Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder: The Open-Top V10 That Closed the Gallardo Era

The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder was the open-top version of the V10 Gallardo, first shown in Los Angeles in January 2006. Over its life it moved from a 520 PS (382 kW; 513 hp) original to the 570 PS Performante, which was the last Gallardo to leave the factory in November 2013.

What is the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder?

The Gallardo Spyder is the convertible version of Lamborghini's V10 Gallardo, with a retractable soft-top and a 520 PS (382 kW; 513 hp) engine in its first form. Lamborghini revealed it in Los Angeles in January 2006 and treated it as an entirely new model.

The Gallardo itself ran from 2003 to 2013 and was built at Sant'Agata Bolognese. The name honours Francisco Gallardo, an 18th-century Spanish breeder of fighting bulls, and it means gallant. The Spyder carried that name into an open-top body while keeping the V10 of the coupe it was built from.

Because the Spyder adopted the coupe's upgraded output, it carried the same 520 PS as the updated coupe, and the original V10 served as the base for both body styles.

A V10 convertible that started at 520 PS and finished as the 570 PS Performante, the last Gallardo off the line.

How did the Gallardo come to be?

The Gallardo traces back to a 1995 concept called the Cala, which Italdesign Giugiaro designed for Lamborghini after Megatech bought the company in 1994. After the Volkswagen Group took control in 1998, the production Gallardo was built on the Cala's basis.

The Cala was intended to replace the Jalpa and appeared at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show. Much of the concept's styling and its V10 layout carried into the production car, and Luc Donckerwolke was credited with the design of the finished Gallardo.

The Gallardo became Lamborghini's sales leader and a stable-mate to the V12 flagships, first the Murcielago and then the Aventador. It was the brand's first entry-level car in many years.

What engine did the original Gallardo Spyder use?

The first Spyder used a 520 PS (382 kW; 513 hp) version of the Gallardo's V10, the same output that the 2005 Coupe update brought to the coupe. The original coupe displaced 4,961 cc and produced 500 PS (368 kW; 493 hp), with 510 Nm (376 lb ft) of torque peaking at 4500 rpm.

Lamborghini's 2005 update gave the coupe more than extra power. The exhaust became more sporty, with a flap for quieter city driving, and the suspension and steering rack were revised. The lower gearing, especially from first to fifth, made the car noticeably quicker than the original.

The Gallardo came with a conventional six-speed manual gearbox or the E-gear automated manual. E-gear was a single-clutch unit built by Graziano Trasmissioni, and its paddles sat behind the steering wheel. The 2006 Spyder used a low-ratio six-speed manual.

What did the 2008 LP 560-4 Spyder change?

The LP 560-4 Spyder, shown at the 2008 LA Auto Show, replaced the earlier Spyder and brought a 5.2-litre V10 rated at 560 PS (412 kW; 552 hp), 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, with the top speed reaching 324 km/h (201 mph). It also carried the revised E-gear and a 20 kg (44 lb) weight saving.

The coupe that the Spyder mirrored was a significant update. Shown first in Geneva in 2008, the LP 560-4 used an uneven-firing 5.2-litre V10 with direct fuel injection, and Lamborghini said fuel consumption and CO2 emissions fell by 18% despite the extra power.

The E-gear gained a Corsa mode, which the company said made shifts 40% quicker, along with Thrust Mode launch control. Those changes sat alongside a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 3.7 seconds for the coupe. Car and Driver later recorded 3.2 seconds for 0-60 mph in January 2009.

The coupe's redesign drew on the Murcielago LP 640 and its offshoot, the Reventon, and the Spyder inherited those features. The coupe listed at $198,000 in the US, while UK buyers paid GBP 147,330 including the NavTrak vehicle tracking system and delivery package.

What was the LP 570-4 Spyder Performante?

The LP 570-4 Spyder Performante, announced in November 2010, was the open-top version of the LP 570-4 Superleggera. It kept the 570 PS (419 kW; 562 hp) V10 and weighed 1,485 kg (3,274 lb), so the car was heavier than its coupe, a common result for convertibles.

The Performante reached 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and 200 km/h in 12.0 seconds, topping out at 325 km/h (202 mph). Its engine was the same odd-firing 5.2-litre V10 used in the lighter coupe.

