Skip to main content

Frankfurt 2013: Lamborghini preparing Gallardo replacement for debut

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento concept front three quarter
Image used with permission by copyright holder
We love the Lamborghini Gallardo, but it’s time for a change. Lambo’s “entry level” supercar has had nothing but facelifts since its 2003 debut, and with the nimbler Ferrari 458 Italia champing at the bit, it’s time for an update.

That update may be coming soon. Autocar reports that Lamborghini will show a concept car at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September which will preview an all-new Gallardo set to enter production in 2014.

The new car, codenamed LP724, will likely share its chassis with the next-generation Audi R8, which is due out in 2015. That means a backbone made of lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum.

Lamborghini reportedly wanted to base the Gallardo replacement on the carbon fiber monocoque it developed for the larger Aventador, but parent Audi apparently forced the more sensible platform sharing plan on the Italian carmaker.

The new car will be powered by an updated version of the current Gallardo’s 5.2-liter V10. It’s expected to produce a phenomenal 600 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, compared to the current Gallardo LP560-4‘s 522 hp and 398 lb-ft.

Rival Ferrari has eliminated clutch pedals, but Lamborghini will reportedly offer a six-speed manual in the Gallardo replacement, along with a version of the Audi R8’s seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual.

As with the current Gallardo, the new car will be sold with all-wheel drive standard, with certain models offered with rear-wheel drive for that hardcore, drift-inducing character.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento concept rear three quarterAll of that will be cloaked in a body that uses more than a little carbon fiber. Since the Sesto Elemento concept (pictured) debuted in 2010, Lamborghini hasn’t been shy about its devotion to this material. The goal is to make the new car lighter than the one it replaces.

Speaking of replacement, the Gallardo name itself is most likely headed for retirement; Lamborghini doesn’t keep car names for more than one generation. The new car may be known as Cabrera which, following Lambo tradition, is a name of a breed of Spanish fighting bull. This breed is related to several other notable bull families including, fittingly, Gallardo.

Whatever it’s actually called, Lamborghini’s next supercar will be previewed by a concept car at the 2014 Frankfurt Motor Show, which opens September 4, and will go on sale next year. In the meantime, check back here for updates.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Lamborghini’s latest supercar is too extreme for the road
lamborghini 830 hp squadra corse supercar teaser

Lamborghini is known for craziness, but with other automakers developing more extreme supercars, the raging bull risks being overshadowed. So Lamborghini is upping the ante with a hardcore, track-only supercar. Developed by the automaker's Squadra Corse racing division, the unnamed supercar will be unveiled in 2020.

Details on the new supercar are scarce, but a Lamborghini press release said it would be powered by a version of the 6.5-liter V12 used in the Aventador and certain limited-edition models. The output will be 830 horsepower, but from the 759 hp, the V12 makes in its most potent form today. This may be one of the lats Lamborghini models to feature a pure V12 powertrain. Lambo has indicated that the Aventador's successor, due in 2022, will have a hybrid powertrain.

Read more
Lamborghini’s first EV will be ‘mature’ and based on the Taycan, report says
Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster

Lamborghini has hinted that it will eventually launch an electric car, but that first all-electric model may not be one of the Italian automaker's traditional supercars. Lamborghini is planning a four-door "grand tourer" based on the Porsche Taycan, Autocar reports.

Lambo is working on a fourth model to join the Aventador and Huracán supercars and Urus SUV, Maurizio Reggiani, the automaker's research and development boss, said in an interview with Autocar. The timing of that fourth model, which won't launch for a few more years, means that it will be the "right time" for an electric powertrain, Reggiani said.

Read more
Audi balances carsharing, EVs, and sports cars as it prepares for the 2020s
2019 frankfurt auto show highlights from audi hyundai land rover porsche dt aitrail concept

Audi introduced two completely different cars during the 2019 Frankfurt Auto Show. Its go-fast Audi Sport division presented the second-generation RS 7, a 600-horsepower fastback powered by a sonorous V8 engine. The company also unveiled a highly futuristic design study named AI:Trail (pictured) that's fully electric, partially autonomous, and designed to be shared. Tying these two ends of the automotive spectrum together sounds impossible, but Audi is up to the challenge.

"Being able to play this bandwidth is the strength of Audi," board member Hildegard Wortmann said during a media roundtable Digital Trends attended on the sidelines of the show.

Read more