The new front splitter and rear diffuser bring a significant increase in downforce

If you ever want the undivided attention of a Lamborghini engineer, just mention Ferrari. It works every time.

He’ll respond with the same old story that Lamborghinis appeal to a different sort of customer, so making direct comparisons between the two brands is largely irrelevant. But do you buy that? Regardless of what the engineer says, you just know he’s been burning the midnight oil to make sure that whatever new model is about to emerge from the Sant’Agata factory and into the Italian sunlight trumps the equivalent Ferrari.

Ferrari v Lamborghini is a deep-seated rivalry that has been simmering ever since Ferruccio Lamborghini was refused an audience with Enzo Ferrari in 1962. So with Ferrari’s 458 Italia about to hit the showrooms, it comes as no surprise to find that the Gallardo LP560-4 has just had a serious makeover, resulting in the LP570-4 Superleggera you see here.

Of course, this isn’t the first Superleggera Gallardo we’ve seen; the original was launched in 2007, and to some acclaim. ‘It isn’t just special, it’s spectacular,’ wrote Richard Meaden when he tested it for this very magazine. It may have gained just nine extra bhp, but it was the 100kg weight saving that grabbed the headlines. In this respect the first Superleggera was revised more dramatically than the new one. However, as we discover when we visit the factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, the new Superleggera has still been subjected to some precision surgery.

Inside Lamborghini HQ we meet with the two main architects of the LP570-4: head of design Manfred Fitzgerald and R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani. It’s a particular delight for us to receive an audience with Reggiani, as he’s not only the architect of the latest Superleggera but also the original one and every significant Lamborghini in recent history. Interestingly, a certain Horacio Pagani called Reggiani ‘boss’ for a while – Pagani worked for Lamborghini’s design and development department in the ’80s, concentrating on the best way to use carbonfibre on future road cars…

It’s Fitzgerald who begins our discussion by remarking: ‘Lamborghini design has to continue to be aggressive and challenging.’ Hence, presumably, why the new Superleggera has inherited the sharper look of its big brother, the Murciélago LP670-4 SV. With our cameras confiscated, we are taken into the inner sanctum at Sant’Agata to see a new Superleggera parked next to a Superveloce, and while the SV’s bigger footprint provides a greater initial visual impact, the SL is equally capable of sending your jaw crashing toward the floor.

‘0-100kph drops by two tenths to 3.5sec’

Perhaps surprisingly, the new nose is not constructed from the black weave. ‘We tried creating this new front section in bare carbonfibre but it stone-chipped too easily for us to put it into production,’ Fitzgerald admits. However, when you see the revised front end in the flesh this hardly matters; it’s the overall homogeny of the styling that gives the Superleggera such visual impact.

This new nose design really works in the wind tunnel too. Reggiani confirms that the additional downforce generated by the front splitter gave Lamborghini the opportunity to create an even more aggressive carbon rear diffuser than originally envisaged, simply because the car needed more rear effect in order to counter that from the front. The result is a significant increase in downforce compared to the LP560-4.

We quiz Reggiani on what he thinks are the main technical highlights of the new car. After a moment’s thought, he declares he is most proud of how much weight has been extracted from the car, even though it still comes with luxuries such as air-con, electric windows, carpets and a modicum of sound-proofing.

Overall, the Superleggera is some 70kg lighter than an LP560-4. Most of this saving has been achieved by using carbonfibre for many of the major body components, including the engine cover, sills, rear diffuser, rear spoiler, under-body panelling and door mirrors. (Reggiani is keen to point out that Lamborghini has a long history in the use of carbonfibre on its road cars, stretching right back to the Countach Anniversary of 1982.)

There’s carbon everywhere inside, too. The shells of the manually adjustable sports seats (supplied by Sparco), the centre tunnel cover, the door panels and the dash finishings are all created out of the lightweight wonder material. But it’s not just the use of carbonfibre that has resulted in this major weight saving; the windscreen and door-window glass is thinner, while the rear side windows, rear screen and the transparent part of the engine cover are now manufactured from polycarbonate rather than glass. Finally, new forged aluminium wheels help shed 13kg compared with the LP560-4’s alloys, with further weight savings coming courtesy of titanium wheel bearings?and bolts.

The result of all this extensive dieting is a total weight of just 1340kg – 40kg less than the rear-wheel-drive LP550-2 Balboni, even though, as its name suggests, the LP570-4 Superleggera retains the full four-wheel-drive system found on all other Gallardos. However, that figure is the Superleggera’s ‘dry weight’, measured without any of the essentials such as engine oil, gearbox oil, brake fluid, power steering oil and cooling water. For comparison, the official dry weight of the Ferrari 458 Italia (absolutely not a rival, remember) is 1380kg, as long as it’s equipped with the optional lightweight forged rims and carbon racing seats. The new Superleggera is therefore lighter than the new Ferrari, not that anyone is counting…

The familiar ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratificata’ (direct injection) 5.2-litre V10 that nestles under the Superleggera’s carbon hood has been subtly tweaked. ‘We have optimised the engine for use with super-octane fuel,’ explains Reggiani, ‘and this has resulted in it producing an extra 10?PS, to make the total 570?PS [562bhp] at the same engine speed as before. Maximum torque hasn’t altered. Together with the lower kerb weight, this gives us a fantastic power-to-weight ratio of 2.35kg/hp, which, for Lamborghini, is an increasingly important reference point for our cars today.’

