The 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera made its worldwide debut in March at the Geneva Auto Show as the Italian automaker’s lightest, fastest, and most powerful production V-10 sports car ever. The new baby bull’s surname literally means “superlight” in Italian, and most of its weight savings are attributed to its all-aluminum construction and special carbon-fiber components. Even the car’s interior door panels are made entirely of the woven composite material, which is strikingly similar to the design found in the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. Weighing in at less than 3,000 pounds, the Superleggera is 154 pounds lighter than the standard Gallardo and boasts an additional 10 hp.
The performance-tuned 5.2-liter V-10 engine now develops 562 hp at 8,000 rpm and 398 ft.-lbs. of torque at 6,500 rpm, which is enough power to launch the Superleggera to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. Optimum speed is achieved via “thrust mode” when equipped with Lamborghini’s impressive E-gear automated-manual 6-speed transmission, but an optional—albeit, more traditional—manual transmission is also available at no extra cost. The sports car’s backside remains firmly planted all the way up to its 202-mph top speed, thanks to its mid-engine design, all-wheel drive layout, and additional aerodynamic downforce from a carbon-fiber rear-wing spoiler. The Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera arrives in the U.S. in June with a starting price of $237,600.
