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2006 Lamborghini Gallardo SE Preview

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Khatir Soltani
520-HP Gallardo needs only 4-Seconds to Reach 100 KM/H

The Gallardo has spent the past year and a half atop the charts as one of the best selling Lamborghinis of all time. (Photo: Lamborghini Canada)
Lamborghini is putting its best foot forward for the Frankfurt Motor Show this September with the Gallardo SE, a "Special Edition" of the now popular mid-engine all-wheel drive supercar.

Having gained recognition for its advanced aluminum space frame, overall refinement and general usability on a 24/7 basis, plus offering nine tenths of the Murcielago's performance at two-thirds the price, the Gallardo has spent the past year and a half atop the charts as one of the best selling Lamborghinis of all time. The new SE model celebrates this success, by serving up more of what enthusiasts want - more power, and greater exclusivity.

Where most Lamborghinis have been fitted with a V12, the smaller Gallardo makes use of a 5.0-litre, 500-horsepower V10; it's the first non-V12 to be wedged between the tail lamps of a 'bull' since the last V8-powered Jalpa rolled off the production line in 1988. In the SE model, Lamborghini has tweaked the engine to increase power output to 520-horsepower. In
The Gallardo SE takes just 4.0 seconds to reach 100 km/h, and has a top speed of 315 km/h. (Photo: Lamborghini Canada)
 total, the extra twenty ponies have made the Gallardo SE a quicker, and faster beast. It takes just 4.0 seconds to reach 100 km/h, and has a top speed of 315 km/h, figures that beat the standard model by some 0.2 seconds and 6 km/h respectively.

To go along with the more powerful motor, the Sant'Agata firm's engineers went to work on the car's ability to corner. The steering system has been looked over with a fine toothed comb and tweaked to provide better precision and greater feel, while the suspension has been adjusted to increase grip and counter body roll. There's also another addition to the Gallardo which helps it perform best in a straight line; a new "Thrust Mode" button has been fitted. When selected, it optimizes the power and stability for pure, straight-line acceleration, similar to arch-rival Ferrari's "Launch Mode".
Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada