Gallardo Spyder

The production spyder model of the Gallardo was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006. It is considered by the company to be an entirely new model, with 520 hp (388 kW) and a lower-ratio six-speed manual transmission. The soft top is fully retractable.

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer was the first person in North America to take delivery of the Gallardo Spyder.

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson announced on 18 February 2007 that he had bought a Gallardo Spyder, replacing his Ford GT.

Lamborghini Gallardo overview

The Gallardo was designed as a competitor to the Ferrari 360, and now competes with its replacement, the Ferrari F430. The Gallardo has a rear-biased all-wheel drive system which differentiates it from its rear-wheel drive competitors. Lamborghini's parent company Audi is renowned for its quattro 4WD system, however Lamborghini uses a system of its own.

Unlike the Countach, Diablo, and Murciélago models, the Gallardo does not have scissor doors.

The Gallardo was designed by Luc Donckerwolke, who won the 2003 Red Dot Award for the design of both the 2003 Gallardo and 2002 Murciélago.

At current U.S. prices, a 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo coupe costs USD $186,250 - $222,800, while a 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder costs USD $201,595 - $263,595.

As of March 2008, the Gallardo is the only model to use the Lamborghini V10 engine.[citation needed]

The Gallardo offers two choices of transmissions, a conventional (H-Box) six-speed manual transmission, and an advanced six-speed electro-hydraulically controlled 'semi-automatic single-clutch sequential manual', which Lamborghini abbreviates to "E-gear". The "E-gear" allows the driver to make shifts much faster than a manual transmission would. The driver shifts up and down via paddles behind the steering wheel, and does not need to manually actuate the clutch.

The Audi R8 sports car, launched in early 2007, is based on the Gallardo platform, and uses a 4.2 litre V8 in place of the Gallardo's V10 to avoid competing directly with the Gallardo.

For the 2008 model year, an onboard computer, iPod connectivity with USB, heated mirrors, Q-citura stitching that originally could only be found on the Nera model, and a beige soft-top on the Spyder, were added to the Gallardo.

Lamborghini Embolado

The Lamborghini Embolado is an extreme sportscar characterized by an aggressive design with sharp and steady lines. The author is Luca Serafini, an Industrial Design final year student at University of Parma, Italy.

Created by Italian design student Luca Serafini, the idea of the Embolado came from the Spanish festival Toro Embolado, meaning ‘bull in balls’, an event where balls of flammable material are attached to the horns of a bull and lit on fire. The bull is then set free in the streets at night. “The choice of the name was the first step towards the creation of this concept,” says Serafini. He’s even created a Superleggera version of the car with similar styling cues to the recently released Gallardo Superleggera.

The Embolado was modeled in Rhino; the final renderings were created in 3DStudio MAX, with some post-process in Photoshop.

About the Designer

Luca Serafini is currently in his final year of the Industrial Design Course at the University of Parma, Italy. For three years he participated in the chassis design of the Formula Student racing car, in partnership with the University of Modena. Among his professional experiences are collaborations with the Milan Politecnico and with car cutomization projects. He is starting a career as a freelance designer.

Related source: carbodydesign, germancarblog