Having driven two 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo coupes extensively, both with e.gear, I had a pretty good idea what to expect with Club Sportiva's 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder but I was looking forward to trying the manual transmission. Even with a high bar set, I was actually surprised at how well the car drove. For starters, as you walk up to the car, it is truly a stunning, aggressive and beautiful design. The upgraded Calisto rims are like artwork. I prefer coupes over convertibles, but even losing the roofline, the Spyder still looks stunning. You will get a lot of thumbs up and hoots while in the car, more so than in a red Ferrari because the Lamborghini Spyder lacks some of the assumed pretentious reputation of a Ferrari.

A couple things jumped out as improvements and surprises. First, the six-speed manual transmission is really incredible - it is smooth and easy to operate. While I had enjoyed the e.gear paddle shifted transmission on the Murcielago and the two Gallardos I have driven, the Lamborghini six-speed manual is a pleasure to drive. It is effortless, well balanced, with short throws and without the notchy, gritty-ness I feared. From the very first shift, there is no anxiety while rowing the gears. Blipping the throttle to match revs helps on down shifts certainly but up shifts too. The flywheel is so fast that revs drop quickly and a little spurt of the throttle helps smooth the clutch engagement while sounding glorious to boot.

The Ferrari and Maserati manual gearboxes require a little focus and attention and some patience. The Ferrari gearbox has historically been tough to shift from first to second while cold, even on the new F430, though greatly improved over previous V8s. The Gallardo manual doesn't suffer from this. The Ferrari manual is also a bit finicky and requires some finesse as the shifter gnashes its way around the famous Ferrari gated shift pattern. The Lamborghini also uses a gated shift pattern but curiously doesn't make the metal-on-metal gnashing sounds that so often happen on a Ferrari as the shifter's shaft rubs the metal gate. A minor point, sure, but a pleasant surprise on the Lamborghini (they have evolved so much from the days of the Diablo and Countach). I suspect some Audi involvement has intervened here, but as long as the gearbox is perfect, that is what I want.

The stock 2007 Gallardo Spyder exhaust is more high-strung than the previous deep growling V10. The angrier exhaust note is welcomed and sounds better. From idle to redline, the note is more stirring than the previous Gallardo tune. As the revs climb, it really opens up to a wail at around 4,500 rpms and just gets better from there. It lacks the world renowned Ferrari shriek, as it should, or else it would be a copy cat. Lamborghini did a great job of enhancing the exhaust note while keeping it clearly distinguished from Ferrari. While driving around, you can't help but goose the throttle over and over to hear the V10 bark. There is nothing better than being constantly reminded of the massive engine behind your shoulders than to hear the menacing exhaust note, regardless of your gear selection.

The acceleration and grip is phenomenal. Lamborghini goes with the AWD system that adds 300 pounds, but in exchange, it gives the car's driver a sense of invincibility in the corners. With 520 hp (up from 500 hp), you want, make that need, to put the traction to the road and Lamborghini does that well. No scary, twitchy handling during most driving. However, when the rpms are over 5,000, the throttle is very sharp and responsive, allowing the slightest peddle input to have the maximum response. At idle and low speeds, this response is the opposite - the throttle is numb from a stop or at low speeds, which evidently helps prevent you from errantly launching the car into (and under) the vehicle directly in front of you.

The seats are a bit better too. While I will need a longer stretch behind the wheel of the Spyder, the 2004 Gallardo seats were quite uncomfortable after an hour, making longer trips less than ideal in an otherwise great car. I think a couple minor seat adjustments have resolved this. If not, there will be another post... The interior is great, with solid ergonomics and cool yellow stitching everywhere you look.

Over all, the Gallardo is a great exotic car and Club Sportiva's Members have a thrill ride awaiting them. Sure, it costs $2,000 to have the side mirror replaced if you knock it loose, and maintenance is expensive, as are all exotics, but the Gallardo Spyder is an unforgettable drive with a magical charm you won't be able to shake. I think I'm in love, again.

Labels: Club Sportiva, Driving experience, e.gear, exotic car share club, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, V10

If you saw my previous post this month about Fireball Tim's recent visit to Club Sportiva to film a segment of his show on Autobytel's MyRide.com, wait until you see the segment. Get ready for the goods!


