Yups, skipped the Ferrari, skipped the R8, skipped the Porsche Turbo, went to the pearl yellow Gallardo and went for a 4-lap spin on a little day-for-the-sponsors at a small track in the South of Belgium.

First impression: bucket racing seats really unconfortable and interior not that nice of a place to be in. Too much Audi, not enough Italian. It's chique, but it's German chique (all around chique) instead of Italian chique (sleek and smooth with exciting highlights).
Second impression: quite a nice gearbox the tiptronic, not as stuttery at low speeds as the 2008 Aston Martin Vantage we arrived in (boss' car),
Third impression: not as quick as you would imagine. Yes it's quick, but at lower revs it's not really pulling that strong. 4k rpm Lambo vs. 4k rpm Coupe would see the Coupe win. It's also quite linear. Yes, I went up to 8k rpm. At which point it's strong, but not rediculous in any way.
Fourth impression: it does really not like slow tight corners. It's a heavy car with not a lot of grip at the front at low speeds. Brake in the corner to get more weight to the front and it'll come together but accelerating slightly will make the car run quite wide. Same goes for the rear. The tyres were warm enough with a track temperature of 45° but you will break traction quite easily and be in a (fortunately nicely controllable) drift soon enough.

All in all it was fun, but not 'breathtaking'. Don't get me wrong, 500 bhp or what is it IS fast, you can do 120mph within a kilometer, but I suspect it's all just rounded off by a slightly teutonic setup and made userfriendly enough for people who have the money but not the skill. I had expected (hoped for) a car that would do its best to impress me, to scream, to fight,... but it might just be too good. Although if the instructor wasn't with me I would have probably explored that drifting capability a bit more - he was a bit wriggly in his seat but I guess I'd be too if I borrowed my investment to someone you don't know.

Oh and the Porsche, Ferrari and Audi are all much slower. Although tlhe average age inside them was slightly higher. The instructor told me I was the first to go above 5500 rpm that day.

So a Coupé would beat a Gallardo plus the Porsche Turbo, Ferrari and Audi supercars were all slower than the Lambo (and ergo the Coupé) too?

There really is some guff posted around these parts.

Your only mistake was skipping the Ferrari .

Glad you had fun. What a great day out.

Mis-quoted, or selective word-blindness - Kayjey said that a Coupe at 4k rpm would beat a Gallardo at 4k rpm. It might need a modestly modded Coupe, but I would agree - the Coupe would give stronger acceleration at those revs than a Gallardo

Exactly. And definately. Although I'm equally sure most driving aids will have been set to "boringly safe" and I wouldn't say the Gallardo is gutless in any way, just that your average 20vt will be boosting around 1.2 bar and will definately be faster. I'm equally sure that by 6k revs the Gallardo would be a good length or so ahead.

A standard, or even mildly modded, Coupe would not beat a Gallardo at 4k revs in the same gear. As is always the case with comparisons involving the FIAT it may feel faster when it comes on boost, but please, be an objective adult for once and admit that a 500bhp car will not be beaten at any revs by a 220bhp, 20 year old FIAT.

It should be noted that due to activity in another thread and lack of any positive input in the Coupe related sections - what this Forum is about - we have decided Brewster will not be able to participate anymore. Feel free to continue the comments, just don't expect responses from him.

Is this a wind-up?

No it isn't a wind up. Brewster has been warned numerous times about his behaviour, his personal attacks and been rascist.

Kayjey do you think maybe because you drive a fast non-supercar that your expectations for the Gallardo (or indeed any other supercar for that matter) were too high?

I drove the Gallardo and a F430 on a track day and I also wasn't that impressed with the Gallardo, it felt a heavy car and didn't feel that quick. The 430 though was awesome the steering was very responsive and the power delivery was something else.

But they're both slow compared too JBTs coupe.

No, don't really think it made a difference. In fact after the comments I made on here I decided to make today's roadtrip in the Coup rather than the diesel. I still very much stand by my comments after today.

But your question also made me look for a reason - apart from the fact I would have liked to drive the Ferrari, Porsche and R8 as well. I believe they're all very different beasts and what I would like to experience is the power delivery. And maybe I'd also like to drive a Diablo and an F40. To see whether the Gallardo is maybe too Audi-ised. And to see how different brands set up their engine behaviour and how Turbo's affect is.

So, the reason I was not very impressed is because I think I expected something crazy. I've driven a hopped up RS500 on track and the power delivery and chassis made it so that you had to dose all the movements: throttle, steering, clutch, gearshift,... if you weren't in '400 bhp Cosworth mode' it would bite your fingers, cut your leg, spit in your eyes and twist your ears. You HAD to be ready for the thing. With such a powerhouse of an NA I expected the Lambo to be very on / off. But it isn't. I expected the tyres to grip grip grip... and then suddenly not grip. I expected the car to be twitchy, to give so much feedback that the steering would be very lively in your hands, and to turn in like a butterfly listening to house music. And somewhere, I CHOSE the lambo because I thought of all the cars there it would be the most wild and aggressive. I hope I was wrong to choose the Lambo for thinking it would give me the biggest kick of my life.

Again, don't get me wrong: the car is awesome, it's fast if you rev its nuts off, it IS stiffer and lighter than what you'd expect from what is still a rather heavy car. But it's not an intimidating monster that requires you to reset your sensors.

That's what the Mucielago is for! Don't forget the Gallardo is the entry spec Lambo... if such a thing exists!

good to hear your coupe is still shining bright and the fact the supercar didnt impress you, now just think what your coupe could be like with 300bhp more and some other well chosen tweaks kayjey

Get joe on the phone

Nah, not an option. The Moon is going to stay as is. Which means I'll have to find another one?

We have a gallardo on the rental fleet now, and I have a 20vt.. Hmmmmm. Can you see my thought pattern....

Havent driven a gallardo but been in a gallardo spyder full chat at spa which felt certainly quick. I have also been in a few quick coupes which would give it a run for its money.

The coupe does feel quicker due to its turbo thump but real terms i doubt very much so it is. I think is would have to be 350+ to match one.

One car i have driven that i thought wow was a new skyline GTR...Wow!

Mark... go.