FIRSTDRIVE LAMBORGHINI LP560-4 SPYDER:THE ROAD straightened out on the idyllic national park on Tenerife and I pulled out to pass the bus. Just at that second the sun shone through the clouds, the engine hit the magic 4,000rpm watershed where everything goes nuts and it launched at the horizon like a wailing banshee.
It was a perfect moment, the emotional experience that will define each and every day for the lucky owners of the Lamborghini LP560-4 Spyder.
Just one moment made the £136,000 asking price seem like a snip – well, that and the attention lavished on my matte black car every time we came close to stopping. This LP560-4 may be a subtle revision of the Gallardo that was launched all the way back in 2004, but it still has the ability to stop traffic and, if they ever found their way there, it would blow Ferrari’s 430 off the catwalk.
This is the second model to emerge from the Lamborghini that was taken over by Audi in 1997. Since then, the near-bankrupt Italian firm has become a global superpower with the neat marriage of Italian flair and passion with German precision and build quality.
The Gallardo is an orgy of geometric perfection, with razor sharp creases running along its length. This version comes with a sharper front end inspired by the million pound special edition Reventon – muscular, unashamedly masculine lines and a rear that somehow seems lower and wider than the outgoing Gallardo, thanks to a redesign of rear lights using LED clusters.
The angular Gallardo was a revelation at its launch – tighter, more compact and conservative than the overtly muscular and range-topping Murcielago, yet all the better for it.
Now, with a flash of front end fang, it looks truly ripped without losing the subtle appeal that has made it a sales sensation.
In fact, the “baby” Lambo might just be the best looking supercar in the world. That hasn’t stopped Lamborghini losing sales; even it is not immune to the global economic downturn. But just a decade ago, this crisis would have finished the Italian marque forever, now there is bullish talk about increasing market share and taking the fight to its rivals with the complete Italian supercar.
Inside, it’s even better. The Kinder Egg build quality of Italian supercars used to get written off as character – charming quirks that came with the package. Today’s buyer is much less forgiving and, with Audi’s help, Lamborghini has created a comfortable, well-equipped interior that could handle everyday use for years to come. The chromed switchgear is a little much, perhaps, but this is a Lamborghini and we have to forgive the Italians a little posturing.
It’s even sexier with the roof stowed (at the touch of a button) beneath that vented, aggressive rear deck. Then the whole world can stare in wonder at the laughing maniac behind the wheel of arguably the finest car in its class, just for a second at least.
Because the best thing about the foldaway soft top is that it puts that dirty, guttural V10 engine even closer to your ear, encouraging wanton acts of pure speed that in this fair nation would surely mean a court appearance and some time on the bus sooner rather than later.
That 5.2-litre V10 comes with 552bhp, or 560PS to make sense of the name, and takes just four seconds to blast through the 60mph mark. And with a top speed of 201mph, it’s safe to say the Gallardo is fast enough. But then it’s the character of the car that sets it apart; there are plenty of others that are just as fast, yet the Lamborghini makes you do it each and every time.
All the driver can do is drink in the noise and grab the rather cheap looking paddle-shift e-Gear system that is still a little jerky for some tastes, yet walks an admirable line between usability and outright speed. There are smoother alternatives, such as Porsche’s double clutch system, but Lamborghini’s ever affable research and development director, Maurizio Reggiani, insists that the feel of a real gear change is essential to the driving experience – and he has a point. Every moment with the Gallardo is a visceral joy, especially the way it takes bends.
Throw the Gallardo into a bend late and hard and it still sticks like week-old pasta to the apex of the bend, thanks to a complex four-wheel-drive system that can feed 70 per cent of the power to the front wheels if the back end steps out of line and traction control to back that up. That will save many an expensive incident as the few bankers left that can afford to splash out run out of skills half way through a bend.
Of course, the cabriolet shouldn’t be as good as the hard-top in corners, because cutting off the roof inevitably removes some of the structural stiffness. But then Lamborghini worked long and hard to stiffen the chassis without adding excess weight, and it’s now as close to the hard-top as makes no difference. Plus the added thrills of wind-in-the-hair motoring and the louder noise more than compensate for the fractions lost at the apex.
Carbon ceramic brakes haul the car down from preposterous speeds and, after some criticism of the earlier cars, Lamborghini has softened the response to create a near-perfect system that works more effectively than a brick wall on a hard charge but is also soft and sympathetic around town – because, although the LP560-4 Spyder would monster most race tracks, it isn’t that kind of car.
This is possibly the finest boulevard cruiser in the whole world – a stylish alternative to the Ferraris that have become a little bit naff thanks to oversupply and a car that will give a magic moment each and every time you turn the key.
Factfile Lamborghini LP560-4 Spyder
Engine: 5.2-litre
Power: 552bhp
Torque: 540Nm
0-100 km/h:4.0 secs
Top speed: 323 km/h
Price: £136,000 in UK