SPEC check: 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera
Price: $237,600
Engine: DOHC 5.2-liter V-10
Torque: 398.3 lb.-ft. at 6,500 rpm
Horsepower: 570
0–60: 3.4 seconds
Suspending Belief: Rock-hard running gear includes a firm double-wishbone setup and reinforced antiroll bars. Unlike its competitor the Ferrari 458 Italia, this Lambo doesn’t have an adjustable suspension for a relaxed ride. It’s always stiff. Take the bumps like a man.
The Transmission: Along with Ferrari, Lambo is “over” the manual gearbox. The Gallardo Superleggera comes with a paddle-shifted six-speed. For now the folks in Sant’Agata Bolognese might build you a stick shift if you beg. Expect that practice to end soon.
Rear View: A standard carbon-fiber spoiler produces downforce; opt for the big-ass rear wing for even better road holding. But be warned—that added flair might throw off your Gallardo’s otherwise subtle, introverted look.
The Rubber: Wide Pirelli tires are made specially for the car from an ultra-sticky compound; an asymmetrical tread pattern—and the car’s AWD setup—make it tough to lose your ass on wet asphalt. Rainy days? Not an excuse to garage this beast.
Once I pass 160 mph on the sun-soaked Circuito Monteblanco, an F1 test track in southern Spain, I start to feel like a pretty cool guy. I’ve got my sweaty mitts wrapped around the suede-clad steering wheel of Lambo’s latest, lightest creation, and its V-10 engine, mounted just behind my head, is emitting a heavy metal anthem that sounds like a demon god tearing through a trailer park. There are no trailer parks out here, and sadly there are no women around to watch my matador-like valor, the way I rein in this wily, track-tuned road beast like so. There’s just the Lamborghini CEO, standing around hoping his car doesn’t get fucked up. Lucky for us both, it doesn’t. His car is the Superleggera (“ultralight” in Italian), a harder-edged version of the already stellar Gallardo, made faster and 154 pounds lighter through the extensive use of carbon fiber. In fact, you see that strong, lightweight material everywhere but the cupholder. (There actually isn’t one, which is a good thing, because the temptation to throw this car sideways comes with every curve.) And since the suspension has been made super-stiff for track use, doing that’s just a little too easy. The road is right there, no layers between you and the asphalt. To commune any closer, you’d have to be buried alive in it. Hey, if the Superleggera could come with you, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad?