New car news

06 March 2007 - 17:00

Geneva show: Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera

Dominating the Lamborghini stand - and indeed the attention of the entire show floor - at Geneva was the extreme Gallardo Superleggera.

Lighter, more powerful and faster than the standard Gallardo, the Superleggera promises to be the hardest-driving Lambo ever - hardly an idle boast.

Using the same five-litre V10, power has been upped fractionally to 522bhp, but the Superleggera's real trick is its weight-saving.

Overall kerb weight stands at 1,330kg, some 100kg lighter than the stock Gallardo. It's all due to the lightweight aluminium spaceframe structure, which is hung with thermoplastic panels and topped off by a carbon-fibre bonnet.

The interior has been put on a diet, too, with the Gallardo's leather trim replaced by carbon fibre and racing bucket seats.

However, it's not quite a stripped-out racer, as the Superleggera retains modern luxuries like air con and a CD player.

But who needs a CD player when you've got the music of a screaming V10 behind your head?