There are cars and there are cars. And then there is a Lamborghini. I would bet my name on it if any car lover hasn’t grown up with a poster of a Countach or Diablo on his room wall as a child. Very few go on to ever own a Lamborghini let alone get to drive one in their lifetime. If someone told me a decade ago that I would pilot a Lamborghini someday, I would have laughed it off. But dreams come true and today after all these years here I was waking up at 4 am unable to hold my excitement. I was going to drive a Lamborghini for the very first time. I have driven some nice cars over the last few years. My friends know how much I love Ferraris and the 458 was one of the best driving experiences ever. But today was different. Today I would be a Matador and tame a Bull, the Gallardo LP550-2. An early Saturday morning in Mumbai, sunrise, empty roads and some serious Horsepower at my disposal. The setting was just perfect. So how was it? The answer lies in the words below.
The Gallardo has been a huge success story for Lamborghini. Affectionately known as the ‘Baby Bull’ it has also been the most produced model by the Raging Bull with over 10,000 cars being made so far. And sticking to tradition it was named after a famous fighting Bull. No prizes for guessing that actually. The Gallardo has seen many variants from the year of its inception including some limited edition models. Inspite of being around for 9 years now after its launch in 2003, it has still managed to hold its own even today. Some food for thought here. Ferrari had the 360 around the time Lamborghini launched the Gallardo. The 360 gave way to the F430 which in turn was replaced by the 458 Italia which is Ferrari’s current offering. But the Baby Bull has stayed put and how. Of course Lamborghini has given it enhancements and upgrades over time but the basic car has remained the same. What I drove today was the LP550-2. This car was initially produced as a limited edition known as the ‘LP550-2 Valentino Balboni’ in honour of their legendary test driver. Now the LP550-2 is the entry level Gallardo. While ‘550’ stands for the HP, it’s the 2 which is more interesting. ‘2’ stands for 2wd and this is the first rear wheel drive Lamborghini ever since the mighty Diablo. And that makes it even more special. The car’s low stance gives it incredible street presence. It is so low height wise that it makes me, who is all of 5’3 look tall. The current headlights with the integrated DRLs look so much better than the earlier Gallardo. The best way to look at the LP550-2 is from the side in my opinion. Excellent way to see the clean design and proportions. The rear is beautiful too and I just love those arrows which are integrated into the taillights. The signature ‘Lamborghini’ to remind other road users behind you what they following. Four exhaust pipes complete the rear end. Enough said about the colour. Yellow is to Lamborghini like what Red is to Ferrari. And yes, no other sports car suits loud colours the way a Lamborghini does.
Step inside the Gallardo and you are greeted with a typical Italian sports car interior. Though at first glance it appears bare basic, there’s more to that than what meets the eye. The interior is light years ahead of what it was in the Lamborghinis of the yesteryears and Audi ownership of the legendary marquee from Bolognese has a lot to do with it. And that is not a bad thing at all. If you own or have been in a modern day Audi before, you will find yourself in familiar territory. The test car had two tone full leather upholstery, in a black and yellow combo to perfectly the match the exterior colour of the car. The stitching which you see in the pictures has been hand done at the factory and can be customized to your liking. The Raging Bull logo is embossed on the head rests. The seats had manual adjust for reach and though they had good travel, height adjust was absent. It can be a problem for short drivers like yours truly. Solution? Just put in a couple of cushions and you are set. The back rest did have electric adjust though. The glove box is wide and illuminated. However it is not as spacious as you would like it to be. But it will still hold your documents, owner’s manual and the likes without a fuss. The centre console houses the audio, air conditioner controls and the switches for power windows, lights, fuel cap opener and the ESC (Electronic Stability Control) Though the AC and audio controls are smooth to operate, the chrome switches for the power windows etc. do have a hard touch and feel. But quality overall is good. The centre computer screen is again ala Audi and you will have seen it in sedans like the A4, A6 and so on. Again, no complaints here. The extended centre console houses the ORVM switches, the ride height increase/ decrease switch and the transmission controls, in this case, E Gear. The reverse button ‘R’ is placed on the right hand side of the driver below the AC vent. I would have preferred it to be on the centre console itself. Also seen on the centre console is the button to raise or lower the rear spoiler. The steering wheel is really thick, has a good grip and feels really nice to hold. Paddles for shifting gears manually are mounted behind the steering. Unlike Ferrari who has gone on to put every control there is onto the steering wheel, Lamborghini still uses conventional stalks for headlight control and wiper operation in the Gallardo. The old school handbrake takes its place in the centre. The instrument cluster is clean looking though I feel the fuel indicator and temperature gauge could have been made a bit more easier to read. They are tilted at an angle which makes it difficult for the driver to check at a glance. The doors shut with a reassuring ‘thud’ which I liked.
