By Antonio Alvendia

Antonio Alvendia

You don’t have to have a Harvard MBA to realize that “more” is the four-letter word that drives the exotic supercar market. More power. More speed. More sex appeal. More exclusivity. And, let’s get real: when folks slide into the driver’s seat of an exotic, many of them wind up needing more room — for their egos. So what’s up with the latest-and-greatest Lamborghini Gallardo?

As its numeric designation indicates, the new 550-horsepower LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni gives up 10 ponies to the reigning mainstream model, the Gallardo LP 560-4. (Lucky you, if you’re in a tax bracket where a $233,000 car is mainsteam.) The 550-2 takes a couple tenths longer to sprint from zero to 62 mph (3.9 seconds vs. 3.7). The Baboni Gallardo even comes up short in the top speed department: 199 mph vs. a hair under 202 for the 560-4.

If this all sounds, well, backward, no one at Lamborghini will argue with you. If fact Valentino Balboni himself is the first to agree, because the car that bears his name is about going back — to basics. Basic, in this case, being rear-wheel-drive like the Countach and Miura.

Continue reading and view more photos at MOTORMAVENS.Com

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

There’s no narration on this clip, but if you’re anything like me, you won’t care. The shots of these weapons-grade Lambos battling at Italy’s Adria Raceway—and the sound of their engines!—is more than enough for me. Thanks to Lamborghini München for uploading this uber-sexy footage, and congrats on the hat trick finish! Viva la Super Trofeo Series!

By DriverSide

DriverSide

Yes, that Balboni. As in, the same lucky mother who’s been a test driver for Lamborghini since 1968 and driven over 80 percent of all Raging Bulls ever created, Valentino Balboni. It would seem Lamborghini wants to pay tribute to its chief test driver by working up yet another wicked variation of the Gallardo. The 5.2-liter V10 behind the seats has been ever so lightly detuned to offer up a mere 550 horsepower, all of which kick at the rear tires. With the Gallardo’s delicious all-wheel drive system in pieces, the engineers at Lamborghini had to rework their magic on the car’s suspension – serving up new spring rates, stabilizers, tires and dampers. At a featherweight 3,035 lbs, this sucker clicks off the naught to sixty dash in 3.9 seconds. If you’ve got $219,300 lying around and can lay your greedy paws on one of the 250 to be built, give us a call. We’ll be your new best friend. More pics at MotorAuthority

By John Naderi

StreetFire.net

The good people from Al and Ed’s Autosound and Lamborghini of Beverly Hills invited me out to Southern California’s Auto Club Raceway to indulge in the Ultimate Lamborghini Experience. Much to my chagrin the day wasn’t all about supermodels and bottle service. It was about driving a Lamborghini the way it’s meant to be driven, with all of the power and passion that can only be exploited on a dedicated circuit. As a much-needed bonus I received personalized instruction from a professional driver who knew how handle these raging bulls. Note the extremely rare and even stunningly sexy LP670-4 SV in the image. Hit the jump to see how I flung it around the Auto Club Raceway’s high-speed roval.

Continue reading "Ultimate Lamborghini Experience With a Side of Awesome Sauce" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Performance figures are one thing, but if you’ve ever gotten the chance to drive a Gallardo, you know numbers don’t mean jack once you pound the gas. Between getting knocked back in your seat and the music of the howling V10, even sexy arithmetic seems about as exciting as Friday night at the Old Country Buffet. Seriously, these babies launch like scalded cheetahs! But as quick as they are, this clip shows why they don’t race Gallardos against Zambonis. To be honest, I was  hoping for a little more drift action, but it’s still pretty cool to see this Raging Bull spinning its wheels.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Here’s all the Lambo stuff left behind from the famous Tractorri. Basically you’re looking at a 2006 Gallardo minus the engine, driveline, suspension, interior and elctronics. LS1 or Hemi swap, anyone? Thanks for the tip, Jake! Via eBay More pics after the jump!

Continue reading "Tractorri Leftovers on eBay" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Lamborghini has a pretty cool booth at NAIAS this year, with a Murciélago LP 640, Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder and Gallardo LP 560-4. What do you think of that matte blue? More pics after the jump!

Continue reading "Matte Blue Lambos at NAIAS" »

By Ryan Porter

IN-N-OUT Editor

I never thought I would see a Gallardo vs deer run-in. Apparently the deer either didn’t see this speeding bull or it thought it was a hunter and wanted to get some revenge! According to BADCOPNODONUTS! this same owner had a run-in with a deer in his Lexus IS-F a few weeks earlier. Talk about pouring salt on the game!

Continue reading "Gallardo vs. Deer, Not My Cup of Tea" »

By John Coyle

Editor

While I was covering the American Le Mans Series this year, I got a chance to check out a lot of the SCCA World Challenge cars. One make that was totally absent? Lamborghini. For reasons unknown, Ferruccio Lamborghini didn’t want to race his creations, so until very recently—with the announcement of the Super Trofeo Series—there had never been any factory recognition to competition Lamborghinis. But that doesn’t mean privateers haven’t taken Raging Bulls onto the track, and this year, DP7 Racing in going to campaign in the SCCA World Challenge with this weapons-grade Gallardo. There were so many guys gathered around this car that getting a picture of it, was pretty tricky, but I think I managed to get some good shots. The body is carbon fiber, and after some engine tweaks, the 5.0 V-10 is pushing a burly 570HP. Here’s hoping it fares well on the track. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "DP7 Gallardo to Campaign in SCCA World Challenge" »

When we blogged about Underground Racing’s twin-turbo Gallardo back in September, we didn’t have a lot of info on it. Basically, all we knew was that the car was making a 1000HP, and that the turbo set-up was almost too pretty to cover up. Turns out we were wrong about the horsepower figure—the car only makes 800—but we stand by our statements pertaining to the aesthetics of the turbos. Anyway, the car is on eBay right now, and the asking price is a seemingly reasonable $225,000. Head over to check out the full specs, more pics, and a couple of clips of this raging bull in action. Thanks for the tip Tim!