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2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe Road Test

What would you do if someone handed over the keys to one of the sexiest, most powerful and best handling cars in the world? Drive it, of course, and drive it I did, hardly getting out of the car, photos

No shortage of Lamborghinis on day one. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

aside, for the entire day Lamborghini's sensational Gallardo was in my possession. Actually, my Gallardo test encompassed two days, the first being a program my local Lamborghini dealer held for owners and prospective buyers near the top of a nearby mountain. That was base camp, with a varied assortment of multicolored hardtop and soft top cars running up and down the hill all day long. My stint, however, wasn't as long as I had originally hoped, hardly enough to produce a reasonably sound opinion about a car that might result in someone's two hundred thousand plus dollar purchasing decision, not something I take lightly. Therefore the same very accommodating local Lambo dealer offered me a day in one of his cars, and considering that I'm often

Eenie, meenie, minie, mo... which Gallardo should I take this time? (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

requested to make a decision about a car in much less time than that (many vehicle launch programs only allow for five or six hours of seat time), I accepted.

The car wore an understated coat of gray, if you can call anything about a Gallardo understated, and the interior was also quite traditional, black. To say it was eye catching would be missing the mark. When driving a Gallardo, or I would imagine any Lamborghini even if painted gray, all eyes are on the car, and then simultaneously peeking through the heavily tinted windows to see who the lucky sod is behind the wheel. I, the lucky sod, tried to look cool, as if I wasn't jumping out of my skin in anticipation of getting this marvelous machine somewhere away from city traffic, somewhere that I could open up its throttle and experience the rush of acceleration I knew must be hidden within the few inches of throttle play below my right foot.

The interior detailing is superbly done. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

For the time being, however, I needed to be patient and allow the few bursts of power between stoplights to suffice.

This situation gave me opportunity to look around inside. Yes, the Gallardo is magnificently stitched together. I say stitched because it seems that every square inch is covered with soft, supple hand-stitched leather, all but the high-quality plastic audio/navigation and HVAC interfaces that come straight out one of Audi's cars – Audi is Lamborghini's parent company (and Volkswagen AG Audi's parent, and Porsche Volkswagen's co-parent). The topmost unit, below a trio of elegantly placed gauges and another three circular vents that mirror each other, is an audio

Audio interface and HVAC system by Audi... nice to be able to pull components from the best in the biz. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

and navigation screen that works flawlessly, incorporating Audi's best-in-class MMI system for actuating just about anything a person could want it to do. At the bottom is the automatic climate control system which also incorporates buttons for the heated seats. Both interfaces are separated by a row of unique toggles for the power windows, fog lamps, and ESP stability control, plus for opening the refueling cap. The centermost toggle, detailed in red, is for the hazard lights. At the base of the stack, on the lower console, sits a toggle for the power mirrors, surrounded in another cluster of buttons, just ahead of a beautifully crafted circular metal plate housing buttons for the six-speed e-gear sequential manual transmission's “Sport” mode and “A”, or automatic mode, plus a defeat button for the traction control.

And e-gear is not the usual automatic transmission with sportier shift points and paddle actuation. While it has the paddles located within a finger's stretch away from the steering wheel, eGear is a true clutchless manual transmission that shifts so ruddy quick that'll there's no way even the best of drivers could match it with the standard six-speed manual. And while I never had opportunity to drive a Gallardo pre-2006, I've been told that changes made to its ratios, all of which have been tightened up for quicker acceleration, are dramatic. Just a side note, when I checked out www.lamborghini.com to source the proper spelling of e-gear, it was spelled five different ways, including E-Gear, E-gear, E gear, e-gear and e gear, so unlike our friends in Germany who need to have every trademarked acronym spelt correctly, the Italians appear to be a lot more relaxed about such minor details. I went with e-gear, because I like the way it looks.

