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Lamborghini prepares a 50th birthday surprise… Could it be a new Gallardo?

Stephen Edelstein
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2013 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 coupe front three-quarter viewFeruccio Lamborghini built his first sports car in 1963, which means the company he founded has a big birthday to celebrate in 2013. Lamborghini will celebrate its 50 years of building amazing cars by inviting owners to a gathering in Italy, but it is also preparing something everyone can enjoy: a special model that could preview the Gallardo’s replacement.

Lamborghini is encouraging owners to ship their cars to Milan for Grand Giro Lamborghini, a road trip to the company’s factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, with stops in Tuscany, Rome, and Bologna along the way. With that many Lambos in one place, it should cause a few rubbernecking delays. Hopefully, one of the participants will bring a camera.

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Participants will have to pay their way to Italy, but Lamborghini has set up a website to help with shipping the cars back to their birthplace. The company will also offer roadside assistance to the convoy, which is important, since these exotic cars aren’t known for reliability.

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For owners who lack the resources for a trip to Italy (they may have spent all of their money on fuel and timing belts), Lamborghini will hold smaller events at dealers worldwide.

Non-owners aren’t invited to the party, but they will get a look at the gift: a special model commemorating the company’s 50th birthday.

Nothing is known about the birthday car, except that it will not be a retro model like the 2006 Miura concept.

“It will not be a revival or retro,” Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann told Automotive News (sub. required). A 50th birthday is the perfect time to get sentimental, but the Raging Bull has other plans.

Those plans might include a car that previews the Gallardo replacement. Lamborghini hasn’t confirmed anything, but the timing seems right. The Gallardo, Lambo’s “entry-level” model is going out of production, and its replacement is expected sometime in 2013.

The Gallardo replacement will reportedly share its MCC platform with the next Audi R8, and is expected to be lighter than the current model.

Even if Lamborghini eschews a future product preview and builds a crazy one-off like the Aventador J, it should be pretty entertaining for everyone involved, as nearly everything the company does is.

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Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
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