2007 Lamborghini Gallardo

 

2Door Lamborghini Gallardo

A beautifully absurd piece of machinery, the Superleggera reminds you that it will be a chilly day in Hell before the Italians (and the Germans egging them on) let global warming take the heat off their amazingly nimble, rocketlike Gallardo.

The Superleggera, the lightweight version of the Gallardo, redefines the word swagger. It’s as visceral a car as you’re likely to experience, from its thundering V-10, to its laser-sharp handling all the way through to an exhaust rumble that snorts and rips through its six gears with rodeo reality.

Scottsdale’s balmy 97-degree spring days and plastic streets are no place to test out the Superleggera’s enormous dynamic envelope. In fact the only thing being tested is our nerves—gawkers realized early in the day that a pack of Gallardos were wandering the streets, and the single-file parade across town to Phoenix International Raceway must have, from the plan view, resemble a rolling Matchbox convention.

Even so, the differences that pare weight from the stock Gallardo are noticeable, right from the Alcantara-covered steering wheel. After its weight-loss program, the Superleggera tips the scales, Lamborghini says, at 2998 pounds—about 154 pounds less than the un-optioned U.S.-market car. The rest of the world gets a Superleggera that weighs 66 pounds less, mostly because the American-spec machine keeps its leather seats with side airbags, while the Saudis and Germans and Chinese get Sparco carbon-fiber chairs that weigh less.