The Lamborghini Gallardo is one of the supercars. A luxury supercar. The Gallardo is a mid-engine two-seat sports car with a near 500 horsepower 5.0-liter V10 engine, with a 6-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive. This of course is a very powerful and fast car that you would always expect from a Lamborghini. The company reports a Zero to 60-mph time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 192 mph. This is fast by any definition.
Ferruccio Lamborghini’s Ultimate High Performance Sports Car
The company was started by Ferruccio Lamborghini. The wealthy Italian amassed a fortune and had at one time been a tractor builder. By the early 1960’s he was working on a design for a sports car, a different kind of sports car, that took root in 1962 and by 1963 was ready to launch. In that year he formed Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini.
Ferruccio Lamborghini’s goal was to build what people would characterize as the ultimate driving machine. There are quite a few that would agree that he achieved his goal. In a lot of ways everything about the Lamborghini is about power and speed. Sporty handling and superb acceleration are also trademarks of this car.
The first car that Lamborghini would come out with had a twelve cylinder engine. This first engine would be designed and engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini who had a good deal of experience with Ferrari. The Lamborghini supercar, the 350 GTV, would be unveiled to the world at the Turin Auto Show in November 1963.
Following the successful debut of the 350 GTV came Lamborghini’s 400 GT. The 400 GT had a few enhancements. This included a four liter engine and the first gearbox designed exclusively by Lamborghini.
During the first decade of the luxury sports car company’s existence growth was rapid. The first financial squeeze occurred around 1973 when the entire world was affected by the Oil Crisis. After this crisis the company changed ownership several times. Audi took over Lamborghini in 1998 from a group of Malaysian investors who themselves had taken over the company from Chrysler.
Today Lamborghini is owned by Volkswagen Group through it’s Audi subsidiary.
The Gallardo’s new design, a carbon based body, was a collaboration between Italdesign Giugiaro and Lamborghini’s Luc Donckerwolcke.
Believe it or not, the Gallardo is referred to as the “Baby Lamborghini“. The purpose of the Gallardo model was and still is to maintain the style and attitude of Lamborghini’s larger 12-cylinder cars.
The four wheel drive gives the Gallardo remarkable handling attributes but at the same time the car gives the feel that a bit more power is from the rear wheels. The sluggishness that some attribute to four wheel drive vehicles is not found with the Gallardo. The steering is superb and and the handling is solid.
The 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo offers a roomy two seat interior with touches of Audi. Beautiful leather upholstery you would expect to see are with this car and the leg room is a roomy 45 inches. The exterior is a continuation of Lamborghini’s exotic good looks. Call it sleek and exotic.
2004 Lamborghini Galardo Vs. Ferrari 360 Modena
In many respects, the Gallardo’s competition was strictly Ferrari. Both cars are high performance luxury sports cars with a price tag fairly similar. The 2000 Ferrari 360 Modena was powered with a 3.6 liter V-8 delivering 395 horsepower compared with Gallardo’s 493 HP. The Ferrari’s wheelbase was a few inches longer, the width about one inch wider and the height about one inch shorter. The Ferrari 360 was also a few hundred pounds lighter. Even with the difference in engines and horsepower the fuel efficiency was about the same give or take one mile per gallon.
2004 Lamborghini Gallardo Specifications
The 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo is powered with a 5.0 liter, 303 cubic inch, DOHC 40-valve V-10, aluminum block and heads, Lamborghini LIE engine-control system with port fuel injection. The engine delivered 493 horsepower.
Fuel efficiency with the high powered V-10 was estimated to be 9 miles per gallon in the city and 15 miles per gallon on the highway.
Front and rear suspension is a double wishbone.
The car is rated Zero to 60 MPH 3.9 seconds and Zero to 100 MPH at 8.2 seconds.
The two transmission types available were a 6 speed manual and a 6 speed manual with automatic shifting and clutch.
Wheelbase is 100.8 inches, length 169.3 inches, width 74.8 inches and height 45.9 inches.
Weight is 3,200 lbs.
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2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera
The base price for the 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo was around $160,000. Today, the exotic Lamborghini Gallardo is currently available in a coupe body style and as a spyder convertible. The new car price for a 2014 Lamborghini Gallardo as of this writing is in the range of about $195,000 to $265,000. These new Gallardos have 5.2 liter engines that deliver between a range of 530 to 570 horsepower. The highest priced model would be the LP 570-4 Squadra Corse Coupe. Another interesting fact about the Gallardo is that it has been Lamborghini’s best selling model ever.
(Article and photos copyright 2013 AutoMuseumOnline)