New car news

09 November 2011 - 12:00

Lambo Gallardo Spyder goes rear-wheel drive

First there was the Lamborghini Gallardo, and it was good.

But then some moaning, pernickety people complained that, with its permanent four-wheel drive, the Gallardo was just too safe, too sensible.

So, to keep these moaning, pernickety people happy, in 2009 Lamborghini introduced the limited-edition ‘Balboni', a rear-wheel drive Gallardo coupe named after the company's most famous test driver. And the Balboni was good.

See more pictures of the Lamborghini Balboni

But then some moaning, pernickity people (who may or may not have been us) complained that, entertaining as the Balboni was, it suffered from two tiny problems. Firstly, it wasn't NOISY enough. Secondly, no matter how fast you drove the Balboni, it left your head-hair irritatingly unruffled.

So now, to keep these moaning, pernickety people happy, Lamborghini has confirmed it will offer a rear-wheel drive version of the Gallardo Spyder.

See more pictures of the Lamborgini Gallardo Spyder

Unlike the limited-run Balboni, this drifty roadster won't get a new name or any visual differentiation from the four-wheel drive Gallardo Spyder. Most likely, it'll be badged as the LP550-2 Spyder: the standard drop-top Gallardo is officially designated the LP560-4.

Following the lead of the Balboni, the LP550-2 is expected to feature a fractionally detuned version of Lamborghini's 5.4-litre V10 engine, packing around 6kW less than the stock Gallardo Spyder. However, losing the front driveshafts should make the RWD Gallardo Spyder about 30kg lighter than the four-wheel drive model.

The LP550-2 is likely to cost around $250,000 less than the 4WD Gallardo Spyder, meaning a bargain-basement starting price of around $550,000. That's some $50,000 less than another recently announced rear-drive super-convertible: the Merc SLS Roadster. Which would you make sweet engine-music with, TopGear.communists?