Nail the throttle on Lamborghini's Gallardo Spyder at 2500 RPM in second gear, and the car will knock you back in your seat like a rifle kick. The surprise is the scream from the engine. It is as if you had awakened Satan himself. Lamborghini product people discourage this kind of high-school antic, but they also know it's inevitable. They are congenial, even gracious. They had driven up to Monterey from southern California with some 60 or so club owners, clients and journalists for the Concourse d'Elegance in Pebble Beach. To those of us who have spent only superficial time in exotic sports cars (including this one), the Spyder is surprising in how buttoned-down and well-mannered it is. Ferraris, by contrast, tend to be twitchy, hyper-kinetic and easy to get away from you--even the civilized GTs. Race-car DNA runs through every car that company builds. The Gallardo, by contrast, is forgiving, though it won't, for a heartbeat, lull you into complacency. The car's grip is miraculous. Turn in too early on an S, and there's no need to back off power. Just keep your eyes up for where to correct at the second apex. Even the car's ride along Monterey's rutted city streets makes the Porsche 911 feel like a buck buggy. Even so, the Spyder is no daily driver. The shifts come jarringly fast at low speeds from the steering wheel paddles. The ceramic brakes are grabby in city traffic. But in case you've lost interest in being wealthy, here's a car to reginite it.
Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, First Impressions
Nail the throttle on Lamborghini’s Gallardo Spyder at 2500 RPM in second gear, and the car will knock you back in your seat like a rifle kick. The surprise is the scream from the engine. It is as if you had awakened Satan himself. Lamborghini product people discourage this kind of high-school antic, but they […]
