Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder (2009) CAR review

Road tests on supercars like Lamborghini’s LP560-4 Spyder are hard to write. Please don’t shed a tear for the jammy road-tester; all I’m saying is that when cars are this seductive they tend to render your objectivity gland inactive. Let’s face it; the revised Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder costs way more than most of us can afford, for some it’s offensively vulgar in these credit-stretched times and for all its talents it simply cannot provide shelter for orphaned panda bears…

But. Just. Look. At. It.

Take a cold bath!

Right. Fighting back the advances of Lamborghini’s newest soft-top sex bomb for a moment I’m ordered to tell you what’s new about the Spyder. Well, lots and not a lot. Lots if you compare it to the outgoing model – increased power (from 513bhp to 552bhp) and torque (376lb ft to 398lb ft) plus a CO2 cut and improved fuel consumption – and not a lot if you compare it to the Coupe (same engine, chassis, gearbox, interior plus a 140kg increase in weight). 

And the styling? Like, the Coupe, the Spyder gets the Reventon-inspired front-end and some exquisite ‘Y-form’ LED taillights and running lamps. At the rear, the Spyder also receives the Coupe’s more efficient rear diffuser and chrome tailpipes. The Spyder’s raised shoulders and rear deck (to accommodate the roof) makes rear visibility at parking speeds tricky – however Lamborghini offer a must-have rear parking camera… as a colossal £1565 option. Satellite navigation is also a £1580 option, which seems a little churlish on a £149,500 car.

Viewing the Spyder from the side, the higher shoulders embellish the scalpel-like profile – it looks even dartier than the Coupe.

What about the interior?

With the objectivity gland reactivated, the Audi-sourced cabin is beginning to look dated. Ergonomically the LP560-4 is fine, although taller people will find the legroom cramped. But despite delicious details such as the diamond-quilted seats the LP560-4 badly needs an updated cockpit.

The fully-lined fabric roof, available in black, blue, grey or beige, electronically deploys in 20 seconds. A neat feature is a glass rear screen that can stay in place with the roof down and acts as a wind deflector. There’s no folding hardtop version – which despite some wind-noise from the fabric roof suits us just fine. Increasing the LP560-4’s bulk just wouldn’t do – at 1550kg it’s not exactly skinny as it is.

The engine is the same 5.2-litre V10 screamer from the Coupe (up from 5 litres over the outgoing Spyder), while new direct injection technology results in a CO2 reading of 327g/km. It won’t put a solar umbrella over the icecaps, but it’s a 73g/km improvement over the previous Spyder.  

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