More torture for us. We are now being forced to do nearly thirty laps all-out on a gorgeous circuit in southern Spain in Lamborghini’s latest hot performer, the 2011 Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera. You may recall the previous generation Gallardo limited-run Superleggera that we tried in early 2007 and that was a goodie, but it didn’t honestly get the full-on treatment and those shortfalls just slightly flawed the drive experience.
This time, Lamborghini has gone about 9.75 on a scale of ten when it comes to all-out re-engineering in all the right little ways. Nothing helps us notice all of what works so well here more than doing lots of hot laps at the 2.8-mile long circuit at Monteblanco in southern Spain. The weather was ideal for exactly this test, too, so we really ripped into it.
The eleven curves, long main straight, and several decent elevation changes, also left their mark on us as we threw the Superleggera too and fro without much mercy. Right out of the main straight, by the braking point having reached nearly 170 miles per hour, there’s a second-gear tight right that requires massive braking forces to set it up right and get off to a good start on every lap. The carbon ceramic optional brake discs aided in this excitement all day long without complaining a bit. That the discs are still optional when every single buyer of a Superleggera paying $237,600 will buy the ceramics did, however, make us complain. It’s shameless profiteering and this sort of crap marketing needs to go away once and for all.
Our favorite test-the-car’s-limits curve was Turn 2, though, a long, sweeping left that climbs and then drops down, and is even feeling a little off-camber. Through here, we had to really stay on throttle through third gear and at around 6500 rpm, but the drama was steady eddy. The finest feeling through here was noting how much the 4wd chassis and differential was working while it stayed up on its toes. This driving dynamic is the real Superleggera experience, beyond the obvious go-kart qualities that are more enhanced in turn after turn.
Throughout this terrific track day, we couldn’t help but feel sad knowing that about as high a percentage of Superleggera buyers will ever drive their car like this as SUV buyers who really head offroad for overland adventures. This car belongs on the track almost exclusively. The first practical reason for this opinion being that the suspension is perfect on the smooth and closed-circuit track, while its lack of adaptability makes the Superleggera really terrible on everyday rough roads and around town. But out here at Monteblanco we were raving about the quality of the ride and handling.
The six-speed Graziano automated manual with no torque converter has found its perfect home here in exactly this car and in these conditions. In full automatic mode for tooling around town or cruising, again, it’s no fun, as we have noted on other cars that still use this gearbox (mainly for its strength, light weight, and compactness). In Sport mode, things get better and more in keeping with the Graziano’s characteristics. But in Corsa (i.e. Race) the Lamborghini e-gear automated manual is perfect when seeking the stress limits of the powertrain and chassis on a hot track. A six-speed manual is still available as a no-cost option, but accounts for only three percent of all Lamborghini sales at this point.
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