The coupe's Superleggera version, introduced in March 2010, weighed 1,340 kg (2,954 lb) and reached 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. Its top speed was 329 km/h (204 mph), and it was the lightest road car Lamborghini had on sale at the time.

What was the LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni?

The LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni was limited to 250 units and named after Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni. Unlike the rest of the line-up at the time, it was rear-wheel drive and 30 kg (66 lb) lighter than the regular car, at 1,470 kg (3,241 lb).

Output was 550 PS (405 kW; 542 hp), and Lamborghini claimed 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, with a maximum of 320 km/h (199 mph). Top Gear named the Gallardo its 2006 Dream Car of the Year and gave the LP 550-2 Balboni its 2009 Car of the Year award.

Which Spyder variants and special editions followed?

The LP 550-2 Spyder arrived in 2012 as the lowest-priced Spyder, with the same specification as the coupe. Buyers got the coupe's specification in an open-top body, which made it the most affordable way into a Spyder. Edizione Tecnica models followed from November 2012, with contrasting colour schemes, a fixed rear wing and carbon-ceramic brakes on the 570-4 versions.

The Edizione Tecnica range took parts from the Gallardo Super Trofeo race cars. The LP 570-4 version was revealed at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, and a Spyder Edizione Technica in the LP 560-4 range, painted Grigio Telesto, appeared at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show.

The LP 560-4 and LP 550-2 editions gained 19-inch Apollo polished alloy wheels, finished in matte black with silver-polished spokes. They also had a redesigned rear end with a wider surface, which gave the Edizione Tecnica its distinct look from the standard cars.

What recall and fuel system problems affected the Gallardo?

The company recalled roughly 1,500 Gallardo Coupe and Spyder cars from the 2004 to 2006 model years because of a risk of power steering fluid leaking and causing a fire. The cars were built between May 2003 and April 2008.

The fuel system raised a separate issue in the United States. The Gallardo's filler port sits on the top of the car and does not work with the anti-vapour sheath used at many American petrol stations, so pumps can fail to engage or cut out mid-fill.

Owners worked around it by pulling the sheath back by hand or fitting a plastic ring over the port so the sheath is pushed back.

What did reviewers make of E-gear?

Reviewers were divided over the E-gear automated manual. One test driver, who bore the same name as the Balboni, said he opposed it because it takes some control away from the driver, and that test used an LP 550-2 fitted with E-gear.

The argument reflected a wider debate inside the company about all-wheel drive. Lamborghinis had been all-wheel drive from the start, and the company was divided over whether that layout suited its cars, which is why the rear-wheel-drive Balboni stood apart from the contemporary line-up.

What did the Super Trofeo one-make series involve?

Lamborghini launched the Super Trofeo one-make series in May 2009, promoting it as the fastest one-make series. The race car was a reworked version of the LP 560-4, with its own chassis and bodywork rather than the road car's.

The series ran 18 races overall with a 30-car grid of privateer teams, dealer teams and one factory team with guest drivers. The race car and parts package cost EUR 200,000 (US$284,300) plus tax, sold through Lamborghini dealerships with trackside support.

How did the Gallardo sell and end?

The Gallardo was the best-selling Lamborghini of its time, with 14,022 built over its 10-year cycle. The last one, an LP 570-4 Spyder Performante in Rosso Mars, left the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory on 25 November 2013, and the Huracan replaced the line in 2014.

Set beside the Murcielago, which had 4,099 units built between 2001 and 2010, the Gallardo's 14,022 units were the larger total.

How did the Gallardo race?

The 2007 FIA GT3 Gallardo was built by Reiter Engineering, and its engine made 520 PS (382 kW; 513 hp), peaking at 7,800 rpm. Brembo brakes and OZ wheels were fitted, and the car ran rear-wheel drive except in the one-make Super Trofeo series.

The Lamborghini Super Trofeo used a 570 PS (419 kW; 562 hp) V10 with a 12.5:1 compression ratio and variable valve timing. The Reiter Extenso, introduced in 2014, kept the Gallardo racing after its successor arrived. Each of these race programmes drew on the same road-car family that the Spyder belonged to.

What are the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder specifications?

The Spyder line ran from 2006 to 2013 with four main variants, starting at 520 PS and ending with the 570 PS Performante. The table covers the Spyder figures, the original V10 for comparison, and the recall window that affected the open-top and coupe cars.