Wake up and smell the Gallardo exhaust! There's no better way to get excited about the start of the New York auto show than to watch Ben Stewart's mystical ability to make traffic stand still with a push of his right foot. Take a look at his expert, white-knuckle throttle jockying with the first test drive of the brand-new Superleggera on North American soil:
On paper, a 154-pound weight savings and a 10-hp increase in power are not
exactly the stuff dreams are made of. The truth is, the benefits of the new
Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera's high-carbon-fiber, low-calorie diet are not
immediately obvious, especially given the nearly 20 percent surcharge over the
$181,500 base Gallardo. And unlike the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS, the 2999-pound
Superleggera (superlight) has no competition aspirations. That's a shame,
because this car really needs a racetrack to fully deploy its potential. With
the exception of the 0.2 second by which it improves in 0-to-62-mph acceleration
(3.8 versus 4.0 seconds, according to the factory), it's at the edge of grip and
adhesion where the lightweight Lambo shines brightest.
On the road, the cream-of-the-crop Gallardo is nothing more than a noisier and
louder version of the mid-engine coupe that already scores ten out of ten points
on the street-credibility scale. On the track, however, the Superleggera sifts
the men from the boys by giving more and asking for more. More risk and more
trust. Later braking and even later downshifts. A make-it or break-it line that
straddles curbs, advances turn-in points, and uses all the clean tarmac there
is. It's not just the mind-boggling velocity that makes your neck hair stand on
end between gearshifts. It's also the car's fluidity, its balance, and the way
it laughs at fourth-gear sweepers that enchants you. A GT3 RS might be more
nimble and chuckable, but the Lambo is certainly in the same performance league.
While it's more composed and controllable overall than the 911, the lightweight
Gallardo is no less challenging, especially when the stability control is turned
off.
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