The latest rumors in the automotive world talk about Automobili Lamborghini SpA unveiling their long awaited Gallardo successor at the 2013 IAA in Frankfurt later this year, remember the same rumor has been spread all over the internet for years already, so are we going to be eye to eye with a brand new V10 Raging Bull in September … could be, or not.
The current ‘entry level’ Lamborghini has been on the market for 10 years already, in various evolutions and editions the Gallardo has become the most popular and successful model ever in the history of Lamborghini with well over 13,000 units built to date, so replacing it with a completely new model will be a challenge, hence it is taking so long I guess.
Naturally there are absolutely no official details, not about the exterior of the car, not about the engine … and not even when we might expect it on the market … but over the last years we did manage to put together several pieces of information that are more than likely to be used for the new V10 model.
The engine will remain a V10, normally aspired unit according the recent interviews with Stephan Winkelmann, a Hybrid can be built by Lamborghini just from using parts available through Audi AG but right now this option is not on the drawing board for the Gallardo successor, so still a real V10 engine with at least 600 bhp on all four wheels … however a figure of 610 bhp at 8100 rpm has popped up earlier this week with a torque output of 575 Nm at 6500 rpm.
We already know a manual gearbox will no longer be available on the new V10 model, it isn’t an option of the flagship Aventador V12 either and Lamborghini will continue on this path … although on the new V10 model a dual-clutch system has been mentioned, while it has been denied by others so we’ll have to wait and see if the DCT will become a reality in the end.
Styling of this new Lamborghini model is also completely unknown to anybody outside the factory, probably most people inside the factory won’t have a clue yet either, but when looking back at the history of Lamborghini we can be sure the Gallardo successor will take styling cues from all the important models of the last 50 years.
Expect details taken from the Sesto Elemento, the Aventador, the Veneno and probably even the brand new one of a kind Egoista … but all translated into a brand new, innovative design that will be immediately recognizable as a Lamborghini and still be totally different from anything else we’ve seen before.
Emphasis will be on weight reduction, a path taken to the extreme with the Sesto Elemento, however on the Gallardo successor, which by the way will probably not be called the Cabrera, a lot of carbon fiber will be used to keep weight as low as possible. With all the experience Lamborghini has been gathering in producing carbon fiber composites I’m sure we will be seeing this material being used all over the Gallardo successor, probably even some Carbon Skin on the interior.
Talking about the interior, the Gallardo successor will probably not use any parts of the current model but receive bespoke switchgear and dashboard displays, most likely the dashboard pod will use an LCD similar to the one in the Aventador, with different graphics, but I think it is highly unlikely traditional dials will be used on this new Raging Bull … the interior will not be so extreme as inside the Sesto Elemento or the Egoista, but a blend of Aventador and Veneno styling will be mounted.
People have been talking about the fact the Sesto Elemento was a preview of the styling to be used on the Gallardo replacement, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing some details of the Sesto Elemento on the new V10 model, but also cues from the Aventador and the Egoista will reappear on this new Lamborghini, the massive rear wing and upright fin from the Veneno will most likely not be used on the Gallardo successor however.
I for one really hope to see the new Gallardo successor at the IAA in Frankfurt later this year, after 10 years it is about time to retire the still beautiful V10 model and put something new on the market to blow away the competition … the Gallardo successor will once again take the Lamborghini legacy at least a decade ahead of the competition, just like they did with the Aventador back in 2011 … which set a new benchmark in the automotive world.
