footballers these days. In a recent PH thread there was one sitting in amongst a load of ferrari exotica, at an exhibition held at a local exgineering works in the uk. To be honest I would have preferred that Gallardo over any of them. A nice gray one with a hard hat would do me. :~)

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
Shamefully I never knew the Gallardo came like this outside the Balboni. Lovely, although I'd prefer a more Lambo colour-scheme.

loudlashadjuster

5,082 posts

183 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
Still love the Gallardo, one of the most perfectly realised supercar shapes ever. Comparative lack of drama (for a Lamborghini anyway) but with a tautness and sense of purpose that just gets better looking with age. Certainly belies its 10 years since launch.

ducnick

1,765 posts

242 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
I always assumed these would be more flamboyant Lamborghini-esq inside to differentiate them from the Audi R8. It's amazing they sell any with that bland VW Passat interior.

ZesPak

24,421 posts

195 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
ducnick said:
I always assumed these would be more flamboyant Lamborghini-esq inside to differentiate them from the Audi R8. It's amazing they sell any with that bland VW Passat interior.
yes

Despite the interior, I'd still want one in a way I'll never want an R8.
But I want mine in bright GREEN. So I can tell everybody, in true Clarckson-style: yes, I've bought a green car.

threespires

4,289 posts

210 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
Davey S2 said:
The Gallardo has never done it for me although I wouldnt mind driving a Balboni.

The interior is about as exciting as any Audi
I just looked at the interior pix & noticed the 'Lamborghini' script above the glove box. Confirmation to the passenger that they're not in an Audi ?
I think the script might be an option as it's not on a car I saw last week.
If it's an option, then I say boo to the owner for paying extra to remind the passenger that they are riding in a Lambo. Surly the passenger would already know what car they are in. I think the car would be classier without that reminder.

405dogvan

5,326 posts

264 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
Some years ago when I lived in wilder and less comforting lands (the Evo forum) someone mentioned that they'd looked at a Gallardo and said there was simply no way they'd pay for a car which was utterly and totally unspecial to look at or sit in.

When chastised that the performance was what mattered (the Gallardo was probably the quickest/best handling car at the time - this was pre-430) they said that when you're spending 6 figures, performance can't be the only thing you look at.

I thought that was interesting - they went on to say they didn't think Gallardo residuals would be any good either but generally they seem to be doing OK in the scale of things...

Thing is tho - I think both the Gallardo and the R8 are poorer because of the existence of the other. The R8 should really be 'more different' to the TT which most people mistake it for and the Gallardo could use a bit - just a bit - of 'Lamborghini' above and beyond a stripe and a bonkers exhaust noise.

I honestly think that Audi's resurgence as the 'brand to be seen in' has distracted VW from letting Lamborghini get on with what they do. The need for the R8 as the distraction(*) at the top of the range has overridden the need for Lamborghini to make a 458/MP4 competitor.

(*) I think the R8 exists for the same reason that Prada make £10K handbags. They don't sell that many £10K handbags, but their existence makes everything else in the store look cheap. It's the 'three vacuum cleaners' problem in sales psychology smile

Edited by 405dogvan on Tuesday 12th March 14:30

r1ch

2,867 posts

195 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
Stealthy looking Gallardo, i think i'd have to get a brightly coloured one. Having a blast in a Gallardo in a few weeks, quite looking forward to it, always been a fan.

smilo996

2,754 posts

169 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
As much as I like Chris Harris and his reviews. Especially the Pirelli classic tire launch with a series of rally cars. His misguided comments about essentially anything other than Porsche are getting a bit annoying. Porsche bring out a "new" car which is the same as the old one, does not performa s well as its rivals and he is salivating. Lambo, who clearly have shifted more cars this year than last in a recession and with increased competition is the subject of a good old slagging off.
As the rebuttal from Lambo shows, even if he does not like the Gallardo, others prefer it to Porsche.

firebird350

322 posts

179 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
2WD, manual gears - I would! Definitely!! Plus it's compact enough to 'work' effectively on our A and B roads. I bet any PH'er here, given the keys to this machine, would really enjoy punting it around the UK (off peak hours. of course).

kbf1981

2,249 posts

199 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
I have one of these in orange and it is a lovely car - and they're very, very fast. 550hp, 1380kg....once you're off the line it just goes.

IAJO

231 posts

157 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
julian64 said:
Actually thinking of buying a Gallardo at some point soon. I think its quite a triumph of styling to my eyes.
I'm with you on the styling, I wish I was with you on the purchasing smile.

soad

32,829 posts

175 months

Tuesday 12th March 2013
quotequote all
ZesPak said:
But I want mine in bright GREEN. So I can tell everybody, in true Clarckson-style: yes, I've bought a green car.
hehe