I have to admit I arrived in Tenerife for the launch of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder feeling both excited and nervous at the same time. Excited, because the LP560-4 was my favourite car of last year and I relish every opportunity to get behind the wheel of one. Nervous, because I was afraid Lamborghini may have ruined the sublime Gallardo by chopping its roof off, which is often the case with coupés. I needn’t have worried though, as once again Lamborghini have got things very right.

First impression of the Spyder is that there is very little difference from its coupé sibling (apart from the obvious fact that it doesn’t have a roof). Press the button on the centre console for just over 20 seconds to lower the soft top and you are wonderfully exposed to the elements. This is not a bad thing when you’re on an island that is the Southern-most point in Europe and the weather is bordering on perfection. The other major (and I do mean major) bonus is that you are now so much closer to what is undoubtedly the highlight of the LP560-4 – and that is its engine. The 5.2-litre V10 is pure Italian theatre. Every blip of the throttle is accompanied by a delicious audio soundtrack that sends shivers down your spine. The high-pitched yet muscular wail can now be savoured in all its glory without the sound deadening of an enclosed cockpit. The engine isn’t all bark and no bite either, pulling cleanly and viciously through the rev range all the way to its sky high redline. The raw numbers say the Spyder is fractionally slower than the coupe at 4.0sec to 100kph and 324kph flat out, but that’s purely because it weighs a bit more.

The Gallardo Spyder is no one-trick pony though. Unlike Lamborghinis of yore the engineers didn’t put all their energy into the engine and ignore everything else. Despite losing its roof the Spyder suffers only a 10 per cent reduction in stiffness compared to the coupé. There is no hint of scuttle shake except over the harshest and bumpiest of road surface, and the handling continues to be brilliant. There’s grip in abundance courtesy of the permanent four-wheel drivetrain that is now Lamborghini’s philosophy; the powers that be insist there won’t be a rear wheel drive variant. The Spyder has an extremely pointy front end that goes exactly where you want it to, and actually feels like an improvement over the coupé in tight bends. Where it does seem to have taken a step in the wrong direction is a rear end that seems to have lost its playful character – a big letdown in a 560bhp Lambo.

Up on the twisty mountain roads leading to La Teide, the Gallardo sticks to the road tenaciously as we rise through the morning fog surrounded by rows of pine trees. The super-accurate steering could use just a touch more feel, but it doesn’t take long to figure out how to place the Gallardo in corners. My bright yellow test car was equipped with the optional ceramic brakes, which create chest-crushing deceleration, but strangely, still offer little in terms of feel.

The interior of the Spyder is practically identical to that of the coupé, which means lots of Audi bits everywhere and a rather bland atmosphere in basic trim. Fortunately (although your accountant probably wouldn’t agree), there are lots of optional extras to spruce up the inside of the Gallardo. Amongst them, the carbon fibre trim, quilted and cross-stitched leather and sport seats are probably the most attractive and give the cabin some much needed flair to go with the wild exterior. On the outside, the biggest change with the convertible is that you no longer have a glass engine cover. Instead the motor is hidden beneath a bonnet with two rows of parallel cooling slats. Another expensive option on the Spyder is of course the e-gear automated transmission. Since Lamborghini expects that only one in ten customers will opt for a manual, all the test cars were equipped with flappy paddle transmission. While not as perfect as Ferrari’s it is still pretty good. In stop-start traffic it is very smooth and cosseting when left in comfort mode, and when the pace picks up you feel a strong kick in your back as it swaps cogs in milliseconds. 

The Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder is a very important car for Lamborghini’s future as it is expected to generate the majority of its sales this year. Just as well then that such a heart-achingly brilliant car. It’s a more visceral driving experience than the coupé, with insignificant sacrifices in terms of performance and handling. In my opinion that makes it a better supercar than the coupé and quite possibly the best supercar around.