Lamborghini Celebrates 20th Anniversary Of Gallardo, Its First Production Car With V10 Engine

Lamborghini celebrates the 20th anniversary of Gallardo, its first production vehicle with a V10 engine.

V10 powered Gallardo nicknamed “baby Lambo” was the brand’s best-selling model at the time with 14,022 built.

After ten years of production from 2003 to 2013, the Lamborghini Diablo was replaced by the Huracán in 2014.

Lamborghini is celebrating 20 years since the now iconic Gallardo was unveiled at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, arriving as the Italian sports car brand’s first production vehicle with a V10 engine.

Named after a famous breed of fighting bull, the V10 powered Lamborghini Gallardo nicknamed “baby Lambo”, was the brand’s best-selling model at the time with 14,022 built throughout its production run from 2003 to 2013.

Several variants of the Gallardo was made during its production years, including the convertible variant called the Gallardo Spyder, while the Gallardo Superleggera was unveiled at the 2007 Geneva Auto Show.

Several prototypes of the Gallardo were developed over the years after development started in 1987 as L140 project. Various technical solutions were explored during development, including a V8, and then a a 5-liter, 10-cylinder V90 DOHC, which delivers 500 horsepower.

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Maurizio Reggiani, Lamborghini Technical Director from 2006 to 2022, recalls that :

“When we started the project codenamed “baby Diablo”, a V8 was chosen and it was decided to look for a potential engine among those already on the market, including the 8-cylinder Audi.

“With the subsequent acquisition by Audi, it was decided to produce a completely new car with an aluminum tubular frame and a 10-cylinder engine, designed by Lamborghini, and a brand-new transmission, both manual and robotized.”

But what really made the V10 powered Gallardo stand out when it came to market was its performance combined with drivability, reliability and everyday practicality.

In May 2004, the Gallardo started the tradition of “donating” cars to the Italian Police which were used for special purposes, including the transportation of organs or life-saving medicines.

The Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse, the most extreme of the Gallardo line-up, was unveiled few months before the last Lamborghini Gallardo – a red Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante – left the production line at the historic Sant’Agata Bolognese plant.

After ten years of production from 2003 to 2013, including 32 variants, the Diablo, Lamborghini’s second car released under parent company Audi, was replaced by the Huracán in 2014.

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