2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe

MSRP: $186,250 - $222,800

With its name taken from a line of 18th century fighting bulls, the two-seat Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe is the exotic automaker’s “entry level” sports car. The Gallardo Coupe is slightly smaller and less powerful than the flagship Murciélago.The Gallardo Coupe comes wrapped in dramatically curvaceous, low-slung athletic styling, though it offers conventional opening doors rather than its bigger sibling’s gullwing design. It was first introduced in 2004. An SE version and a Gallardo Spyder convertible (reviewed separately) were added to the line for the 2006 model year. Since then, the latest update is the addition of two special-edition versions of this already-special coupe, the Nera and Superleggera.

The limited-production Lamborghini Gallardo Nera (which means “black” in Italian) is little more than a cosmetic exercise. It comes finished in an exclusive all-black exterior treatment that features matte-finish side mirrors, rear spoiler and select body panels as well as matte-black “Callisto” wheels. Silver brake calipers, white side turn-signal lenses and darkened taillights further contribute to the Gallardo Nera’s stealth-bomber appearance. Inside there’s a specific two-tone “Nero Perseus” (black)/“Bianco Polar” (white) leather scheme, with a number of otherwise-optional convenience features included.

Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe Vehicle Summary

The special-edition Superleggera (“super light” in Italian) features assorted engineering tweaks that wring an extra 10 hp out of the Gallardo Coupe’s 5.0-liter engine, while greater use of strong but lightweight carbon-fiber materials reduces the Superleggera’s weight by 154 pounds. The combination of more power and less weight shaves two-tenths of a second off its 0-62 mph time, to 3.8 seconds (62 mph is 100 kilometers per hour).The “E-gear” automatic transmission, which is optional on the “base” Gallardo Coupe, is standard. What’s more, the car rides on higher-performance shock absorbers for improved handling. Other extras include a transparent engine cover and a suede-covered steering wheel.

The standard Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe has a 5.0-liter V10 engine that generates a bullish 520 hp. Top speed is 196 mph.

A clutchless E-gear semi-automatic sequential-shift, six-speed transmission is optionally available. It can be taken through the gears manually via a set of steering-wheel-mounted paddles, like a Formula One racer. It offers a choice of “normal” or “sport” automatic operation. The latter affords quicker shifts for more-aggressive driving. Its onboard electronic control system otherwise optimizes gearshifts according to driving conditions and the motorist’s personal driving style.

See Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe pictures

Built on a lightweight aluminum space frame with thermoplastic body panels, the Gallardo exhibits crisp handling. It benefits from a fully independent, electronically controlled suspension, with high-performance-calibrated stability control and all-wheel-drive systems. It rides on alloy wheels and extreme high-performance tires. Its mid-mounted engine configuration affords a nearly ideal 42/58 front-to-rear weight distribution, which further contributes to the car’s well-balanced driving characteristics.