Baby Murcielago Unveiled!

[Merli]

The Gallardo, the new "baby" Lamborghini previously known as project L140, will be unveiled. The aluminum-bodied two-seat coupe will compete with the Ferrari 360 Modena and the Porsche GT2. The price will be around e120,000 plus tax in Europe. The Gallardo has a rear, longitudinally mounted engine coupled with permanent four-wheel drive and electronic stability control. It is powered by an all-new, 500hp, 5.0-liter, 40-valve V-10 engine mated with a new six-speed manual gearbox. The gearbox is mounted longitudinally behind the engine and will be offered with traditional manual command or in a sequential version with paddles behind the steering wheel. This system is Magneti Marelli's Selespeed and was renamed "e-gear" by Lamborghini.

The Gallardo is the first Lamborghini designed by Italdesign, though not by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Instead, Giorgetto's son Fabrizio gets credit for his first production sports car. The Gallardo has traditional doors, hinged at the base of the A-pillar, and not the typical scissors doors of such big Lambos as the Countach, Diablo and Murcielago. Production will be 800-850 units this year and 1,300 in 2004. Installed capacity is six units a day or 1,320 per year. But that could rise to eight units a day if needed, or almost 1,800 units a year.

In keeping with company tradition, the name of the car derives from a fighting bull breed. The Gallardo breed was established in Spain in the 18th century by Antonio Gallardo and was later bought by Don Antonio Miura, the same Miura used by Ferruccio Lamborghini to name his most famous sports car.

Talking points:

Do not look for the striking roadster version of the Murcielago in Geneva. The roadster was unveiled at the Detroit auto show in January as concept car. Lamborghini won't take it to Switzerland so as not to overshadow the Gallardo.

What type of vehicle will Lamborghini's third product be? An internal debate is ongoing. The most likely solution is an extreme sport-utility to rival the Porsche Cayenne. The idea of a four-seat coupe seems to have lost ground.

[KamikazeR33]

the rear reminds me of ahhh damn now i forget the name,..... it was in gt3 anyway

i think its starts wif a z

[skyzerr33]

that looks darn sexy

[400HP]

HOT!

[BiteMe]

SWEET !!!

[Al]

I have one already on order to add to my current collection

**ooh just woke up, now where did i park me work van?**

[Birty]

you thinking of a pagani zonda kamikaze

[surreal]

are they generated images...some of them look like it, others dont. Anyway, just what we have all been waiting for, an 'affordable' Lambo...

[2rismo]

looks like a 350z from a couple of angles