For those who are ready to enter the luxury sports coupe market, Lamborghini provides the entry-level Gallardo. However, this is all relative, as the entry-level price tag begins at $200,000. The Gallardo is a mid-engine, all-wheel drive, two-passenger sports car with a top end speed of 192 mph. The Gallardo is also available in a limited edition version called the Gallardo Balboni, which is named after Lamborghini test driver, Valentino Balboni. The Balboni version differs from the original Gallardo in that it is rear-wheel drive and has a recalibrated transmission.
The Lamborghini Gallardo is built in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy and gets its speed from a 5.0-liter, V10 engine, which produces over 500 hp. Despite its supersized engine, the Gallardo gets upward of 17 mpg on the... View more highway. Shortly after its launch in 2005, engineers at Lamborghini instituted upgrades to the Gallardo's exhaust system, suspension, steering and engine in the wake of complaints from both owners and the press. These changes quieted the critics and improved the Gallardo's handling, speed and power.
From 2005 to the present, the Gallardo has undergone many changes. Original complaints about the car centered on handling and power. Lamborghini addressed these initial criticisms and, throughout the years, Lamborghini engineers unveiled even more improvements. In 2005, the Special Edition was introduced. This vehicle provided owners with a two-tone color scheme and Callisto" rims with Pirelli tires. The Spyder, a convertible version of the Gallardo, was introduced in 2006 and featured a manual six-speed transmission with a lower gear ratio. The Gallardo Nera, which was introduced in 2007, was only available in black and came with an optional glass engine cover. Lamborghini continued to evolve the Gallardo with the Balboni in 2009, the Superleggera in 2010 and the Spyder Performante in late 2010. To date, the Gallardo is the best-selling Lamborghini on the market.
Inside the Gallardo, both driver and passenger are enveloped in a cockpit that complements beauty with comfort. Leather trim, ergonomic seats, hooded gauges and an easy-to-reach multi-media interface are placed within a spacious interior and provide drivability that is not always the norm for high-end sports cars. As with most vehicles of this type, limited storage space, low-slung entry and exit issues are the biggest complaints.
The Lamborghini Gallardo has garnered its fair share of awards. In 2004, before the Gallardo was even released, it received Sports Supercar's Most Beautiful Car in the World award. In 2008, Top Gear Australia named the Gallardo Best Supercar, while in both 2006 and 2009, the Gallardo was named Top Gear's Dream Car of the Year. The Gallardo also shines within Lamborghini's storied racing history, having made its own mark in the 2009-2010 Australian Tarmac Rally when driver Jason White and navigator John White won the championship in their Gallardo Super Trofeo. View less
