We know these spy shots aren’t pretty, and they aren’t very high resolution, but they are the first ever of the long-awaited Lamborghini Gallardo replacement car that’s said to make its first official unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
Rumour has it that the Lamborghini Gallardo replacement might be called the Cabrera and while that puts us in mind of the famous golfer, it’s a name that will undoubtedly catch on with fans should the Gallardo replacement be anything like the car they’re all expecting it to be.
Set to be revealed as part of Lamborghini‘s on going 50th anniversary celebrations, the Lamborghini Gallardo replacement will be showcased at Frankfurt as a concept car, but one that will closely preview the car that takes over from the best-ever selling model in the Italian companies history.
Other rumour suggests that the Lamborghini Gallardo replacement is internally codenamed LP-724 (one wonders if that seriously suggests the horsepower potential of the next car is north of 700-horsepower?) and will feature a carbon fibre/aluminium modular space frame structure with a body wrapped in carbon fibre-reinforced plastic and aluminium body panels.
The goal weight for the Lamborghini Gallardo replacement is for the new mid-engined super bull to tip the scales at a weight between 1300 kg and 1500 kg. And this target weight is in spite the Gallardo’s successor being longer nose-to-tail than its predecessor, and riding on an increased wheelbase for improved high speed stability as well.
In terms of what’s happening in that mid-engined engine bay, the slightly disappointing news to some may be that Lamborghini seem set to continue with the already established 5.2-litre normally aspirated V10. We love it, it’s one of ‘the’ engines of the last decade, but that’s it, it’s well over a decade old already.
The engine in the current Lamborghini Gallardo makes 412 kW and 540 Nm of torque but its successor could pump out closer to 440 kW. Potentially a six-speed manual could do service in the transmission department but talk of a new seven-speed dual-clutch (read S-Tronic from Audi) automatic gearbox will replace the slack E-Gear of the current model.
Gallardo replacement is likely to be labelled an LP 600-4 (-2) model. And we can note that an engine with these very specs was previewed in the egregious Lamborghini Egoista concept. The new name, Cabrera, has been suggested for the LP724 production car, although Sant’ Agata has not confirmed this name and although heavily camouflaged in these shots, a few things are clear to see.
Lamborghini are sticking with the Gallardo’s forward wedge-like profile, but the bonnet certainly appears longer and lower at the front. Deliberately oversized cladding seems to suggest an additional air intake for the mid-engine just ahead of the rear wheel arch.
Above that point the cladding hides a pair of high flying buttresses in much the same vein as the current Lamborghini Aventador. The quad tailpipes are cut at quite an obvious slant, while the whole rear protrudes higher into the air and appears to have an almost McLaren 12C type recess to it along the rear valance.
