We are driving form our hotel to the circuit in a two million-pound convey of cars; its 7am, its raining, and I really know the way. I have also fallen behind a little, which means I have no choice (no choice at all, officer): I am going to have to ‘press on’ a bit, to catch up. This is good, because I am in a Lamborghini. I have fallen behind because I spent too long taking pictures of white Gallardo on my phone when I first came out of the hotel- the LP 560-4 is just an incredible piece of dynamic sculpture that makes me stop and gawp every time I get near it. It also makes me want to text pictures to my friends, to say ‘Ha! Look! Eat that!’ And even when I (eventually) climbed in, I sat there for five minutes, running my hands over the steering wheel like a pervert, looking around. The Gallardo has two proper, sloped back, supercar seats; sharp, dagger-shaped side-windows; and a windscreen that is so steeply raked, it looks like it could scoop puddles clean off the road. Climbing in and starting up the Lamborghini feels like such an event, it seems a shame to rush it. So now its time to put my foot down, tentatively at first but not for long, one of the things this Lamborghini does straight away is inspire you with complete confidence- it feels compact and sure-footed, and very soon I am nailing the throttle, exploring the brakes, committing myself to bigger inputs through the wheel.
And with the V10 hosing out horsepower like a chain gun spraying bullets (552bhp in total), this is a blistering quick car in the middle gears, by any standards. But the noise- the noise is the thing.Ultimately nothing could stand in the way of the unforgettably vivid experience the Gallardo gives you on the road. Fast and fascinating, stunning to look at and amazing to listen to, it’s everything a performance car should be.
