Gallardo

Segment
Coupe

Introduced back in 2003, the Lamborghini Gallardo is now ten years old. In that timeframe, Ferrari has progressed from the 360 Modena to the F430 and now to the 458 Italia. In speaking with Road & Track magazine, Lamborghini's COO for North America Michael Lock said that the Gallardo's longevity comes down to its angular design, which he asserts ages better than the curvy approach taken by its chief rival. Still, after a decade on the market, the Gallardo will be replaced soon. But before it does, Lambo plans one last, stripped-down version to send it off into the history books.

R&T reports that the final Gallardo edition will pack a manual transmission – something that Lambo is phasing out due to lack of demand compared to the paddle-shift gearbox. The Gallardo's swan song will also be stripped of any luxury options in order to save weight and make the driving experience as direct and pure as possible. Other details remain scarce, but it sounds to us like the "goodbye Gallardo" will be similar to the Balboni edition. Whether it retains the all-wheel-drive system or ditches it in favor of a rear-drive setup (like the Balboni), however, remains to be seen.

The pre-update Gallardo that ran from 2003 to 2008 spawned numerous special editions and variants, but the second version that followed has bred even more. Examples include the aforementioned Balboni edition, the Super Trofeo Stradale, the Bicolore, the Superleggera and the Spyder Perfomante. But there's always room for one more.