Old school, ‘poverty spec’ RWD Gallardo making all the right noises on an Italian mountain pass
Sounds good to us— much more appealing than the paddle-shifted AWD version. Would we buy one (even if we could)? Probably not. Modern Lamborghinis (and, for that matter, Ferraris) have never fully captured our imagination, nice though they may be. But if they did, and if we had to, then this would be the one to buy.
Damn.
The lust for these never developed because this is what they should have been 10 years ago… but never were until recently. This is a great video.
Of course, as well all here know, you should still just buy old school.
Nater said this on November 30, 2012 at 1:38 am
These “Abroad” series with staff from EVO (Jethro) are really sweet. Check the one on Stelvio with the 458 Spyder. Priceless!
Jorge Azcoitia said this on November 30, 2012 at 1:54 am
Jorge:
https://motoringconbrio.com/2012/08/14/very-nice-stelvio-video
😉
motoringconbrio said this on November 30, 2012 at 8:03 am
Great video! This car gets rid of everything i dislike about the Gallardo: The quattro and the stupid paddles.
Automobiliac said this on November 30, 2012 at 12:08 pm
this is the loser Lamborghini. crappy gearbox and crappy wheel drive!
Syed said this on November 30, 2012 at 1:58 pm
People care about looks over substance, especially the people that buy these types of cars. In fact a lot of people who are interested in cars are only interested in them because of the way they make them look. Not to mention that paddles are easier to use, and since most people never bother to learn how to drive a manual (at least in America) they never realize how much of a joy it can be. Yes, sometimes they can be a little inconvenient, but I would never trade the control a manual gives you for the ease of an automatic. And when it comes to paddles, yes the good versions can be faster than a manual, but where is the joy in the flick of a finger?
Jonathan said this on November 30, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Funny you should mention manuals and America because only in America can you get a manual BMW M5 and the US version of the VW Golf R is manual-only.
wm said this on December 1, 2012 at 6:41 pm
I have a feeling that has more to do with cost than anything else, however I can’t say that for sure. What I mean to say is that for the past few decades the number of manual transmission optioned cars have been dropping, to the point where only 7% of cars sold in the US have manuals, and most cars (especially “domestics”) don’t even have the option, automatics have become the standard. I also have nothing against paddle shifts, but most of them sold on cars in the average persons price range are slow and not advanced enough to be of good use yet. But the beyond all of that, it just comes down to the fact that subjectively I have more fun in a manual, and that’s all I really want out of a car.
Jonathan said this on December 1, 2012 at 7:37 pm
Unlike in Europe, American consumers tend to associate manual transmissions (which are rare in passenger cars here in the States— see Jonathan’s comment) with sporty driving, so in part, BMW and VW are playing to this market’s customer base for these particular enthusiast-targeted models. Case in point: the previous generation (MkV) VW Golf R32 was offered here with the DSG automated dual-clutch transmission only, and there was some backlash in response. VW’s decision to reverse course and pair the MkVI Golf R with the manual as the only option to me signifies that at least in this market and at the price point that the Golf R occupies, consumers aren’t yet ready to fully embrace anything other than a manual as the enthusiast’s ‘proper’ gearbox of choice.
I see this as being due to the unique circumstances here— again, such is not the case in Europe.
motoringconbrio said this on December 1, 2012 at 9:49 pm
I think this Europe vs. US dichotomy is outdated, when the vast majority of supercars being bought are now by customers in the Emirates in the Gulf and by mainland Chinese. I don’t think the idea of stick shift has nearly the romantic resonance or appeal in these new markets that it does in Europe or even the USA. But to say it’s a battle between European and American sensibilities is missing the point here, given the globalized market for supercars that currently exists.
Automobiliac said this on December 1, 2012 at 10:40 pm
Note that I was very careful in qualifying my comment to apply to models of a certain price point only, which I think still applies.
motoringconbrio said this on December 1, 2012 at 10:45 pm