With

A thing of beauty... (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

the windows down and the Gallardo's throaty 5.0-liter V10 bouncing off the gleaming glass and concrete that make up my city's downtown core, a quick blip of the throttle followed by a short, quick run to 40 or 50 mph, the engine not quite reaching its 7,800 rpm red line before running out of street, was enough to send shivers of adrenaline up my spine, the cap bypass exhaust system makes an obnoxious blat capable of frightening the most hardened of Harley riders if chug 'a chug 'a chugging close behind. For some it's a frightening roar, unlike any car currently available and most likely barely legal. The acceleration rush is intoxicating to say the least, a ferocious 520 horsepower cacophony at the back pushing the low-slung coupe forward in a blur of speed like few cars I've ever driven.

The city behind me and the park causeway ahead I wove my way between slower cars until the suspension bridge's towers loomed above, open roads now minutes away. Still, this traffic certainly comes in handy, showing how reasonable it would be to make a Gallardo daily transportation. OK, it would hardly be reasonable to put a car of this caliber through the day to day grind of commuter traffic, with its inherent bumps and scrapes, not to mention the wear and tire such miles would add to its regular maintenance costs and end-of-term resale value, but I'm told many customers drive them this way, no doubt ones who don't groan with anxiety when pump prices climb.

Where

From the tight confines of the city... (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

the bridge ends I looped around the cloverleaf into a treed seaside village, and then up the hill towards the highway, not an optimal test track but at least an opportunity to stretch its legs. A quick left brought me onto the ramp, and a tap of the throttle had me merging with traffic without challenge. The inside lanes were free of cars so I made my way over and geared down, the engine blipping once again as the revs climbed and the car shot forward like a greyhound released from its gate in hot pursuit of a rabbit ahead. Probably a better analogy would be a prize fighting bull released from behind its holding pen and charging for a matador's red cape, being that the car has taken its name from Francisco

....to the open road. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Gallardo (pronounced ga:yàrdo), a famous 18th century breeder of fighting bulls, but any way you slice it the little Lambo is relentlessly aggressive at launch, whether starting from standstill or already at highway speeds. Within seconds I'm eclipsing speeds not normally considered on a stretch of highway often scattered with black and whites, so I pull back to the posted limit and feel as if I'm crawling on all fours. Panging for the autobahn, where the only limiters are photo radar cameras next to electronic billboards overhead telling you whether to maintain a posted speed due to excess traffic up ahead or, if blank, let go and let God guide you to what otherwise would be sinful velocities.

Needing to get to safer ground, I made my way to my usual test track, a winding back road that leads up to a local ski resort, complete with beautiful long sweeping corners and hair-raising hairpin curves, extended stretches of relatively smooth pavement and harrowing sections of dips, bumps and undulations, the ideal test of a suspension's capability when pushed. The Gallardo is outrageously stable, the equal to Porsche's 911 Turbo, or at least it feels so (without a back to back comparison with stopwatches and the like it's impossible to be certain). This has much to do with electronic stability program (ESP), automatic brake differential (ABD) up front and a limited slip differential (LSD) in the rear, improving what is already a wonderfully sorted out front and rear double wishbone suspension system with anti-dive and anti-squat geometry; the steering is power-assisted rack-and-pinion, of course.

For a double-wishbone setup front and rear, the Gallardo takes to the corners with amazing grace. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

On its way up the mountain it continued to push and pull without ever running out of steam (its Viscous Traction system, biased with 30-percent up front and 70-percent at the rear, pushes and pulls with all wheels after all), never letting me find the outer reaches of its performance envelope. I turned around at the top, and headed back down for more thrills. The local hikers and bikers took notice, of course, some with their thumbs up in appreciation of this fabulous car roaring past like a low-flying fighter jet making a reconnaissance sweep, while others frowned in disapproval, no doubt calculating the fuel my less than environmentally conscious ride was sucking back while destroying the peace and quiet normally enjoyed in this treed and tranquil park setting. Like I care.

