Rear-drive Gallardo Spyder on way

Lamborghini has confirmed that a rear-wheel-drive Gallardo Spyder will go on sale early next year. Following on from 2009’s Valentino Balboni Edition of the Gallardo coupe, the newcomer will channel all its V10 power to the rear axle.

Official figures have yet to be released, but Lambo has said the car will be badged the LP550-2 Spyder. That suggests its 5.2-litre V10 will be detuned to 542bhp; the LP560-4 Spyder delivers 552bhp.

There are no images of the car yet, but Auto Express has been told it will look identical to the Spyder, just without the bonnet stripes from the Balboni edition.

Despite giving up 10bhp to the LP560-4, and sacrificing 4WD grip, the rear-wheel-drive convertible will be slightly lighter, so performance should be similar, at least in the dry. A 0-62mph time of around four seconds and top speed of just under 200mph are likely.

There’s no word on the price yet, but buyers can expect to pay around £152,000. That’s £10,000 less than the four-wheel-drive Gallardo Spyder.

© 2012 Dennis Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
Licensed by Felden