Gallardo LP560-4...the new "base level" model?!?
Discussion
Maybe I put crack on my Weetabix this morning instead of sugar but since when is the LP560-4 a "base level" model as this article on EVO implies? I was always thought it was the pinnacle on the line up as opposed to the bottom rung? Has anybody else read this?
original link
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2179...
White Riot
This is the 552bhp, 202mph LP560-4, the new base-level Gallardo. Its targets: Ferrari 430 Scuderia and 911 GT2
Text: David Vivian / Photos: Matt Vosper
April 2008
With an annoyingly talented kid brother out to steal your thunder rather too literally (Audi R8 V10, due late 2008), and arch-nemesis Ferrari making your sharpest weapon seem curiously blunt (Scuderia smokes Superleggera, eCoty 2007), it’s perhaps understandable that the Lamborghini Gallardo hasn’t been looking, well, too bullish of late.
The 5-litre, all-drive Gallardo has gone five years without a major update and while Lamborghini might argue that it hasn’t really needed one – ‘baby Lambo’ cachet goes a long way and its V10’s charisma is enough to have seen 7000 Gallardos sold to date – the game has moved on.
But just as staying out for an extra couple of laps on worn tyres is sometimes the right tactic in Formula 1, the decision to wait until this year’s Geneva Show to unveil the Gallardo’s mid-life revisions has found a valuable pocket of clear air in which to hog some serious limelight. To make absolutely sure the world pays attention, the new Gallardo is no mere facelift. It’s not even an exercise in tracking the base-rate power and performance requirements to qualify on the front row of the junior-league supercar grid.
Lamborghini has decided to lever-in a little more action than that, and to mark the occasion it’s given the new Gallardo the iconic ‘LP’ nomenclature (LP standing for Longitudinale Posteriore) currently reserved for the flagship Murciélago. The ‘560’ that follows it signifies – in much the same way a knuckle-duster signifies – the fate that awaits any Ferrari 430 Scuderia or Porsche 911 GT2 that fancies a scrap. (And then there’s the ‘4’ in LP560-4, which might just suggest the intriguing possibility of a two-wheel-drive Gallardo somewhere down the line.) Whether it’s an Oscar-winning performance we’ll have to wait and see, but there will be blood. This is why.
The new, plain vanilla Gallardo coupe has a 5.2-litre V10 engine that delivers 560PS (552bhp), 398lb ft of torque and a 202mph top speed – gains of 243cc, 39bhp, 22lb ft and 6mph respectively. It means the new ‘regular’ Gallardo packs 30bhp more than the current lightweight, hardcore Gallardo Superleggera.
The LP560 is heavier than its stripped-out sibling, but 20 kilos lighter than the outgoing ‘cooking’ Gallardo, so its power-to-weight ratio of 374bhp per ton is practically identical to the Superleggera’s. As is its claimed 0-100kph (0-62mph) time of 3.7sec, which is a couple of tenths quicker than the factory’s figure for the current regular car. By 200kph (124mph) the gap has grown to half a second.
Along with the aesthetic, mechanical and electrical systems changes introduced for the new model, it’s all designed to administer a short, sharp slap-down to the embarrassingly brilliant Gallardo-based Audi R8 which, for the time being, is pegged to eight cylinders and 414bhp, and to propel the Gallardo back into pole position on that junior exotic grid.
It’s also a psychological blow to Ferrari and Porsche. Lamborghini has reloaded and its new standard ammunition, the basic Gallardo coupe, is comfortably more powerful than the most extreme versions of the 430 and 911.
The headline power figures don’t tell the whole story, of course. In reality, the fight in a straight line will be pretty even, despite the 430 Scuderia and 911 GT2 trailing the Lambo by 49 and 29bhp respectively. Both weigh substantially less than the four-wheel drive Gallardo and have very similar power-to-weight ratios. The Ferrari’s is slightly better at 378bhp per ton, the Porsche’s only a few points adrift at 369bhp per ton. In a drag race, they’d be hard to separate.