‘I’m sure this rat-race in claimed horsepower will come to an end very soon,’ chips in Fitzgerald, adding, ‘It’ll be power-to-weight, rather than outright power, that becomes more important to customers in the future.’

Here at evo we prefer using ‘wet’ weights and expressing power-to-weight ratios as bhp/ton, so by adding 90kg (the difference Lamborghini quotes between the wet and dry weights for the LP560-4) to the Superleggera’s quoted dry weight you arrive at 399bhp/ton for the LP570-4, compared with 384bhp/ton for the Ferrari 458. Close, but advantage Lamborghini by a whisker.

Apart from a slight tweak to the ECU to extract the extra 10bhp over the LP560-4, no other revisions have been made to the Superleggera’s V10. Surprisingly, considering the weight-saving potential, the exhaust is standard apart from some black ceramic tips. The e-gear transmission remains unchanged from the LP560-4, too, while a manual transmission remains a no-cost option.

Thanks largely to the 70kg drop in weight, performance is improved, but only slightly. The claimed 0-100kph time drops by two tenths to 3.5sec, 0-200kph takes 10.2sec and top speed remains unchanged at 325kph. For comparison, Ferrari quotes 3.4sec to 100kph, 10.4 to 200kph and an identical 325kph flat out for the 458 Italia. Nothing in it, then.

Price-wise there’s not much in it, either. Ferrari recently priced its 458 at $ 265,000, whereas the Superleggera is expected to come in at around $ 270,000.

It’s when we move on to discuss how the Superleggera drives that Reggiani’s eyes start to sparkle. ‘The dynamics on this car are fantastic,’ he begins. ‘All the bushes that fix the suspension to the chassis are much firmer than before, making the speed of response to any driver input incredible.’ So the compliant bushes used on the LP560-4’s suspension have been swapped for a much tougher material on the Superleggera, reducing the cushioning you normally need on road cars for refinement but resulting in a tightening up of control for greater precision.

The suspension itself is stiffer and more aggressive too, with revised springs, dampers and anti-roll bars (there’s an optional softer suspension set-up available). The ESP has also been retuned to suit the revised arrangement.

When I ask Reggiani whether Lamborghini ever considered using rear-wheel drive for this Superleggera (potentially saving a further 30kg), he replies, ‘No, we didn’t consider two-wheel drive because the Superleggera needs to be the quickest Gallardo model possible and our four-wheel-drive set-up gives the potential for greater traction out of corners and therefore results in a faster car.’ Nonetheless, it’ll be interesting to compare the two cars back-to-back, as ‘faster’ does not always make for a more entertaining drive.

‘it will be well up for a scrap with the 458’

We ask Reggiani if he has made any changes to the feel of the brakes (steel discs are standard, ceramics optional). With some conviction he assures us that the new car has a very different set-up in terms of pedal pressure and servo assistance to the Balboni and LP560-4. There are changes to help give the driver greater stopping power from the moment the pedal is pressed, with a more progressive feel throughout the pedal’s travel. Let’s hope the mods work, as it’s the feel of the ceramic brakes and the dead spot at the top of the pedal travel that remains the one constant dynamic criticism evo has levelled at all the various Gallardo versions.

Just as we’re leaving, Fitzgerald makes one last comment about the state of the car market. ‘Lamborghini is one of the last manufacturers in the world which makes solely super sports cars,’ he says. A reference to Ferrari’s recent introduction of the California, perhaps?

With the introduction of the Gallardo LP570-4, Lamborghini is bang on message, as the Superleggera could only be described as being a genuine ‘super sports car’. Be in no doubt that this revised Gallardo will be well up for a scrap with the 458.

But will it prove to be enough to take the scalp of Ferrari’s latest hero? We’ll find out when we bring the two cars together in a few months’ time. For Lamborghini, it’s the only test that matters. Not that it would ever admit it.

	Lamborghini Gallardo
Engine	V10
Location	Mid, longitudinal
Displacement	5204cc
Max power	562bhp @ 8000rpm
Max torque	398lb ft @ 6500rpm
Transmission	Six-speed automated manual gearbox, four-wheel drive, limited- slip differential, ESP
Weight (kerb)	1430kg (est)
Power-to-weight	399bhp/ton (est)
0-100kph	3.5sec (claimed)
Top speed	325kph (claimed)
Basic price	c$ 270,000
On Sale	Summer