Baby Bull
By Brice Cooper
Italian supercars of the past are generally associated with outrageous price tags and finicky performance. A lot of these disparaging thoughts were bred out of the frustration that their owners shared, due to the high cost of a more than frequent service schedule.
This, however, has changed in the case of the automaker with the raging bull mascot. In recent years, Lamborghini was bought out by Audi (cough, cough) Volkswagen. Yes, Volkswagen, the company that brought you a car dubbed the Beetle with a less than modest 50hp motor, has contributed the successful launch of the Lamborghini Murciélago’s 500hp little brother: the Gallardo.
The 2005 Gallardo is everything a true supercar should be, at about half the price. However, price does not denote a lack of quality in this baby bull. The exterior of the Gallardo has a striking presence that’s nowhere near as garish as some past Lambos. There’s a distinct emphasis on being smooth, yet edgy, in the design of this all-aluminum beauty. Everything about the Gallardo is focused around perfection. The fit and finish of the body panels are superb. The wheel wells are tastefully filled with enormous rims and tires that not only look impressive, but also perform like none other.
When you approach the exterior of the Gallardo, you’ll notice that the trademark gullwing doors that Lamborghini is famous for are lacking on this V-10 monster. That’s because Lamborghini reserves this privilege for its V-12 “flagship” models. At around 3,300 lbs and a whopping 500hp with full-time all-wheel drive, the Gallardo is no slouch. Neither is the price. The Gallardo retails for around $170,000, which is still a steal compared to the $300,000 price tags of the other models in Lamborghini’s stable.
Some regard the Gallardo as an entry level exotic; this could not be further from the truth. With Audi as a major contributor in design and functionality, the Gallardo is reliable enough to be considered a daily driver for those who have the dough. Yes, I said daily driver. Whereas Ferraris need to have their timing belts replaced every 15k miles, the Gallardo’s V-10 utilizes a timing chain that may even outlast you. Blown clutch? No problem. Just slip off the rear clip of the car and Bam! there’s the heart of the beast ready to be serviced. The Gallardo requires about as much service as any high performance vehicle on the road today. Notice that I didn’t say exotic. This relatively low cost maintenance schedule is only one of the contributing factors that have helped catapult the Gallardo into supercar stardom in just three short years.
Another impressive feature of the Gallardo is the phenomenal fit and finish of the car’s interior. The dashboard, as well as the console and seats, are finished in top grain leather. With the optional suede headliner package installed, this Lambo makes you feel right at home in luxury, without making you feel like you’re on a cattle ranch. At nearly 200mph, the last thing that you want to be doing is hunting for your control switches. This is why Lamborghini was kind enough to put them dead smack in the center of the console for your convenience. The windows in the Gallardo are so well designed, that you hardly notice any wind noise once you’re up to speed. The seats in the Gallardo reassure you that comfort is a standard option. They’re firm, yet extremely comfortable for a car of this class. However, I do feel that there may have been some miscommunication at the factory about the concept of a glove box. They took it literally. There’s not much room up front either. One thing’s for certain, you won’t be getting very many groceries in this bad boy.
The Gallardo may be a treat to sit in, but the driving experience is unbelievable. There’s nothing sweeter than the sound of a raging bull ready to charge. The 500hp V-10 sounds breathtaking. Once inside, you’re well aware of the power at your fingertips without being annoyed by its bark. Well-placed pedals in the footwell make for seamless downshifts through the razor-sharp gated gearbox. You’ll notice that first gear is a bit tall for drag racing, but nonetheless, this thing is a blast at a stoplight. This is where the negativity stops. Second gear is an ear-to-ear grin and third is a guaranteed pants-peeing experience. The 2005 Gallardo has an optional E-Gear paddle shift transmission that makes a day at the track child’s play. For around the town use, I found that the up shifts were a bit too herky-jerky, and could be a potential detraction from the car’s overall package. With a good solid clutch and an easy shifting manual transmission, this car is no harder to handle than your average Escort. I never felt the need to constantly run the car in the high RPM range. This car has gobs of torque and enough top end to make the eight piston caliper brakes work for their money. And work they do. I would equate the stopping power of the Gallardo to that of a spitball hitting a wall. The brakes are truly spectacular.
The Gallardo is a large enough car to suck up most road imperfections with the greatest of ease. For those of us that have steep driveways, Lamborghini offers a hydraulic system that raises the car 2" to compensate for large obstacles at the touch of a button. With such a large automobile, you might think that it would handle like a school bus, but this thing has zero body roll. Every turn in the road is a chance to defy gravity.
The only other change to the 2005 model is a badge at the center of the steering wheel, denoting that you’re the proud owner of one of the greatest cars on the road. There wasn’t much to improve on from previous years and that’s a good thing. With production numbers in the range of 1,300 cars produced a year, as opposed to Ferrari’s 7000, the Gallardo is quite an exclusive automobile. With improved customer service and a roadside assistance program, the Gallardo may just be a car that your girlfriend can drive…nah!
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