Walter da Silva’s re-style is subtle, accentuating the angularity of the air vents at the front with a splitter-style treatment reminiscent of the Reventon’s and softening the previously blocky, upright appearance of the rear with new rectangular tail-lights and much cleaner, less fussy surfaces. (The same can’t be said for the 20-spoke wheels, though.) The Gallardo’s interior architecture is unchanged.
Under the skin, the aluminium body structure has been reinforced for extra rigidity, the four-wheel-drive drivetrain is lighter and the e-gear sequential paddle-shift (an area desperately in need of improvement) re-worked for speed and smoothness. Unsurprisingly, the improvements made to the Gallardo’s platform for the Audi R8, including the rear suspension, have been fed back into the Lamborghini.
Consider the ante well and truly upped.
original link
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2179...
White Riot
This is the 552bhp, 202mph LP560-4, the new base-level Gallardo. Its targets: Ferrari 430 Scuderia and 911 GT2
Text: David Vivian / Photos: Matt Vosper
April 2008
With an annoyingly talented kid brother out to steal your thunder rather too literally (Audi R8 V10, due late 2008), and arch-nemesis Ferrari making your sharpest weapon seem curiously blunt (Scuderia smokes Superleggera, eCoty 2007), it’s perhaps understandable that the Lamborghini Gallardo hasn’t been looking, well, too bullish of late.
The 5-litre, all-drive Gallardo has gone five years without a major update and while Lamborghini might argue that it hasn’t really needed one – ‘baby Lambo’ cachet goes a long way and its V10’s charisma is enough to have seen 7000 Gallardos sold to date – the game has moved on.
But just as staying out for an extra couple of laps on worn tyres is sometimes the right tactic in Formula 1, the decision to wait until this year’s Geneva Show to unveil the Gallardo’s mid-life revisions has found a valuable pocket of clear air in which to hog some serious limelight. To make absolutely sure the world pays attention, the new Gallardo is no mere facelift. It’s not even an exercise in tracking the base-rate power and performance requirements to qualify on the front row of the junior-league supercar grid.
Lamborghini has decided to lever-in a little more action than that, and to mark the occasion it’s given the new Gallardo the iconic ‘LP’ nomenclature (LP standing for Longitudinale Posteriore) currently reserved for the flagship Murciélago. The ‘560’ that follows it signifies – in much the same way a knuckle-duster signifies – the fate that awaits any Ferrari 430 Scuderia or Porsche 911 GT2 that fancies a scrap. (And then there’s the ‘4’ in LP560-4, which might just suggest the intriguing possibility of a two-wheel-drive Gallardo somewhere down the line.) Whether it’s an Oscar-winning performance we’ll have to wait and see, but there will be blood. This is why.
The new, plain vanilla Gallardo coupe has a 5.2-litre V10 engine that delivers 560PS (552bhp), 398lb ft of torque and a 202mph top speed – gains of 243cc, 39bhp, 22lb ft and 6mph respectively. It means the new ‘regular’ Gallardo packs 30bhp more than the current lightweight, hardcore Gallardo Superleggera.
The LP560 is heavier than its stripped-out sibling, but 20 kilos lighter than the outgoing ‘cooking’ Gallardo, so its power-to-weight ratio of 374bhp per ton is practically identical to the Superleggera’s. As is its claimed 0-100kph (0-62mph) time of 3.7sec, which is a couple of tenths quicker than the factory’s figure for the current regular car. By 200kph (124mph) the gap has grown to half a second.
Along with the aesthetic, mechanical and electrical systems changes introduced for the new model, it’s all designed to administer a short, sharp slap-down to the embarrassingly brilliant Gallardo-based Audi R8 which, for the time being, is pegged to eight cylinders and 414bhp, and to propel the Gallardo back into pole position on that junior exotic grid.
It’s also a psychological blow to Ferrari and Porsche. Lamborghini has reloaded and its new standard ammunition, the basic Gallardo coupe, is comfortably more powerful than the most extreme versions of the 430 and 911.
