lamborghini gallardo

The Gallardo was designed as a competitor to Ferrari's 360 Modena, and now competes with its replacement, the F430. The car is named after a famous breed of fighting bull and is pronounced roughly "guy-ar-do". Gallardo is also Spanish for the word gallant. Although performance is lower than that of the Murcielago, it is still very high, and the Gallardo has much better rearward visibility (than the Murcielago) and, according to reviewers, is more maneuverable and tractable in low-speed traffic, making the Gallardo a more practical car to drive. It is also much more practical to use in bad weather than many other supercars, thanks to rear-biased all-wheel drive. Although corporate owner Audi[2] is renowned for its Quattro AWD system, Lamborghini uses a system of its own.

The Gallardo was designed by Belgian Luc Donckerwolk, who now works for Fiat.

At current U.S. prices, a base Gallardo costs about US$175,000.

The Gallardo uses a V10 engine based on Audi's old straight-5 design. The engine was split again to become the straight-5 engine found in the new Volkswagen Jetta. The 5.0 L engine (basically the same engine featured in Audi's S6 and S8 models) is a current Audi 4.2 L V8 (featured in Audi's S4, A6, A8, and Q7 models) with two extra cylinders added and a slightly smaller bore diameter.

The Gallardo offers two choices of transmissions, a conventional six-speed manual transmission, and an advanced six-speed electro-hydraulically controlled auto-clutch manual, or, as Lamborghini abbreviates it to, "E-gear". The latter allows the driver to make shifts much faster than an automatic transmission would, with the control that a manual offers. The driver shifts up and down via paddles behind the steering wheel, and does not need to manually actuate the clutch.

The Audi, R8 sports car, launched in early 2007, is based heavily on the Gallardo, but uses a V8 in place of the Gallardo's V10 to avoid competing directly with the Gallardo.

For the 2008 model year, the Gallardo will receive a slight facelift with a new front air dam, larger air intakes, dual squared of exhausts (similar to the Murciélago LP640) and new vents behind the front wheel. The Gallardo will also receive new rear suspension as well as a few other, unspecified components from the Audi R8[3]. To the disappointment of some Lamborghini fans, the Gallardo does not have "Jack Knife Doors," aka "Scissor Doors,"[1] as found on the Countach, Diablo, and Murcielago models.

[edit] Gallardo Spyder
Lamborghini Gallardo Spyders at the 2006 LA Auto Show
Lamborghini Gallardo Spyders at the 2006 LA Auto Show

The production spyder model of the Gallardo was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006. It is considered by the company to be an entirely new model, with 520 hp (388 kW) and a lower-ratio six-speed manual transmission. The soft top is fully retractable.

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer was the first person in North America to take delivery of the Gallardo Spyder.

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson announced on 18th February that he had bought one, replacing his Ford GT with a Gallardo Spyder.

[edit] Gallardo SE

In late 2005, the Gallardo SE (for Special Edition) was introduced. The SE is distinguished from the regular Gallardo externally by having a black-roofed two-tone color scheme as well as specially designed "Callisto" rims shod with Pirelli tires. Mechanically, the SE addresses many of the criticisms of the original Gallardo; the steering is quicker and more responsive, the transmission gear ratios have been adjusted to better suit the V10, and the E-gear now has a "thrust mode" to optimize acceleration, and the car's power has been increased to 520 hp (388 kW). The SE has a higher top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph), and it accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.0 seconds. Only 250 units of the Gallardo SE will be produced. All the mechanical upgrades of the SE, however, will be included in all Gallardos after 2006 (excluding the two-tone bodywork).
2006 Verde Ithaca Gallardo SE on Angeles Crest Hwy in Los Angeles.
2006 Verde Ithaca Gallardo SE on Angeles Crest Hwy in Los Angeles.
2006 Verde Ithaca Gallardo SE Interior.
2006 Verde Ithaca Gallardo SE Interior.

The Gallardo SE comes with a two-tone interior. All piping and stitching on the ultra-quality leather are executed in the same color as the bodywork of the car. The mid sections of the seats are finished in color-coded upholstery and even the black floormats have a color coded borders.

