New Lamborghini Gallardo

Reports circulating the automotive webdom suggest that the new version of the Gallardo which Lamborghini will be unveiling next week in Geneva will be called the LP560-4. Whereas previous reports indicated a LP550 nameplate, the LP560-4 designation draws on the new car's reported metric power rating of 560 PS – equivalent to 552hp – with the 4 designating the four-wheel-drive system. This latter addition is not present on previous Lamborghini model nomenclature, including the Murcielago, whose second iteration was similarly named LP640, without the additional 4 despite the traction at all wheels. (I wonder if Lamborghini decided to forgo the 550 numerology because arch-rival Ferrari used it on a contemporary model.) Meanwhile, AutoWeek reports that the new Gallardo's engine is more closely related to that of the Audi RS6: a more durable 5.2-liter V10 with FSI direct-injection, replacing the outgoing Gallardo's 5-liter unit.

The revised nomenclature comes from quotes attributed to Lambo chief Stephan Winkelmann, and accompanies the conceptual rendering you see above, although neither appears on the company's press site. Whatever the banner under which the new Gallardo will drive, it not only itself helps Lamborghini directly live up to its promise of a new model at each major auto show, but opens to the door to new future variants, which are likely to include a new Spyder and possibly a new Superleggera.