Difference between revisions of "Lamborghini Gallardo"
(No difference)
|
Revision as of 17:58, 1 November 2006
| |
| Lamborghini Gallardo | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Lamborghini Gallardo |
| Manufacturer: | Lamborghini |
| Parent_Company: | Volkswagen Group |
| Production: | 2004– |
| Predecessor: | Lamborghini Jalpa |
| Class: | Sports car |
| Platform: | mid-engine AWD |
| Engine: | 5.0 L V10 |
| Similar: | Ferrari F430 Porsche 997 Ford GT |
| Designer: | Italdesign Giugiaro |
The Lamborghini Gallardo is the Italian supercar maker Lamborghini's "entry-level" car, sitting beneath the Murciélago. It is also the first car to feature the new Lamborghini V10 engine - only the third engine designed by the firm. 3,000 Gallardos were built in just two years, making it the company's most-produced model to date. The second-place Diablo took a decade to sell 2,903 examples.
Overview
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 "gah-yar-do". Gallardo is also Spanish for the word gallant. Although performance is lower than the Murcielago, it is still very high, and the Gallardo has much better rearward visibility and, according to reviewers, is more maneuverable as well as more tractable in low-speed traffic, making the Gallardo a much 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 is renowned for its Quattro AWD system, Lamborghini uses a system of its own.
At current U.S. prices, a base Gallardo costs about $165,000.
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-liter engine is a current Audi 4.2-liter 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.
Audi, Lamborghini's current owner, plans to offer its own sports car based on the Gallardo architecture, the Audi R8. It would use a V8 in place of the Gallardo's V10 to avoid competing directly with the sister car.
Gallardo Spyder
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 transmission. The soft top is fully retractable.
Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer was the first person in North America to take delivery of the spyder model of the Gallardo.
Gallardo SE
_(2).JPG)
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 gearbox gear ratios have been adjusted to better suit the V10, and the E-gear now has a "thrust mode" to optimize acceleration, and its power has been increased to 520 hp (388 kW). The SE has a higher top speed of 315km/h, (196mph), 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).
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. An suede-like alcantara steering wheel, a Lamborghini crest on the headrests and the script on the dashboard insure that once seated on the perforated leather seats, there is no doubt you are inside a special car.
A rear view camera system is also standard issue on the Gallardo SE, as is an amazing multimedia system, however a state of the art navigation system is still on the options list. 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 insures the car performs maximum acceleration. This "launch" only requires the driver to engage the "thrust" mode and step on the gas pedal., simlar to the launch technology in Formula 1 racers.
Gallardo Nera
The Gallardo Nera (Special Edition) was introduced at Paris Motor Show. The Nera has a top speed of 315km/h, (196mph), 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.
Specifications
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Top speed: | 309 km/h (192 mph) / 315 km/h (196 mph)(Gallardo SE and 06+) |
| 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph): | 4.2 s / 4.0 s (Gallardo SE and 06+) |
| 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph): | 14.5 s |
| Standing km: | 22.5 s |
| 1/4 mile: | 12.2 s at 118 mph |
| Engine | |
| Type: | V10 |
| Displacement: | 5.0 litres |
| Power: | 373 kW (500 bhp) / 388 kW (520 bhp) (Gallardo SE and 06+) |
| Torque: | 510 N·m |
Trivia
- Gallardo is a breed of Spanish fighting bull. Nearly all of Lamborghini's cars are named after bulls.
- The Gallardo has been featured in a number of films and TV shows including: NBC's reality series The Apprentice, the film Mission: Impossible III and the shows CSI: Miami and Run's House (Gallardo Spyder). Notably, the car was also spoofed on an episode of The Simpsons (The Italian Bob), referred to as the "Lamborgotti Fasterossa".
- Bam Margera owns a purple Gallardo, which he cut a sunroof out of with the help of Billy Idol.
- The Gallardo Spyder was road tested on the British TV show Top Gear where presenter Jeremy Clarkson described it as his new favourite supercar.
- In 2004, a stock yellow Gallardo coupe was piloted to 200 mph on a highway as part of Ferretti Productions second Life Beyond the Quarter street/drag racing video, proving the manufacturer's numbers rather conservative.
Police car
In December, 2004, several Gallardo supercars were donated by Lamborghini to the Italian police in honor of the force's 152nd anniversary. The Gallardo Police Cars will be 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 this tract of highway and above all for the transport of organs destined to transplants.
External links
| Lamborghini S.p.A.
|
||
Gallardo | Gallardo Spyder | Murciélago LP640 | Murciélago Roadster | ||
350GT | 400GT | Countach | Diablo | Espada | Islero | Jalpa | Jarama | LM002 | Miura | Silhouette | Urraco | ||
Athon | Bravo | Cala | Cheetah | Concept S | Flying Star II | Genesis | LM001 | LM003 | LM004 | LMA002 | Marco Polo | Marzal | Miura Concept | Portofino | Raptor | ||