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2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder Vehicle Type Front engine, all-wheel drive Base MSRP $$206,200 As Tested $$231,260 Engine 5.0-liter DOHC V-10 Horsepower 520 @ 8,000 Torque 376 @ 4,250 Fuel Economy  11-City/17-Hwy

Art in the Fast Lane

by Brian Douglas

Any Lamborghini is a great head turner.

It had been way too long since I had grabbed the Lamborghini bull by the horns. So when a 2008 Gallardo Spyder became available for evaluation during a visit with friends in Newport Beach, I signed up. And I inked the loan agreement, a document that holds everyone remotely connected with the car harmless, even though I knew that the Gallardo Spyder will be replaced next year by an LM560-4 model.

Although the car will change somewhat, the great jet fighter style and ravishing performance will remain pure Lamborghini. Thirty-four years ago, Italian designer Nuccio Bertoni stunned the automotive world with Lamborghini’s Countach model, a car so fashion-forward that its essential design language remains intact today.

During all those years, the Italian automaker has swooned between success and hanging on for dear life. But the luxury sports car builder no longer finds itself tied to the railroad tracks. The VW Group, home to such vaunted brands as Bugatti, Bentley and Audi has brought capital and German discipline to the brand. And it has provided both without softening Lamborghini’s sharp edges.

Lamborghini press materials spend a lot of time extolling the mechanical virtues of its exotic conveyances. For example, our Gallardo Spyder sprints to 60 in just 4.2-seconds on its way to a 195 mph top speed. In fact, you should know that its 520-horsepower V10 engine will propel the two-place rocket to 190 mph with the top down. And I’m betting your hat might stay on at that speed, since wind management was quite good at highway speeds.

Of course near-200 mph drives are best sampled on a test track where a helmet has a better chance of staying put than a baseball cap. So I put the Italian stallion to a much more productive duty- preening around Newport Beach and neighboring coastal cities.

If just high performance is all you crave in a sports car, there’s little reason to spend over $200-grand on an Italian exotic. Mercedes-Benz will give you a 604 hp rush and a folding hardtop for less. And if pure value is your wish, the $72-grand Corvette LT-1 is just as quick on a track.

But if the three cars arrive in front of the valet parking area at a prime location, guess which one gets the premium space? And which of the cars would you want to take to your high school reunion? Don’t you wish all tests were this easy?

So my long weekend in the Lamborghini met all my expectations. The cars have come light years in quality and refinement without losing their performance edge. Just start this car in a garage or accelerate under a highway overpass and you thrill to the sound of its tuned exhaust. And it’s as much fun parked as it is at speed. Isn’t that what an exotic sportscar is all about?

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