The Lamborghini Gallardo: in pics

Some consider bullfighting a bloodthirsty, despicable throwback to a bygone age where life was valued by the laughter and amazement it elicited during its demise; little wonder then, historians trace its origins back to the Roman Empire and its vast, gladiatorial battlefields.

Others however, consider it a fine art; an almost noble pursuit in the same vein as drama or dance, to be admired for its fine movement and balance.

Whatever your take on it, there can be no denying the bulls in question are mightily aggressive. And naming a supercar after famous fighting bulls is a sure fire way to give you kudos; instant connection to something visceral and raw.

Welcome to the Lamborghini Gallardo. As the Italian carmaker readies a ‘super sports car' - likely based on the V10 supercar - TopGear.com takes a quick look back at its past...

Words: Vijay Pattni

Introduced in 2003 - with Lamborghini under Audi ownership - the Gallardo is a four-wheel-drive (with a rear-wheel bias) V10-engined powerhouse with insectile styling and a soundtrack to match its angry bovine namesake. That V10 produces 520bhp and 376lb ft of torque, which, together with a lightweight monocoque space-frame chassis and lots of aluminium, allows the Lambo to accelerate from 0-62mph in four seconds and hit a top speed of 195mph.

But this wasn't enough, and Lamborghini - much like the fighting bulls it plucks its names from - decided to use this model to breed harder, faster and fightier versions of the Gallardo...

Essentially a soft-top version of the 2003 coupe version, the Spyder features a fully-automatic folding-roof with a carbon-fibre engine cover, but because of the extra chassis strengthening, slows the 0-62mph sprint down from four seconds to 4.3 seconds. Top speed with the roof down? 190mph, thank you very much.

A fleeting starlet, the first Superleggera. Lamborghini only built it for a year, stripping the standard Gallardo's weight by 100kgs thanks to lots of carbon fibre, and extracted a few more horses from that lovely 5.0-litre V10 (525bhp), quickening the 0-62mph time to 3.8 seconds, while retaining that 195mph top speed.

Lamborghini increased the capacity of the V10 to 5.2-litres for the refreshed Gallardo, a revitalised supercar that now produced 560bhp and featured newly designed suspension kinematics, together with tighter springs and shocks and an additional track rod on the rear axle for better handling.

Headline stats are thus: 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds, 0-124mph in 11.8 seconds and a top speed of 202mph. A Spyder was launched soon after (0-62mph in four, 0-124mph in 13.1).

Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann said at the time of its launch: "It will outclass its predecessor in every aspect." It did.

The lightweight bull returned in 2010 with the green Gallardo. The Super-El trimmed 70kg off the 560-4's weight, bringing overall heft down to 1,340kg, while the V10 featured an adjustable intake manifold and continuous control of the cams to contribute to a new, 570bhp output.

And those small differences, together with firmer suspension mounts, shock absorbers and anti-roll bars made the Gallardo a much more precise concept. 0-62mph took just 3.4 seconds, 0-124mph was dealt with in 10.2 seconds and the top speed sat at 202mph.

A soft-top version of the Superleggera appeared as the ‘Spyder Performante', 65kg lighter than the 560-4 Spyder, complete with racing stripes.

Fact: Valentino Balboni was hired by Ferrucio Lamborghini in 1967, and helped develop the Miura and of course, our present consideration, the Gallardo. Since 1973, the big man has sat at the wheel of every prototype built by Lambo, making him a very important chain between production and customer oversteer. His reward? His very own Gallardo, built his way.

The V10 chucks out 550bhp, and all those Italian horses are sent to the rear wheels alone, making it the first and only rear-drive Gallardo. Also comes with a racing stripe, with just 250 models built worldwide.

A special-edition of the Gallardo Superleggera, replete with carbon seats, sills, diffuser, mirror casing and various trim bis, together with matte black paint, new wheels, yellow brake calipers and a rather fruity rear wing arrangement.

Simple: a two-tone, 560bhp Gallardo built especially for Europe and Asia. That is all.

Arguably the swansong for the Gallardo, this is the most extreme version of the venerable baby Lambo to date. It's as light as the Superleggera and takes its inspiration from its racing brethren in the Super Trofeo: Lambo's one-make racing series.

As such, it gets a manually adjustable carbon fibre rear wing and carbon fibre quick release engine cover, together with lightweight forged alloys and that fetching red paint scheme. The V10's 562bhp remains unchanged, so you're looking at the very sharp end of 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds, 0-124mph in 13.8 seconds and a top speed just shy of 200mph. You want it.