Gallardo Superleggera bows out

Performance car fanatics and Lamborghini enthusiasts alike will be applying tissue to cornea at the news that Lamborghini has ceased production of its hardcore Gallardo Superleggera.

By Kyle Kock

Less than a month after unveiling the white-hot LP560-4 Gallardo, Lamborghini has announced that it has ceased production of its Gallardo Superleggera – the stripped-down, muscled-up stallion that starred in CAR Magazine’s January 2008 performance issue.

Simply put, the Gallardo Superleggera (Italian for lightweight) is a race-ready version of the “baby” in Sant’Agata’s model range. It features a modified version of the 5,0-litre V10 in the standard Gallardo and produces 390 kW at 8 000 r/min and 510 N.m of torque at 4 250 r/min.

The Gallardo Superleggera also weighs considerably less than the standard car – largely due to the extensive use of carbon fibre on the exterior and interior. Saving weight was so important, the rear diffuser; door panels, rear view mirrors and central tunnel were all moulded from the race-derived material – even the glass panels were replaced with transparent polycarbonate. Lamborghini’s engineers even managed to shave off a further 47 kg by fitting carbon-fibre seats covered in Alcantara.

Equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox or optional six-speed e-gear sequential transmission and an all-wheel drive system (with a 70 percent rear bias), the Gallardo Superleggera is capable of sprinting from zero to 100 km/h in 4,5 seconds, a quarter mile time of 12,5 seconds and a top speed of 315 km/h.

To improve on the excellence already achieved by the Gallardo Superleggera, Lamborghini has dumped an all-new 5,2-litre V 10 powerplant into the LP560-4 and fitted the new Gallardo with a lighter, more efficient all-wheel drive Viscous Traction system.

The shift time for the e-gear transmission has been reduced by 40 percent and with 412 kW on tap at 8 000 r/min and 540 N.m of torque available, it is believed that the LP 560-4 will sprint to 100 km/h from standstill in 3,7 seconds, 200 km/h in 11,8 seconds and go on to a top speed exceeding 325 km/h.

There is no word yet as to what Lamborghini has done with the interior and body panels, but if the LP560-4 doesn’t do away with the all the carbon fibre and Alcantara, expect the price to be considerably higher than the R2,8 million asking fee of the Gallardo Superleggera.

We all love the Superleggera here at CARtoday.com, and offer you the following special features to give the model a send-off with style.

Watch the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera in action during the supercar shootout.

Download the exhaust tone and listen to the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera scream.

Download a wallpaper of the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.