Lamborghini Gallardo | PH Auction Block

We all grew up dreaming of yellow Lamborghinis with open-gated manuals - this one looks an absolute gem

While cars beneath the mid-engined V12 most certainly existed in the Lambo lineup prior to 2003, none classified as much of a success. Names like Jalpa, Urraco and Silhouette aren’t really recalled quite like Miura, Countach and Diablo, despite being on sale for a good few years.

It couldn’t carry on indefinitely. Whoever was in charge of Lamborghini from one month to the next couldn’t have failed to notice the emergence of the junior supercar in the '90s, from Honda NSX to Ferrari 355 and 993 Turbo to Esprit V8. There was an opportunity there that had to be taken advantage of; Sant’Agata couldn’t survive into the 21st century just selling wedgey V12s. This was before VW swooped to the rescue, remember, and so the 1995 vision of a V10 Lamborghini was styled by Italdesign and called the Cala. Quite a cool-looking thing it was as well, and sufficiently well received to make it to a Need for Speed game cover.

But even a concept like the Cala couldn’t have prepared the world for the actual baby Lambo. The Gallardo that came in 2003 had a larger, more powerful V10 than the concept - and 25 per cent more than a Ferrari 360, don’t forget - wrapped in a far sexier body than was seen a few years before. With an interior overseen by Audi, too, so people fitted and stuff worked. Little surprise, then, that the Gallardo was a huge hit. And it just kept getting better from launch, various SEs, Balbonis and Superleggera further improving the base recipe. The Gallardo quickly became the best-selling Lamborghini, before the Huracan - a new car, but an evolution of the Gallardo’s idea - surpassed it. Even with the Urus now top dog, the impact of the V10s shouldn’t be underestimated.

Indeed the Gallardo has assumed additional significance with the arrival of the Huracan’s replacement, the Temerario. Because it signifies that the days of Lambos with non-electrified engines and manuals are done. But click-clack gearboxes and screaming engines that only need petrol have been the foundation of countless supercar icons, and those are now worth small fortunes. Making the Gallardo even more interesting.

And let’s be honest - what are you going to do with a 920hp car? A 500hp, manual one will be more than fast enough. This one, to be auctioned by PH in a few days - and coveted by many at Annual Service this weekend, is the Gallardo full house: an early car - so the better looking one, with the 5.0-litre Lambo engine rather than the Audi-derived 5.2 - in yellow, and with the manual gearbox. The transmission choice that everyone wants now, and which represented a tiny minority of new sales.

This isn’t some barely used, seized-up supercar, either. Almost 60,000 miles are under the freshly refurbed wheels (with brand new Michelins), so you needn’t worry about adding more. The brakes and suspension have been refreshed this summer, and the exhaust setup has been optimised to make the most of that sensational engine. It really should want for nothing but enjoying to the fullest, a glorious reminder of when Lamborghini finally nailed the baby supercar - and things would never quite be the same again.

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edoverheels

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