Winging It

The first of my Frankfurt Motor Show related posts is directed at just one of hundreds of cars there present, and oddly, not a particularly new one. The (deep breath) Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale is a new model, but it's quite clearly based on the familiar Gallardo architecture we've known since 2003.

Moan all you like that it's another iteration of an ageing car, ripe for replacement, but special editions have managed to keep the car reasonably fresh while the Aventador was being readied. The Gallardo is now so relatively ancient it's being talked about in motoring circles with the old clichés as 'hairy-chested throwback', and 'one of the old school.' Given that it's not as dynamically polished as a 458 or MP4-12C, the Lambo charm is a valuable hand to hold.

The new version had potential, however, to really inject a shot of intravenous adrenaline into the Gallardo, and stick a last ditch challenge to its Modenese nemesis before it dies. A road car inspired by the fastest one-make race series in the world, the Super Trofeo. Sounds interesting.

The first mistake, brought about by careless rewording of the press material, has been to call the Super Trofeo for the Stradale (street) a road-going version of the racing car, because it simply isn't. It isn't set up as racing car then converted for domestic use, it's a normal Gallardo SuperLeggera with choice additions to liken it to the racing cars. In other words, a Lamborghini take on the Challenge Stradale and Scuderia Ferrari has made a mint of in recent years.

Upon investigating just how extensive these choice additions reach in creating the dramatically named newcomer, the list isn't that long. There are supposedly lighter wheels, more carbon fibre inserts inside and out, and a rear aerofoil almost identical to that of the racing cars themselves. Admittedly, that's a cool feature; akin to the use of a racing crank in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0

However, there's no token 10bhp increase on the engine, it's the same 562bhp unit from the SuperLeggera. The brakes are also of identical spec to the SuperLight. And if you search hard enough, there's evidence that the 'racecars robotised six speed e-gear transmission', present in the STS, is the very same as that in situ in the SL, and the cooking LP560, for that matter.

And then there's the weight conundrum. We're used to lightened supercars having nice round mass losses, usually of 100kg or so. (Murcielago SV, Audi R8 GT, 430 Scuderia off the top of my head.) Yet the quoted dry mass for the STS is 1340kg, unchanged to the gramme from the SuperLeggera.

Lightened supercars are often singled out for abuse from the 'why pay more to get less' brigade. You've got either be a real enthusiast, or extremely vain, to opt for the cynically hardcore version and accept inherent compromises. Yet the Super Trofeo Stradale, commanding around £20,000 more than the already fettled SuperLeggera, gets double the downforce from a larger wing, and very little else besides. No doubt all 150 built will sell at a canter, but doesn't the venerable Gallardo deserve a little more innovation. Instead of being a fitting swansong, a la RS 4.0), it's just another Gallardo limited edition. Pity, no?

Praise be that the sub 100kg, sub 3s - 60mph Sesto Elemento is seeing the light of production, at a price. Now, if only there was a road-going version...

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