A 5.2-liter V10 with 560 horsepower, 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, a top speed of over 200 mph and one of the most beautiful modern designs to ever come out of Italy. It's the new Gallardo LP560-4, and Lamborghini wants us to drive it. There are certainly more lucrative ways to make a living than being an automotive journalist, but it's moments like this that we know we made the right career choice. The best news is that we got to drive the new LP560-4 with about two dozen Lamborghini owners. Lamborghini of Orange County recently opened up a new dealership in Newport Beach, and they invited all of their customers down to see the new showroom and go for a Sunday drive. We tackled some of California's best back roads in the LP560-4 with other Gallardos, Murcielagos, and even a few Diablos.
What you see here is living, fire-breathing proof that there is life after automotive journalism. Jeremie Paret recently left his position as Editor in Chief of Modify magazine to start his own supercar tuning outfit. This customized Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is his first creation. It takes a special kind of tuner to have the chutzpah to tinker with an Italian thoroughbred like the LP560-4, and there are only a handful of aftermarket outfits that are up to the task. Paret sets himself apart by offering a completely customized experience, with each vehicle designed by his team according to the specifications of the customer. This Gallardo has been fitted with Asanti Diamond wheels hiding pink brake calipers, plus a host of carbon fiber bits from the side skirts and door handles to the Reventon-style front end and enlarged rear diffuser. The interior has been decked out in custom leather and Alcantara trim and an Alpine/Focal info-tainment system. Paret's crew will arrange for any customer's vehicle to be transported to France where they'll set up the car, or can ship the parts to the customer for local installation. Either way, Paret offers the client a complete range of options and a private blog to follow the process.
It seems that well-to-do individuals who grew up staring at Countach posters on their bedroom walls are still finding a way to fulfill their childhood fantasies. Both sales and profits are up at Lamborghini, with most of the increases coming from emerging markets, including the Middle East, China and Hong Kong. Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann believes that the key to its recent sales successes is its policy of producing fewer vehicles than it believes it can sell, thereby keeping demand high. Winkelmann also noted that costs go down as production goes up, a further boon to increased profitability.
With Lambo's latest Gallardo LP560-4 about to hit its 114 dealerships, the second half of the year is already shaping up quite nicely. Ridiculously expensive options with high profit margins like $19,000 carbon-ceramic brakes are sure to help the bottom line too.
Take it from your friendly neighborhood Autoblog, writing about cars is great. But building a car is something else entirely, especially when the car in question is an Italian exotic. That's what Automobile magazine's West Coast editor Jason Cammisa found out when he was invited to Sant'Agata to lend a hand with the assembly of the first production example of the new Gallardo LP560-4, which Lamborghini unveiled at this year's Geneva Motor Show.
The story is featured in the magazine's May issue, and its website is featuring a four-part video series documenting Cammisa's experience.