On to track two,

While brilliant through tight twisties, its ride is surprisingly compliant. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

an ultra-tight twisting two- and often single-lane roadway that winds through some of the most densely forested areas amongst West Coast cities, the pavement kept mostly dark due to the sun's inability to shine through the overhead growth. Fortunately, much of it allows for great forward visibility and therefore superb fast-paced driving, and the Gallardo hardly held back its enthusiasm when provoked. Taking to the circuitous route with gusto, I was shocked at how much quicker I was able to lap its length in the Lambo than in any other car, save that formidable Turbo I spoke of earlier. The Gallardo's V10, sporting variable valve timing, seems to be able to pull from anywhere in the rev range, so if you don't quite make the shift at the ideal opportunity there's plenty of power available. The speed came on so strongly that it was almost overwhelming, although thoughts of deer jumping out into its HID headlights and sending me and the car to an early grave caused me to bridle my enthusiasm, pulling back on the throttle a bit so the tree trunks and surrounding brush come into focus instead of the green and brown blur that caused my anxiety in the first place.

Of course, emergency braking becomes a nonevent with this car thanks to eight-piston Brembo calipers up front and four-piston units in the rear, allowing continual 1.1 g stops with unnoticeable fade; the 14.4 inch front and 13.2 inch rear rotors don't hurt matters either. And yes, electronic ABS comes standard.

A stereotypically supercar-like set of fat Pirelli P Zero performance tires, 235/35ZR19s up front and 295/30ZR19s in back encircle a fabulous set of 19-inch

Every crease and fold is aluminum or composite. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

aluminum alloy rims; and if you don't particularly like the set on the gray car, check out the variety Lamborghini offers on other cars.

The glue that binds its many components together is its lightweight Audi A8-inspired aluminum spaceframe construction, making for a rather sprite 3,153 lb curb weight; which incidentally is 497 lbs trimmer than the 3,650 lb Murciélago coupe. Its smaller exterior dimensions are the main reason for the weight savings, mind you, with the Gallardo measuring in at 169.3 inches in length, 74.8 inches in width, 45.9 inches tall, and with a wheelbase of 100.8 inches. To the less is more crowd, the Gallardo is the car to own.

Yes, this is one impressive machine, no question, and amongst the best I've ever driven ... and if you're a regular reader you probably realize by now that I've been fortunate enough to have driven some of the best cars in the world. Still, when comparing Porsche's 911 Turbo, Ferrari's F430 and others in this league, there's no questioning which car is more appealing, overall. OK, I love the wail of a Ferrari V8 at full song, and the sucking noise the induction system makes, only noticeable in the Spider, plus the F430's balance is unflappable, as is the Turbo's, but the Gallardo wraps up similarly stimulating engine and exhaust notes with exterior styling that's second to none, and as previously mentioned, an exquisitely made interior that makes Porsche's Turbo, at least, look somewhat plain even if filled with carbon fiber. It's expensive,

The road is calling. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

for sure, although not as much as the Ferrari similarly equipped, and if loaded up with similar features to the Gallardo the 911 Turbo can easily slip past the $150,000 mark unnoticed, edging up into Lamborghini territory.

Interestingly, where there were once Porsche patriots, faithful Ferraristi and Lamborghini loyalists, many of todays well heeled are less likely to pick a camp and stay within it, but rather will swap between these three manufacturers and others or own a number of them simultaneously in order to enjoy all that their unique qualities provide. I certainly wouldn't want to limit

One of the world's great road cars. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

myself to one carmaker if my circumstances allowed for such an acquisition, and the Gallardo would certainly be high on my priority list. As it is, my day with Lamborghini's entry-level coupe came to an end much quicker than I might have hoped, with the promise of a six-speed manually actuated roadster the only recompense to a heart saddened at saying goodbye.

Lamborghini's Gallardo is truly one of the world's great sports cars, easily worthy of rivalry with Ferrari's F430 and Porsche's 911 Turbo, and arguably better than these when it comes to refinement. Then again, none of the others are as raucous in the engine bay, with only the Ferrari producing an equally soul stirring high-revving song on its way to its lofty red line, and none capable of the Lambo's guttural gurgling at idle. If you're anything like me, a true enthusiast to the core, when you drive a Gallardo you'll be trying to find a way to purchase it. This is where the justification part comes in ...

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