GREG KABLE and TOBY HAGON itch to get behind the wheel of the new-look Lamborghini.
Just in case the latest line-up of Lamborghinis wasn't quite enough to get your heart racing - and your head turning - the Italian super-car maker is out to increase the appeal of its metal.
The company's dramatic Gallardo Spyder has come out of hiding two months before its planned public debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September. Caught lapping at Nurburgring during a series of high-speed durability tests - prompting computer-generated images such as the one seen here - the new two-seater is Lambo's answer to the rapid Ferrari F430 Spyder and Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet.
The design of the Gallardo Spyder's compact roof is similar to that of the BMW 6-Series Cabriolet: it is characterised by a vertical glass rear screen and two prominent buttresses reaching well back over the new car's engine cover. The electronically controlled roof folds back behind the cabin.
Although neatly integrated, the new hood clearly gives the Gallardo Spyder a more aggressive cab-forward stance than its fixed-roof sibling. Modifications include more rounded side windows and no rear side windows. The air ducts above the rear wheel arches also have been restyled.
Lamborghini's new open-top is powered by the same 5.0-litre V10 engine used in the Gallardo coupe. With 368 kW at 7800 rpm, it produces a fraction more than the F430 Spyder's 4.3-litre V8.
First news of the sexy Gallardo Spyder comes as the company last week released a limited-edition version of the Gallardo hardtop. Unimaginatively called the Gallardo SE - for special edition - it features a car cover, rear parking camera and multimedia screen.
There's plenty in the way of go-fast goodies, such as the closer-ratio gearbox that boosts acceleration through the permanent all-wheel-drive system, and the sharper steering.
This all adds up to shave 0.2 seconds off the regular Gallardo's 0-100 km/h time, now down to a shatteringly brisk 4.0 seconds.
Just 250 of the Gallardo SEs will be sold, each with a unique two-tone paint job.
Meanwhile, Lamborghini's parent company, Volkswagen, has come up with a novel way of keeping designers fresh. The Volkswagen Group is rotating its designers.
From September 15, the boss of Lamborghini's design team, Luc Donckerwolke, will move to head up Seat's design department in Spain. The 40-year-old Belgian, whose credits include the dramatic-looking Murcielago, Murcielago Roadster, Gallardo and aforementioned Gallardo Spyder, takes over at Seat from Brit Steve Lewis, who will move to another position within Volkswagen's design ranks.
Audi design boss Walter de Silva will stand in for Donckerwolke until a replacement is named.