Lamborghini Gallardo production ends on No. 14,022

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From ESPN






END OF PRODUCTION FOR THE LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO

- Ten years of an Italian Icon
- The 'most sold' Lamborghini super sports car
- Still best in class with record lap times

Sant'Agata Bolognese, 25.11.2013 -- In the historic factory buildings
of Sant'Agata Bolognese, the last Lamborghini Gallardo has left the
production line. The final model is a Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder
Performante in Rosso Mars (red) and it is destined for a private
collector. With a total of 14,022 units the Gallardo is not only by
far the most-built Lamborghini, it ranks among the most successful
super sports cars -- and has long since established itself as an icon
of Italian design and the art of automotive engineering.

With its appearance ten years ago in the year of the company's 40th
anniversary, the Gallardo marked a fundamental watershed in the
history of Automobili Lamborghini. In Lamborghini's first four
decades, an average of just 250 Lamborghinis were built per year. In
the decade of the Gallardo, production grew to a whole new dimension
with volumes of around 2,000 cars per year on average -- while, in
global terms, retaining the highly exclusive nature of vehicles
bearing the badge of the bull. In keeping with the Lamborghini
tradition, the name of the Gallardo too was derived from the world of
bullfighting. Bred in the 18th century, the Gallardo bloodline was
known for its exceptional courage and undaunted nature.

The great career of the Lamborghini Gallardo began in 2003 at the
Geneva Motor Show. Its unique, extreme design, created by the Centro
Stile Lamborghini, phenomenal dynamics and outstanding quality formed
the basis for its enormous and enduring success over a whole decade.
The Gallardo's technical concept was compelling from day one:
systematic lightweight design through an aluminum space frame; the
combined power and highrevving characteristics of the ten cylinder
naturally aspirated engine; the Lamborghini e-gear, a completely new
robotized sequential gear shifting system; and, finally, the amazing
handling and safety provided by permanent all-wheel drive.

This notwithstanding, an enhancement in the driving experience was
already in the pipeline - the open air driving thrill of the Gallardo
Spyder, which joined the lineup in 2005. The Gallardo Superleggera
came along in 2007. With its reduced weight, thanks to a large number
of carbon fiber components, its output increased to 530 hp and with
its purist design, pushed the performance benchmark yet another notch
higher.

The second generation of the Gallardo arrived in 2008. With a
redesigned front and rear, a new engine with gasoline direct injection
and 560 hp, plus further-enhanced equipment, the Gallardo LP 560-4
proved that even an excellent product can be improved. The
second-generation Spyder was also delivered to its first customers in
2008. The new version of the Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera followed
in 2010 with an increase in output to 570 hp, this time also as the
open-top Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante. Occupying another niche
in the broad spectrum of Gallardo versions were the LP 550-2 Valentino
Balboni limited edition and the LP 550-2 Spyder: with their rearwheel
drive, they appealed to a particularly purist group of sports car
fans.

The pinnacle of sporting performance among the total of 32 Gallardo
variants was marked by the Super Trofeo Stradale and, finally, the
Gallardo Squadra Corse. They draw a direct line from the competition
version in the world's fasted single-brand race series, the
Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, to the road. The LP 570-4 Squadra
Corse, in particular, demonstrated in several comparison tests just
how outstanding the Gallardo still is. In specialist magazines from
Quattroruote in Italy, through Car in the United Kingdom to Sport Auto
in Germany, the Gallardo continued to prove right up to the end of its
career that it was still the clear frontrunner in terms of
performance, handling and driving pleasure, setting a best-in-class
lap time in Hockenheim (Germany) and record lap times in Balocco and
Vairano (Italy).

The Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse boasts a dry weight of 1340
kilograms, 70 less than the already lean Gallardo LP 560-4. With a
stunning power-toweight ratio of 2.35 kilograms per hp it delivers
breathtaking performance: from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, from 0 to
200 km/h in just 10.4 seconds.

Top speed is 320 km/h. The carbon ceramic brake system guarantees
unmatched stopping power.

The Lamborghini Gallardo was sold in more than 45 countries across the
globe. In true Italian style, the Gallardo offered an exceptionally
high range of choices for individualization. Via the ''Ad Personam''
program, each and every customer was able to have his Lamborghini V10
super sports car perfectly tailored to suit his own preferences. A
whole decade of production also brought with it a wide array of
special editions, often exclusive to specific markets, like the
Singapore, Malaysia, China and India Editions. One particularly
exclusive version of the super sports car gained global prominence
through its very special service record: several units were built of
the Gallardo Polizia Stradale with blue lights, special paintwork and
dedicated equipment. Two are currently in service with the Italian
State Police.

The Gallardo continues to prove its motorsport competence, racing in
the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo. Alongside European race
tracks, this fascinating one make series has now also conquered the
circuits of Asia and North America with its own series in those
regions. The Gallardo GT3 has also celebrated numerous successes at
sports car races around the globe.

In the year of Automobili Lamborghini's 50th anniversary, the Gallardo
success story has now come to an end with car number 14,022. Almost
half of all 30,000 Lamborghinis built since the company was first
founded in 1963, are Gallardos.