The headline power figures don’t tell the whole story, of course. In reality, the fight in a straight line will be pretty even, despite the 430 Scuderia and 911 GT2 trailing the Lambo by 49 and 29bhp respectively. Both weigh substantially less than the four-wheel drive Gallardo and have very similar power-to-weight ratios. The Ferrari’s is slightly better at 378bhp per ton, the Porsche’s only a few points adrift at 369bhp per ton. In a drag race, they’d be hard to separate.
Walter da Silva’s re-style is subtle, accentuating the angularity of the air vents at the front with a splitter-style treatment reminiscent of the Reventon’s and softening the previously blocky, upright appearance of the rear with new rectangular tail-lights and much cleaner, less fussy surfaces. (The same can’t be said for the 20-spoke wheels, though.) The Gallardo’s interior architecture is unchanged.
Under the skin, the aluminium body structure has been reinforced for extra rigidity, the four-wheel-drive drivetrain is lighter and the e-gear sequential paddle-shift (an area desperately in need of improvement) re-worked for speed and smoothness. Unsurprisingly, the improvements made to the Gallardo’s platform for the Audi R8, including the rear suspension, have been fed back into the Lamborghini.
Consider the ante well and truly upped.
that's some remarkable article copy...
Production of the Superleggera ceased a few days ago, not too sure about the Gallardo coupe (as is) or the Spyder as yet... This articles' writer seems to understand that it will be replaced soon by a 560/4 version - well deduced there sir, you'd be wanting a certificate for those mighty brain skills then?
I'm 100% certain that Lamborghini doesn't consider the LP560/4 as a 'base' model, 'vanilla variety' car! Equally, I'm sure that only fashion-victim halfwits will be considering an Audi Rwhatever as an alternative to any Lamborghini.
Finally, I'm sure that evo's general opinion of Lamborghini cars doesn't run to too much criticism as a rule - they published one of the best written and best photographed articles about Lamborghini cars ever during last year, you may recall and as for the 430 Scuderia 'smoking' the Superleggera... tsk...
btw - the USSR used to build a number of missiles which they sold mostly to countries like Iran and Iraq and which were famous for having rather limited 'directional' capabilities and very-limited delivery speeds (these things being strictly relative of course!). Either the Soviets or indeed anybody would call them a simple name; Israeli jet fighters could shoot them down in flight and American 'Patriot' missiles could easily blast them out of the sky. They were, of course, known as SCUD missiles and would probably hold their value in much the same way as certain other Scuds I might mention...
Production of the Superleggera ceased a few days ago, not too sure about the Gallardo coupe (as is) or the Spyder as yet... This articles' writer seems to understand that it will be replaced soon by a 560/4 version - well deduced there sir, you'd be wanting a certificate for those mighty brain skills then?
I'm 100% certain that Lamborghini doesn't consider the LP560/4 as a 'base' model, 'vanilla variety' car! Equally, I'm sure that only fashion-victim halfwits will be considering an Audi Rwhatever as an alternative to any Lamborghini.
Finally, I'm sure that evo's general opinion of Lamborghini cars doesn't run to too much criticism as a rule - they published one of the best written and best photographed articles about Lamborghini cars ever during last year, you may recall and as for the 430 Scuderia 'smoking' the Superleggera... tsk...
btw - the USSR used to build a number of missiles which they sold mostly to countries like Iran and Iraq and which were famous for having rather limited 'directional' capabilities and very-limited delivery speeds (these things being strictly relative of course!). Either the Soviets or indeed anybody would call them a simple name; Israeli jet fighters could shoot them down in flight and American 'Patriot' missiles could easily blast them out of the sky. They were, of course, known as SCUD missiles and would probably hold their value in much the same way as certain other Scuds I might mention...
Hello All
Just to keep you all informed the production of both current coupe and superleggera has now ceased. Production of current Spyder finishes next month. The LP560/4 is the replacement model for the coupe and far from being a cheaper entry model it will definitely be more expensive that the current one (sorry thats not us its Lamborghini)
The upside of the price rise is that we dont anticipate a major knock on effect with used car values. We have certainly not seen one since the car was shown at Geneva.