A rear-view camera is also standard issue on the Gallardo SE, as is a multimedia system and a navigation system. The sport suspension and an exclusive cover also came with the car but there are still several other options available, like the E-gear, which featured a 'thrust' mode to offer even more impressive acceleration by improving the gearchange through the different gears.

This "thrust" mode actually automatically revs the car to 5000 rpm, drops the clutch engaging all four wheels in a controlled burnout, and ensures the car performs maximum acceleration. This "launch" only requires the driver to engage the "thrust" mode and step on the gas pedal, similar to the launch technology in Formula 1 race cars.

[edit] Gallardo Nera

The Gallardo Nera (Special Edition) was introduced at Paris Motor Show. The Nera has a top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph), and it accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.0 seconds. Only 185 units of the Gallardo Nera will be produced and 60 are for the American market.[2]

[edit] Specifications
Lamborghini Gallardo in Nero Osyris
Lamborghini Gallardo in Nero Osyris
Performance
Top speed: 309 km/h (192 mph) / 315 km/h (196 mph)(Gallardo SE and 2006+)
0 to 100 km/h (62 mph): 4.2 s / 4.0 s (Gallardo SE and 2006+)
0 to 200 km/h (124 mph): 14.5 s
Standing km: 22.5 s
1/4 mile: 12.2 s at 118 mph(some SEs have run confirmed high 11s)
Engine
Type: V10
Displacement: 5.0 L
Power: 373 kW (500 bhp) / 388 kW (520 bhp) (Gallardo SE and 2006+)
Torque: 510 N·m

[edit] Trivia

* Gallardo is a breed of Canadian fighting bull. Nearly all of Lamborghini's cars are named after bulls.
* Bam Margera owns a purple Gallardo, which he cut a sunroof out of with the help of Billy Idol, which caused a large controvesy with Lamborghini enthuiasts.[citation needed] The clutch was destroyed by a crewmember on the 2006 Gumball Rally, which Margera was participating in. This amounted to an estimated US$15,000 worth of damage. In revenge, Margera threw paint and smashed the glass on the crewmember's Peugeot 306.[3]
* The Gallardo Spyder was road tested on the British TV show Top Gear where presenter Jeremy Clarkson described it as his new favourite supercar. According to the Top Gear magazine, Clarkson has ordered a Gallardo Spyder to replace his unreliable Ford GT. This was later confirmed in the Februrary 18, 2007 episode.
* In 2004, a stock yellow Gallardo coupe was piloted to 200 mph on a highway as part of the Super Speeders "1 Lap of NYC" street/drag racing video, exceeding the manufacturer's top speed estimate.
* One of the most highly modified Gallardo's (aesthetically) is the IMSA Gallardo created by German designer Holger Mohr. Featured on the January/February 2007 cover of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine the widebody kit is made up of 18-pieces. A high-performance power package is in the works.[4]
* Undoubtedly, the most powerful Gallardo in existence belongs to Wayne Skiles. The twin turbo V10 built by Florida tuner shop Heffner Performance makes 679 hp and 475 ft-lbs of torque. It was featured in the July 2006 issue of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine.[5]
* Currently, many young people are mislead to believe that the Gallardo is more powerful than the Murcielago. This however is untrue and is actually the fault of many racing games that give the Gallardo a higher top speed and acceleration level when compared to the Murcielago.
* Rapper Akon has mentioned this car, in his song "Smack That" featuring Eminem
* A Gallardo appears in the film Mission Impossible III.

[edit] Police car

In December 2004, several Gallardos were donated by Lamborghini to the Italian police in honor of the force's 152nd anniversary. The Gallardo Police Cars are used by the traffic police (Polizia Stradale) during emergencies and alarm situations on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway, also under the powers of the special safety operative which is already being employed along that tract of highway and above all, for the transport of body organs destined to transplants.

Yellow Gallardos have been "temporary" police cars for the Metropolitan Police in London, one in 2005 and one in 2006, for specific publicity events. The 2006 vehicle was seen at the start of the 2006 Gumball Rally. Both vehicles were loaned by Lamborghini London and were fitted with yellow and blue battenburg livery, police logos and a small blue lightbar.
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