This is the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni. If you don’t know this car or who Valentino Balboni is – where have you been? The latest special edition Lamborghini has been in the news a lot, as has the man who lent it his name.
Stripped of the alphanumerics in that mouthful of a name, the Gallardo is truly a watershed model for Lamborghini, being the first ground-up model since the Bologna-based car company came under Audi’s charge. Crucially, the car is the first not to put a red mark on the balance sheet.
It’s hard to believe that the Gallardo dates back to 2003, the time when Lambo’s neighbour from down the road (Ferrari, in Maranello 30 minutes away) offered the 360 Modena. That Horse has retired, having been replaced by the F430, which has also ended production in the wake of the new 458 Italia. (We review the 458 Speciale here.)
How has the Gallardo survived battling two generations of the Ferrari V8 and still have the fight left inside to take on the third Prancing Horse?
Detractors will point out that the Gallardo was popular simply by virtue of being the first sub-million dollar Lamborghini. The next Lambo in line was the vastly more expensive Diablo V12.
But that is belittling the car’s worth. Through the years, it has proved itself to be more than able to stand on its own four tyres. After two decades of all-wheel drive cars, the Balboni edition veers off course, driving only the tyres at the back.
Given its mastery at styling special editions (the part matt black Nera, the insane bomber-inspired Reventon and the LP670-4 SuperVeloce with its super-wild wing come to mind), Lamborghini was surprisingly restrained with the Balboni.
There is no special bodywork and the dark 19-inch alloys were used on the first Gallardo Superleggera (a new Superleg is rumoured to appear at the Geneva Show in March). The interior is a little bit more special, thanks to the off-centre stripes on the seats and the white transmission tunnel. Ideally, there should also be the traditional metal shifter plugged into a lovely open gate, but Singapore cars will have the automated manual with paddle shifts unless requested otherwise.
Driving the Balboni, as well as the regular LP560-4, against any of the older Gallardos reveals how much Lamborghini has honed its mid-engine V10 car through the years.
The cosmetic changes, incorporating cues first seen on the Reventon, may have sharpened an already smart design, but the most real improvement is with the automated manual gearbox. What started as a slightly flawed substitute for the driver’s left foot in 2003 is now a system that’s equally capable of handling tricky low-speed driving as it is dispensing shifts with devastating violence and speed when urged.
What matters just as much, if not more, is the combined effect of a revised suspension geometry and the differential’s setting (to apportion drive between the front and rear axles). It makes the LP-era cars feel much nimbler and markedly different from the early Gallardos.
Making good use of the improved handling prowess is the increased power output that comes with the increased displacement (5.2 litres versus 5 litres) and the adoption of direct fuel injection technology, resulting in 560bhp (up from 520bhp).
If only to prove that its preferred all-wheel drive format was the only way one could really harness a Raging Bull, the Balboni’s V10 is tuned down by 10bhp, as if 550bhp is, in some way, feeble.
It’s not the power deficit but the relative lack of traction against the LP560-4 that adds the 0.2 second to the Balboni’s century sprint timing. Even on a relative mild outing at Sepang (i.e. with the electronic aids firmly “on”), it’s obvious that 550bhp is still a lot for the 295/30 ZR19 Pirelli tyres at the back to handle.
Driving the LP560-4 later on the same track – even with some of the nannies deactivated – proved to be easier and quicker. With the front tyres sharing the 560bhp, the car is more stable, both during acceleration and gear changes. It takes driving the Balboni to realise how well the LP560-4 has masked the inertia of 10 pistons thrusting up and down, turning the crank.
In the Balboni, you get a lively twitch on gear changes that comes with the momentary interruption in torque going to the wheels. As if compensating for this, the steering is much more direct, so the driver can “feel” more of the car, the grip and the road, meted out in finer detail. Hopefully, the pilot will make good use of the information to make any corrections.
While the LP560-4 will readily accommodate someone with a melon for a head and two slices of Parma for hands, the Balboni demands respect. For this striped-out Gallardo to really do its thing, it needs one crucial ingredient: something called talent.
Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni 5.2 (A)
DRIVETRAIN
Type V10, 40-valves
Capacity 5204cc
Bore x stroke 84.5mm x 92.8mm
Compression ratio 12.5:1
Max power 550bhp at 8000rpm
Max torque 540Nm at 6500rpm
Power to weight 399bhp per tonne
Gearbox 6-speed automated manual
Driven wheels Rear
PERFORMANCE
0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Top speed 320km/h
Consumption 7.6km/L
SUSPENSION
Front Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar
BRAKES
Front / Rear Ventilated discs
TYRES
Type Pirelli P Zero
Size 235/35 R19 (front), 295/30 R19 (rear)
SAFETY
Airbags 4
Traction aids ABS, ESP
MEASUREMENTS
Length 4345mm
Width 1900mm
Height 1165mm
Wheelbase 2560mm
Kerb weight 1380kg
Turning circle 11.5m
+ Lively handling, limited-edition, Gallardo reaching its peak
– Premium not immediately obvious, no manual unless indented, justifying “Why not a Ferrari?”
