Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni

Billed as a monument to legendary Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni, the LP550-2 is in reality probably an attempt to keep interest in aging Gallardo now that the Ferrari 458 has arrived on the market (and the closely related Audi R8 V10).

I've never been the biggest fan of the Gallardo although the styling tweeks that arrived with the LP560-4 improved the styling giving the front some aggression it previously lacked. The V10 engine note sounds a bit flat to me and somehow for a Lambo the car just lacks drama.

The official reason of making this Gallardo rear wheel drive was to improve the driving experience which may well be true, but decontenting the four wheel drive system saves on unit cost and allows a more credit crunch friendly price. I wonder if Lamborghini do a final high performance version of the Gallardo whether (which will probably not be called a Superleggera as there is a copyright dispute on that name from the owners of the Touring carrozeria brand) it will retain rear wheel drive or stick with four wheel drive?