I have asked the question as regards a 'cheaper' model. There are no current plans.
Hope this is informative
Regards
Martin
Just to keep you all informed the production of both current coupe and superleggera has now ceased. Production of current Spyder finishes next month. The LP560/4 is the replacement model for the coupe and far from being a cheaper entry model it will definitely be more expensive that the current one (sorry thats not us its Lamborghini)
The upside of the price rise is that we dont anticipate a major knock on effect with used car values. We have certainly not seen one since the car was shown at Geneva.
I have asked the question as regards a 'cheaper' model. There are no current plans.
Hope this is informative
Regards
Martin
t in comparison.
I reckon that the 560-4 WILL have some (optional) 'Lamborghini' script at the back though!
Historically and usually, Lamborghini cars have been fitted with quite small badging.
Notable exceptions would be some Jalpas (almost impossible to read on some cars though!) and whilst most Diablo SV's have a small SV badge on the rear grille, many of the earliest ones have those colossall letters on the side (which look great in orange on a dark blue car, not too sure about the black on yellow ones though... Sorry, heresy, I know..)
The Espada had a badge on the each just ahead of the rear lights, both are the same 'idea' but directional. Most people never realise that they are different so that the sword always faces forwards - check it out for yourself when you see an Espada... I know, I know, (still!) not a daily occurence for most people.
Some of the older cars, like mine for example have rear badges that are so small that they are almost invisible and in some cases, the first buyer may well have asked that they were never there in the first place.
I think one of the best Lamborghini badges is the Miura logo... Some extra helpings of the 'happy 'shrooms' there I'd say!
All Lamborghinis have one very important badge at the front. It has changed a little over the years and Il Toro has grown ever more muscular. He used to be a skinny and underfed-looking geezer but lately he's been down the gym and may have been having some 'MegaGrowMax' pills as well!
I can just imagine the reaction to asking Automobili Lamborghini SpA if there was going to be a 'cheap deal' car from them... It must have been a great temptation to resist saying something yokelly sounding like "arrrr ate" or ...
Historically and usually, Lamborghini cars have been fitted with quite small badging.
Notable exceptions would be some Jalpas (almost impossible to read on some cars though!) and whilst most Diablo SV's have a small SV badge on the rear grille, many of the earliest ones have those colossall letters on the side (which look great in orange on a dark blue car, not too sure about the black on yellow ones though... Sorry, heresy, I know..)
The Espada had a badge on the each just ahead of the rear lights, both are the same 'idea' but directional. Most people never realise that they are different so that the sword always faces forwards - check it out for yourself when you see an Espada... I know, I know, (still!) not a daily occurence for most people.
Some of the older cars, like mine for example have rear badges that are so small that they are almost invisible and in some cases, the first buyer may well have asked that they were never there in the first place.
I think one of the best Lamborghini badges is the Miura logo... Some extra helpings of the 'happy 'shrooms' there I'd say!
All Lamborghinis have one very important badge at the front. It has changed a little over the years and Il Toro has grown ever more muscular. He used to be a skinny and underfed-looking geezer but lately he's been down the gym and may have been having some 'MegaGrowMax' pills as well!
I can just imagine the reaction to asking Automobili Lamborghini SpA if there was going to be a 'cheap deal' car from them... It must have been a great temptation to resist saying something yokelly sounding like "arrrr ate" or ...
LamboBrum said:
Hello All
The upside of the price rise is that we dont anticipate a major knock on effect with used car values.
Regards
Martin
Hello Martin,The upside of the price rise is that we dont anticipate a major knock on effect with used car values.
Regards
Martin
Good to see an informed voice on here. Can you make sure Dom knows that used values are very strong when he's valuing part ex's
Cheers,
Iain
XXVIII said:
Israeli jet fighters could shoot them down in flight and American 'Patriot' missiles could easily blast them out of the sky. They were, of course, known as SCUD missiles
I don't think a Patriot ever took a SCUD out, let alone a jet fighter. Apparently more damage was caused by bits of blown up Patriot dropping back down to earth.
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