A Super Trofeo Race Car with License Plates
Lamborghini’s newly formed Squadra Corse motorsport department needed a calling card, something that would prove the division was more than an organizational reshuffling. The Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse, debuted at the 65th Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2013, delivered exactly that: a road-legal supercar derived directly from the Gallardo Super Trofeo race car that competed in the Blancpain Super Trofeo series across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Limited to roughly 50 units according to available reporting, the car arrived during Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary year, though the anniversary is incidental. What matters is the engineering claim at its core: the 5.2-liter V10 engine powering the road car is, according to Lamborghini, the exact same unit fitted to the racing version, used with no modifications. That is a bold and unusual statement for any manufacturer to make about a street-legal vehicle, and it anchors everything the Squadra Corse represents. From the rear wing generating triple the downforce of a standard Gallardo to the carbon-composite body panels lifted from the competition car, this was Lamborghini’s most literal translation of race machinery into a road-registered chassis.
Squadra Corse: Why the Department Matters More Than the Badge
Before Squadra Corse existed as a consolidated department, Lamborghini’s racing efforts were more fragmented, often relying heavily on external partners. Bringing everything under one roof in Sant’Agata changed the feedback loop between race engineering and road-car development. The department manages all of Lamborghini’s motorsport activities, from GT3 competition to the single-make Blancpain Super Trofeo championships where gentlemen drivers battle on circuits worldwide.
The Gallardo Squadra Corse was the first tangible product of that philosophy: take the lessons learned on track and compress them into a car you could, theoretically, drive to dinner afterward. That institutional template still holds. Every track-focused special edition that followed, from the Huracan STO to the current Super Trofeo program, traces its DNA back to this moment. Race it, prove it, then sell the road version with minimal dilution. The Squadra Corse name on the flanks was not decoration; it was a departmental signature guaranteeing the car’s competition pedigree.
Unpacking the Unmodified V10 and the Aero That Triples Downforce
Lamborghini says the Squadra Corse’s V10 produces 570 horsepower, peaking at 8,000 rpm. The engine and transmission architecture traces back to the Gallardo Superleggera, but the critical distinction remains that claim of zero modification from the racing unit. In practical terms, the road car’s intake, combustion, and exhaust architecture mirror the competition car’s. A unique firing order contributes to what Lamborghini explicitly describes as the sound of a motor racing car.
Paired with the robotized e-gear six-speed transmission operated by steering wheel paddles, the powertrain pushes the car to approximately 3.4 seconds from 0 to 60 mph and a top speed around 200 mph. Those numbers are competitive, but they are not the point. The point is how the car generates and manages grip.
The rear wing, lifted directly from the Super Trofeo racer, generates under optimal aerodynamic conditions three times the downforce of the standard Gallardo LP 560-4. That figure fundamentally changes high-speed cornering behavior. Where a standard Gallardo begins to feel light at the limit, the Squadra Corse pins itself to the tarmac with mechanical conviction. The wing, along with the quick-release engine hood borrowed straight from the race car, is constructed entirely from carbon composite material. Carbon composites extend across numerous other body components, contributing to a dry weight of 2,954 pounds (1,340 kg), some 155 pounds lighter than the LP 560-4 it shares a platform with. Carbon-ceramic brakes come standard, because at these speeds and downforce levels, steel rotors would simply cook.
The all-wheel-drive system stays, a detail worth noting: the Blancpain Super Trofeo remains the only single-make racing series globally to feature all-wheel-drive cars. Lamborghini kept that parity between race and road intact.
How the Squadra Corse Compares to Track-Focused Rivals
The Squadra Corse entered a segment where Porsche’s 997 GT3 RS and Ferrari’s 458 Speciale, arriving that same year, set the benchmarks for track-capable road cars. Both competitors offered serious weight reduction and aerodynamic upgrades, but neither made the same claim of running an unmodified race engine in a street chassis. Porsche’s approach centered on a naturally aspirated flat-six tuned specifically for the road car; Ferrari’s Speciale used a higher-output version of its road-going V8. Lamborghini’s strategy was more literal: take the race motor, change nothing, bolt it in.
Whether that approach produces a better track car depends on context. The GT3 RS offered a manual gearbox and obsessive suspension tuning. The 458 Speciale delivered a more refined on-road experience. The Squadra Corse split the difference with raw mechanical authenticity, the kind of car where fidelity to the race car clearly took priority over everyday polish. Interior trim swaps leather for Alcantara and carbon. A tricolore decal strip in Italian flag colors runs along the flanks. Color choices are limited to four: Giallo Midas, Bianco Monocerus, Grigio Thalasso, and Rosso Mars. Configure for the track, tolerate the road.
Collectibility and What the Squadra Corse Means Now
With production reportedly limited to 50 cars worldwide, the Squadra Corse occupies a narrow and increasingly valuable niche. According to Classic.com, the current market benchmark sits at $198,777, positioning it well above standard late-model Gallardos but below the stratospheric prices commanded by the rarest V12 Lamborghinis. For collectors, the appeal is specific: this is the final, most extreme iteration of the Gallardo platform before the Huracan took over, and it carries the institutional weight of being the first car to bear the Squadra Corse name.
Gallardo owners on enthusiast forums describe the platform as surprisingly approachable to maintain, with many VAG-sourced components keeping routine service costs reasonable. Bespoke body panels and carbon components, however, command significant premiums when replacement is needed. The e-gear transmission, while fast on track, divides opinion among collectors who increasingly prize the gated manual Gallardos for their analog character.
Lamborghini confirmed no specific production allocation by region, and detailed weight-reduction breakdowns beyond the overall 155-pound savings remain unpublished. The practical takeaway for prospective buyers is straightforward: the Squadra Corse represents the closest a road-legal Gallardo ever came to a competition car. With the Huracan STO and now the hybrid Temerario reshaping what a track-focused Lamborghini means, the naturally aspirated, unmodified-race-engine purity of this car is unlikely to be repeated.
