Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Some brands are content to have their identities set in stone, ensuring that each and every future product is simply an evolutionary enhancement of the core values that made their name in the first place. While many car companies want a fluid image that can shift as times and attitudes change, there are a few maverick brands unafraid to seen to go against the flow.
Lamborghini have no problem with being a high performance car maker in an eco-conscious world; they point out, not unreasonably, that their slender production volume and the 'occasional use' quality of their cars means their overall emissions are relatively low.
See more of the new Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
With the sporting end of the market still locked into a horsepower war – woe betide the manufacturer that blinks and boldly steps out with a car offering less power than its rivals – we can still be sure of 500+ horsepower outputs for the foreseeable future.
This, we are assured, is not an atmosphere-roasting catastrophe. Incremental improvements mean that the modern supercar is leaner and cleaner than ever before. Let's not make excuses, though: these cars are never going to clip under the EU's projected average CO2 emissions, not now, not ever. And that, we suspect, is just how their designers like them.
A short Lamborhini history
Lamborghini's modern era began with the entrance of Audi as financial fairy godmother, bringing with it the deep pockets of the VW Group to haul the company back from its decades in the supercar wilderness, tossing out endless ultra-limited specials for a die-hard audience of motoring journalists, sultans and eccentric financial wizards.
Although the first leg of Lamborghini's life was spent challenging Ferrari with a respectable series of elegant, powerful and distinctive coupes, culminating in the genre-creating Miura supercar of 1966, the company then entered a phase of unabashed automotive ostentation, kick-started by the Countach, Marcello Gandini's 70s-era metal wedge: no other car has been so perfectly paired with the adjective 'outlandish'.
The die was set, from Countach through Jalpa and Diablo: Lamborghini was about power and extravagance. Following a period of ownership by Chrysler, the company was flipped over to the Indonesians, with seasoned sports car executives holding the fort back in Europe, driving sales steadily upwards. Enter Audi, which consolidated its intent by launching the Murcielago in 2001 and proving to everyone that VW Group ownership needn't dilute the qualities of the cars. The V12 Murcielago was followed by the V10-powered Gallardo in 2003; together, the two models have outsold every other Lamborghini ever made in the preceding years.
What changed? Reliable engineering, enduringly dramatic styling and the global demand for supercars, helping sales rise inexorably throughout the late 90s and beyond. The Gallardo was recently given a serious overhaul, with aesthetic tweaks joined by a full-scale engineering fillet, making the car faster, lighter, leaner and more efficient into the bargain.
The latest creation
The Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder, to give this car its full appellation, is a thing of visual delight. Styled, like the Murcielago, by a team headed up by the multi-lingual, continent-hopping stylist Luc Donckerwolke, the Gallardo succeeds on several levels. Not only does it reference Lamborghini's historic portfolio - crammed full of both elegance and insanity, most often contained within the same car – but it's also brutally contemporary.
From behind the wheel, the modern Gallardo has few quirks (although Sant'Agata's seamstresses are only too eager to deliver a retina-searing experience of polychromatic hide). Most of the bits that need to work efficiently and not ostentatiously are simply plucked from Audi's well-stocked parts bin (an arrangement that might make Ferrari rather jealous). The steering is direct, the brakes reassuringly efficient and the driving position surprisingly ergonomic.
Your main hazard is other road users: in the complete inverse of the police car effect - where a patrol car carries with it a bubble of hyper-conscious drivers, consciously sticking to the posted limits – the Gallardo forms a buffer zone of self-conscious idiocy, a mobile a mobile accident blackspot created by other road users, overwhelmingly of the male persuasion, attempting to demonstrate their superior wheelmanship.
Sadly, your unwanted competitors are probably all too aware that the Gallardo contains a V10, a highly tuned version of the engine also found in the Audi RS6 and the new R8 V10. In the Gallardo, it's been given free reign to rev high and loud, rattling the urban environment and making every traffic light an occasion. Shrinking violets should note that the front suspension can be raised up by five helpful centimetres to help negotiate urban speed bumps (the sound of unwanted automotive schadenfreude is the heavy crack of carbon fibre front spoiler connecting with raised tarmac).
With sport and track modes, four wheel drive and the aforementioned power, the Gallardo feels supremely wieldy, despite its size. This is a car so easy to drive that the controls swiftly become second nature. With the 70s era cars now reduced to a form of kitschy nostalgia, many might consider a Lamborghini to still be a step too far. However, low level mass production has helped this most bloody-minded of companies to create a modern motoring icon, all ability and no unnecessary flash.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
2 Lucca Avenue: contemporary luxury meets views of Hong Kong nature
Designed by Conran and Partners, 2 Lucca Avenue at Villa Lucca in Hong Kong, is a modern home wrapped in contemporary luxury
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
U2 in Las Vegas review: a monumental sonic and visual spectacle
U2 help transform the Las Vegas skyline with a genre-redefining multimedia rock show, buoyed by high-profile artistic collaborations and groundbreaking tech
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
When Doshi Levien met Giulio Cappellini
Designers Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien look back on their collaboration with design visionary Giulio Cappellini, Guest Editor of the Wallpaper* October 2023 issue
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Peugeot’s sparky 308 gets hybrid power and handsome lines
The Peugeot 308 proves that mass-market design needn’t be dull, blending hybrid power with sharp lines and excellent detailing
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
BMW Motorrad brings out the big guns for its newest cruisers
BMW Motorrad R 18 Bagger and Transcontinental set the tone for high-voltage cruising with a brand collaboration with speaker specialist Marshall
By George Chapman Last updated
-
Dacia’s new Manifesto concept is a true outdoor utility vehicle
Utilitarian auto brand Dacia sets a bold new agenda with its Manifesto, a concept car pitched at the active outdoor market
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
The sun sets on traditional supercars at California’s Monterey Car Week
Monterey Car Week, the world’s most prestigious car gathering, is showcasing ever-more extravagant special editions, coachbuilt cars and all-new electric concepts. Here are seven key machines from 2022
By Rory FH Smith Last updated
-
Is McLaren’s GT a sports car, a tourer, or the best of both?
The McLaren GT is a capable all-rounder dressed up in svelte supercar clothes. It might also be the last of its type
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
Rolls-Royce puts the Phantom back on its lofty pedestal
A mid-life refresh ensures the flagship Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II is at the top of its game, a last hurrah for traditional engines before an electrified future
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Prodrive’s new racing simulator is shaped by Callum to be front of the grid
The racing simulator shapes up – this new design from Prodrive and Callum is honed for the high-end games room
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
The Cupra Formentor is a dark star for bright minds
For all its moody styling, the Cupra Formentor – from the SEAT spin-off brand – is a compact, swift and fun-to-drive crossover
By Jonathan Bell Last updated