Though it may be hard to conceive the Lamborghini Gallardo as being old, it has been around for a decade. The original “baby Lambo” was introduced with a 493 V-10 engine and over the years has matured to a 570 hp machine worthy of the Lamborghini name. Now the first information about its replacement has all eyes focused on the Santa ‘Agata hills.
The replacement for the Gallardo is expected to be uncovered at the 2013 Frankfurt Show in the fall. Buyers should be able to visit showrooms by June of 2014 according to the Lamborghini timetable. Seemingly a long time to wait, but just long enough for the company to dole out Trofeo and other special editions as a fond farewell.
The Gallardo replacement will get its grunt from a revised version of the current 570 hp V-10 and could be easily tweaked to produce 600 horses. This makes a strong case for the likely LP600-4 nomenclature. Sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it ? (see Egoista Concept). The name is still unconfirmed, but many Lambo fans have been throwing the name “Cabrera” around. Let’s sound it out – “Cabrera LP 600-4”. Sounds menacing enough and slightly less industrial than MP4-12C.
Of course the parent company will share chassis architecture between the Gallardo replacement and its own second-generation Audi R8. The chassis will be a mixed use of several materials including aluminum and carbon fiber. A light structure that is cost-effective and strong is the new car’s goal. All-wheel drive will be retained and look for a rear-wheel drive variant as well. The traditional brake-gas-clutch pedal arrangement will likely disappear in this and future Lamborghinis. Gone also, will be the automated manual of the current car.
Styling will probably feature the Egoista Concept’s active bodywork as well as sharp-nosed styling from the Sesto Elemento. Heavily camouflaged prototypes have been seen on message boards and social media sites. They don’t give a clear indication to the styling direction, but do hint at a freshness of design.
We will keep our ear to the ground for the rumblings on the Gallardo replacement. In the meantime, please enjoy this video featuring two great products of Santa ‘Agata: the Gallardo and Valentino Balboni