And now finally, the drive. You fire up the LP550-2 the conventional way. No smart key, no start/stop button. Flip open the key, slot it in and turn the ignition. The engine comes to life with a growl and settles down to a quiet idle without any vibrations whatsoever. The 550-2 is powered by a 5.2 litre V10 motor which puts out 542 bhp @8000 rpm. This particular engine also does duty in the Audi R8 V10. Torque figures stand at 540 Nm @6500 rpm. A 6 speed manual transmission is standard but the test car had the optional E Gear sequential autobox. There are two modes in which you can drive this car : Sport & Corsa. I chose to stick to Sport Auto. Pull the right paddle to put it into first, press the AUTO, you see ‘A1’ on the instrument cluster and you’re ready to go. The acceleration of this car is shattering..literally. Every upshift kicks you back in the seat. There is a jerk in every shift that sends a jolt up your spine. Thanks to the single clutch set up in the Gallardo. It is completely opposite to what you find in the 458 Italia. Not that I’m complaining. I loved it. Down shifting with the paddles with those throttle blips is so much fun. Downshift a couple of gears and hit the throttle pedal, the response is instantaneous. With all that power going down to the rear wheels, you need to have very good control on the steering to keep things in check. Safety wise it has everything: ESP with ABS, ASR and ABD but you really have to treat this car well, because if you don’t, it will bite you back, and hard. The LP550-2 goes past the ton in 3.9 seconds and onto a top speed of 320 kmph. Handling may not be precision perfect like the 458, but it does a damn good job and it will go where you point it to, albeit with a little more effort from the driver which is a good thing. The way the tail swings out when you put the power down will only make you grin more. Try to put in some more power and an orange light will flash on your display. The Traction Control light of course !! I have not driven an AWD Lamborghini before but I feel that it will not as fun as a RWD one. I could be wrong. Actually this car is so good, it keeps telling you to push it more making you forget about the consequences if you lose the plot altogether later. Braking is adequate but could definitely be better. And the ride quality. This is an area where the 458 has the Bull beaten.
The ride on the 550-2 is stiff and how. If you want to know how bad and bumpy the Marine Drive roads in Mumbai are, drive over them in one of these. I did the mistake of doing some quick acceleration here and the jolts I got on my lower back made me leave the pedal. Ride is equally bumpy at low speeds and you feel every small element that the road throws at you. The 550-2 rides 19” inch alloys with Pirelli P Zero rubber with 235/35 at the front and 295/30 profile at the rear respectively. The Gallardo is surprisingly very nice to drive at moderate speeds in city traffic as well and I did quite a bit of sedate driving myself. Apart from the slight initial lag or pull that you feel when accelerating, the car is quite happy to drive around at cruising speeds with the engine being quite silent too. Speed breakers are not a problem either. Just press a button and the front raises allowing you to go over the bumps without a sweat. The front automatically lowers itself once you hit 70 kmph. Nice…Visibility through the rear glass is not bad at all either and you have an onboard camera to assist you while reversing. Call me old school but inspite of a camera, I still use only the ORVMs and the internal rear view mirror while reversing.
So to sum up my first Lamborghini experience. It left me speechless. The Gallardo LP550-2 is not a baby Lambo. It is hardcore. It will never fail to excite you every time you take to the wheel. The engine is brilliant, goes like a wild Bull on the rampage on the streets. In local lay man lingo I would term it as ‘Junglee’ and I’m not kidding. I am very happy that the first Lamborghini I drove was a RWD. It will help me to gain new perspectives when I drive an AWD version. Sure it has its short comings like the ride quality and lack of a few goodies but one tap of the throttle makes you forget everything. You have the bare essentials and that’s all you need. Best of all you have that V10 engine. And at 2.4 crore ex showroom it is cheaper than the 458 Italia too. Yes, as an all round package the 458 is fantastic, make no mistake I still love it. It is an epic sports car. But this review is not about the Ferrari, it is about a Lamborghini and the Gallardo LP550-2 is a different animal altogether. The wait to get behind the wheel of the LP700-4 Aventador has become even more exciting. But that is for another day. Keep watching this space.
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