Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy • It’s called the Terra Dei Motori (Land of Motors) because of the storied marques that produce some of the most exotic vehicles the world has to offer — Ferrari, Maserati, Pagani, Ducati and Lamborghini. The last came to fruition because Ferruccio Lamborghini did not like the clutch on his Ferrari, nor the fact that Enzo Ferrari rebuffed his ideas for a fix. Lamborghini’s response? He opened his own factory in 1963 and started building the perfection he envisioned. The rest is, as they say, history.
Over the years, the company’s outré style and pronounced wedge profile has been applied to many vehicles. My introduction to the brand came in the form of the LM 002, a truck (a term used advisedly) more commonly referred to as the “Rambo” Lambo — only 301 were ever built. To this day, thinking about driving that 440-horsepower all-wheel-drive monster makes me shudder: In anything other than a straight line, it just did not sit well. It was such that one did not steer; one pointed it in the general direction in much the same way as one points a rowboat. However, find a straightaway, nail the gas and the acceleration was, given the mass the 5.2-litre V12 was motivating, stunning. The LM 002’s ability to pick up its oversized rocker panels and run like the wind defied logic, but it sure was fun.
My second dalliance with Lamborghini came this week, in the form of the silky and oh-so-sexy Gallardo — an LP 570-4 Superleggera to be exact. This car is all about speed and its ability to enhance one’s manhood. The starting point is the 5.2L V10 engine. This thing develops 570 hp at a stratospheric 8,000 rpm and twists out 398.3 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm. The stallions are relayed to the road through a six-speed automated manual transmission (it is a clutchless manual called e-gear in Lamborghini-speak), all four wheels (70% of the power going rearward, which gives it a sportier feel) and enormous P235/35R19 front and P295/30R19 rear tires. The combination ensures the power is put to pavement without melting the rubber. Pull away with alacrity and it just bolts off the line like a thoroughbred. No muss; no fuss.
Beyond the V10 engine, it’s the use of lightweight materials and a power-to-weight ratio that’s to die for that defines this car. With a curb weight of just 1,340 kilograms, each of the stampeding stallions only has to move 2.35 kilograms of supercar! Of course, the sound it makes when worked is a siren so sweet it encourages the driver to drop a cog or two, stand on the gas and listen to the 10 pistons thrash away as the exhaust note howls like some deranged banshee. In the real world — the roads around the Lamborghini factory seem to be devoid of speed limits — my licence would last five minutes … or less!
The driving sensation is mechanical in nature, but with a softer edge. It’s about as subtle as a sledgehammer in a velvet bag. Mash the gas pedal and the baby Bull gallops to 100 kilometres an hour in 3.4 seconds. Stay with it, which takes considerable nerve, and it rockets to 200 km/h in less than 10.2 seconds. My first car took longer than that to reach 100 km/h, and that was pretty darned near flat out! The Gallardo has a posted top speed of 325 km/h. Enough said.
Remarkably, the ride comfort is surprisingly good. Even over the often rough roads around the Lamborghini factory, the Gallardo remained flat and unflustered. Likewise, the garbage can-sized, two-piece rotors and anti-lock braking system eased the car to a halt.
Gripes? I have but one minor one. The automated manual box is a bit cantankerous — it shifts well enough at low speeds, but it bangs its way up through the box at full chat. The fact I could not figure out how to put it into gear (one of those dreaded “duh!” moments) did not help my love affair with it.
Did I back the Gallardo up? Not! The sightlines to the rear are more or less non-existent, although the backup camera does ease things somewhat. Ditto the side-view mirrors — they’re as much for decoration as they are for function.
By the time I wheeled back into the Lamborghini factory at the end of the test drive, neither really mattered. Nothing is going to pass this thing, so what’s behind it is a moot point. Ditto reversing into a confined space — you just find somewhere large enough to accommodate the 12-metre turning circle. Besides, the adrenalin rush makes all the rational things one normally deems so important seem rather trivial.
The cabin is decked out in a manner befitting a supercar. In the tester’s case, it was wrapped in plush black Alcantara with orange sticking and accented with carbon-fibre inserts. The bucket seats, complete with four-point racing harnesses, proved to be as comfortable as they were practical — they hug without confining.
The drive was all too brief, but the impression it left will be lasting. This is a serious car that’s not for the faint of heart. That stated, it proved to be far less temperamental when idling its way through town than I expected.
Source: www.nationalpost.com
