2004 Lamborghini Gallardo: What's New

Vehicle Overview
After decades of offering only a single model in the U.S. market, Lamborghini added a second sports car during 2003. Less expensive than the Murciélago, the new Gallardo is a product of the kinship between Lamborghini and its parent company, Volkswagen AG.

Built with an aluminum body and space frame, the Gallardo has a V-10 engine and permanent four-wheel drive. The six-speed gearbox is located behind the midmounted engine.

Lamborghini emphasizes the car’s low center of gravity. Though it’s a true sports car, the Gallardo is intended for everyday driving as well as racing. The model name is taken from a particular breed of 18th-century fighting bulls. Lamborghini’s logo is a fighting bull.

Vehicle assembly takes place at the Lamborghini plant in Sant’Agata, Italy, on a line adjacent to one that turns out Murciélagos. Gallardo bodies and engines, however, are shipped from an Audi facility in Neckarsulm, Germany.

A total of 890 Gallardos were built during 2003, and 425 of them were sold in the United States. Production is expected to reach 1,450 units during 2004. An open-roofed Gallardo is anticipated in about two years. Lamborghini expects to sell more than 600 cars in North America during 2004, which will be the first full year of Gallardo availability.

Gallardo owners tend to be younger than those who drive the V-12-powered Murciélago. Four-fifths of buyers are in their 30s and 40s, and 70 percent are new to Lamborghini.

Exterior
Unlike the Murciélago with its scissors-style doors, the Gallardo has conventional front-hinged doors. The body sits low to the ground and has big side scoops and sharp edges along with its curves. The cab-forward cockpit is integrated into the body, which features a sharply slanted windshield and what Lamborghini calls “tensed pillars.” Cooling inlets dominate the front end, and foldaway mirrors slant forward. The Italian automaker says the flush door handles emphasize the lateral air intakes.

The Gallardo’s styling is based on a proposal from Italdesign-Giugiaro that was developed by Lamborghini’s styling center. According to the company, the coupe “integrates the Lamborghini design attributes of purism, athleticism and sharpness.”

Built with a relatively long, 100.8-inch wheelbase, the Gallardo is 169.3 inches long overall. Its height is just 45.8 inches. An electronically controlled spoiler is fitted at the rear.

The fully independent suspension uses double wishbones in front and at the rear. Two front-mounted radiators and a side-mounted oil cooler are installed.

Weight distribution is 42 percent in the front and 58 percent at the rear, which Lamborghini says is optimal for traction, braking and handling. Pirelli PZero tires are mounted on 19-inch wheels. Brembo brakes have eight-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers.

Interior
Two occupants fit inside the Gallardo. Heated, electrically folding outside mirrors and an anti-blinding inside mirror are standard.

Under the Hood
Gallardos get a 90-degree, 5.0-liter V-10 engine with four valves per cylinder, which produces 493 horsepower at a lofty 7,800 rpm. A drive-by-wire throttle is used. The six-speed gearbox operates with “E-gear” robotized sequential shifting. According to Lamborghini, the Gallardo can accelerate from zero to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds. The four-wheel-drive system normally operates with 30 percent of output at the front and 70 percent at the rear, but it adjusts the proportion as needed.

Safety
Antilock brakes incorporate electronic brake-force distribution. Side-impact head and thorax airbags and dual-stage front airbags are installed. A full electronic stability system is standard.