Sunday 25 January 2015

Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale

Pride taken to a better, faster and more aggressive level.


It is quite sad the Gallardo production now, which has been with us for about 10 years, has came to an end at 2013 and was succeeded at the helm by the new Lamborghini Huracan model. Its production may have ended but the Gallardo will not be easily forgotten. Personally, the Gallardo in my eyes is one of the best looking supercars of all time and perhaps even more flamboyancy than its new successor the Huracan. The Gallardo is one true unique car in many aspects especially when it comes to its natural aspirated V10 engine. One of the reasons why I find them unique is also because V10 engines are harder to come by unlike V8s and V12s. We do get V10 engines like the Porsche Carrera GT, the Lexus LFA, the Viper and of course the Audi R8 but the numbers draw fewer as the time flies by like BMW who has pulled their V10 engines away from their M Power cars, like the M5, to V8s.

Being Lamborghini and with the Gallardo being an enormous success they have brought the Gallardo into a huge variety of cars into the lighter and more powerful Superleggera, to the rear wheel drive Balboni (usually Gallardos are all wheel drive)  to limited edition paintjobs like the Singapore and Malaysia limited editions. As the time drew closer to the end of Gallardo production, out comes another limited edition. With only 150 units, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale is basically a more limited version of the Gallardo Superleggera with some enhancing performances.



I was fortunate enough to encounter one of the 150 “Stradales” on my trip to Dubai at the Dubai Mall. Intrigued by such a large crowd taking pictures I knew it was going to be something special. It was obviously hard to see what it was with such an enormous crowd and an obstructing traffic from afar but as I drew closer to it I noticed it was a vibrant red Gallardo with a massive wing and I said to myself  filled with disbelieve “It can’t be right?” Surely enough I wasn’t deceived by my eyes, it was. While slowly examining the car with my brother and avoiding the crowds from obstructing I laughed to myself and said “Typical Lamborghini, always drawing the eyes of many.” I guess this is always one of the best features of a Lamborghini is always being an attention seeker and creating wild fantasies in many minds of the young or the elderly to own one hence the Gallardo as I said before is one of the best looking in the supercar world.




The first few noticeable features of this car were the beautifully vibrant “Rosso Mars” paint, a lot more carbon fibre works especially at the diffusers, engine cover and, of course, that massive rear wing which I think is the most distinctive aspect of the Super Trofeo which brought to my attention it is adjustable. With the tough lightweight construction, a mid-mounted 562 bhp 5.2 litre naturally aspirated V10 powerhouse and a more sophisticated aero dynamism from the front the rear you know immediately this beast was built to fly on the straights and handle with impeccable precisions. While visiting the colossal mall I was so glad this car stayed from noon to the night, it gave me more time to pay attention to the car while taking a rest from the tiring walks. Exploring further into the car’s arsenal of speed and handling you have more carbon fibre throughout , forged wheels with bolts which I believe to be made of titanium in the addition to weight saving, red brake callipers and thumbs-up Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres. Peaking through the windows you will observe a simple but sporty interior of mostly alcantara from the racing seats to the dashboard with touches of red accents on the seats and lower dashboards and contrasting red stitching.


 

Yet being a Lamborghini with its raw power and quad exhausts you know in your heart nothing can go wrong with its monstrous noise of revving, acceleration and downshifts which instils you. One of things I always admire about Lamborghini and their limited enhanced models like this Super Trofeo Stradale is they always make sure they are distinctive to the eyes of the car enthusiasts, it is true they have sacrificed a lot on the comfort and practicality in the pursue of extreme driving pleasure and I agree what they are doing is right. This is what this lightweight monster is all about because if you are asking for comfort and practicality I think it would be better to look into another car. Another incredible thing about this car is the aero dynamism and that rear wing. It gives the Gallardo, besides better performances, a more aggressive looking car. My Dad himself admitted that this car was one of the best cars he had seen in the trip even though there are other cars more expensive, rarer and faster than this one.



This car marks as one of the last chapters to the Gallardo family, the Gallardo production has ended,  but it will never be forgotten in the hearts of the world’s car lovers especially the purists. It began well and it ended well.