The first baby Lambo to crack 200mph is far from all-new, but the Gallardo LP560-4 has more to offer over the old car than simply a front bumper that looks like it was pinched from a Ferrari Enzo. More powerful than even the now-dead Superleggera, it’s also significantly more economical and less polluting too.
First of all, what does LP560-4 mean in Lamborghini terms?
As it did when the Murcielago was facelifted in 2006, Lamborghini has added a suffix to the Gallardo that will be lost on some, but is actually a tip of the hat to the company’s past. The LP stands for longitudinal posteriore and refers to the north-south engine layout, first used in the LP400 Countach, the Miura having had a transversely mounted V12. The 560 bit is the power in PS (552bhp) and the four refers to Lamborghini’s now signature four-wheel drive.
So it’s got a couple of extra ponies, eh? Simple chip and exhaust job?
Not quite. The engine still has ten cylinders but it’s been comprehensively re-engineered, the big addition being a capacity hike from 5.0 to 5.2-litres and also the fitment of direct injection which has enabled a big rise in the compression ratio from 11.8:1 to 12.5:1.
The result is 39bhp more than the old Gallardo, 30bhp more than the hardcore Superleggera version and only 19bhp less than the original Murcielago could managed from a 5.7-litre V12. Torque is up too, from 376lb ft to 398lb ft, the top speed climbs 5mph to 201mph and the 0-62mph sprint falls from 3.9sec to 3.7sec.