For a 7 minute video, it will keep you riveted and wanting to book an outing in a Club car once you finish watching it. I think you will agree. Check out our video...

Fireball and his team did an incredible job filming and editing the piece and we are proud to have it live! I found it to be a very entertaining and exciting video. The cars look awesome and the crew got some very impressive footage with some great scenery. Even the music is cool.

It is also posted on YouTube, but the resolution is far better on MyRide.com.

Here's the full link in case you need it: http://community.myride.com/kickapps/_Fireball-Tim-Club-Sportiva/video/193831/3898.html

Labels: Bentley Continental GT, car video, Club Sportiva, exotic car share club, Ferrari F430, Fireball Tim, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

Club Sportiva's Member feedback told us we needed another Lamborghini Gallardo for the Club. We had a yellow 2004 Gallardo e.gear coupe for a year and then traded it for a 2005 Bentley Continental GT at British Motor Cars in late 2007. Now that the Gallardo has been gone for about six months, it is time to get another one. As I've mentioned in my postings, I am a big Gallardo fan, so getting an updated model is very cool.

I am looking for a 2007 model so it has warranty, the new Calisto rims, preferably it should have about 2,000 miles on it so it will have already depreciated a little bit ($25,000+) and needs to be orange or yellow. The transmission doesn't matter according to Member feedback whether it is e.gear or a manual transmission, as both are excellent in their own ways. To complicate my search, the Club has a 2004 Lamborghini Murcielago e.gear that needs traded to facilitate the deal. My first step was to visit www.cars.com and to check about 15 Lamborghini dealers to check their inventory. Then I called 11 of those dealers to see who could take the Murcielago on trade.

Calling 11 dealers is tiring, even if they are Lamborghini dealers! About four dealers had a car in stock that attracted me and who had an interest in Club Sportiva's Murcielago. Several dealers had no desire in taking a Murcielago on trade, so that helped to narrow the field right away.

Interestingly, the very first dealer I called turned out to be one of the most serious in transacting a trade. I assumed I would be looking for a 2007 Gallardo coupe, but after talking to a few dealers, I learned that I could do the trade for a Gallardo Spyder! That was a very pleasant surprise. Of the four dealers who were initially interested, it narrowed further to two dealers within two days who were working hard for my business.

An authorized dealer in Chicago was very aggressive at pricing the Murcielago to help me acquire their Gallardo Spyder. Their Gallardo is a yellow car with black leather and yellow stitching, a 6-speed manual transmission (yes, I am supporting my February 13 post by trying to get a manual transmission to buck the F1 paddle shift trend) and the car looks absolutely stunning.

Another Gallardo Spyder turned up at a Lamborghini dealer in Georgia, where Club Sportiva purchased a 2003 Maserati Spyder with Tubi exhaust (see February 18 post for Tubi exhaust) in 2006 and almost bought an orange Gallardo coupe at the same time. So this dealer knows Club Sportiva and me, so they were very receptive to selling me a yellow Spyder with e.gear and an incredibly cool interior carbon fiber kit.

As always, the deal comes down to the wire. After the dealer in Georgia let a day pass without getting back to me, it looked like Club Sportiva's next Lamborghini was going to come from the dealer in Chicago and we proceeded with some of the paperwork via fax. Then, I got an unexpected fax with a good price from Georgia in the morning on a different yellow Spyder that just came into their inventory an hour before I was about to wire the funds to the Chicago dealer. After spending the better part of a day going back and forth with the Georgia dealer to better understand the options on this last minute Gallardo Spyder, which the dealer oddly struggled to provide, they ended up not having some details correct, so I passed on their Spyder even though they had a great price.

With that, the deal was cinched and our yellow 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder with 1,700 miles was coming from Chicago. Now, for the painful wait while the car is trailered out to San Francisco across the snow of the wintery Midwest! Our Murcielago was picked up for transport to Chicago within a couple days, but all I care about is getting the Gallardo Spyder to San Francisco in anticipation of our Fifth Anniversary Party for our Members in early March, when we will debut the Lamborghini to the Club. This will be our third Lamborghini to rotate into Club Sportiva in 16 months - a pace at which we are very proud.

The trucking company had promised us a Tuesday delivery, one week from the day they picked up the Gallardo Spyder in Chicago. As always, as the magic day approached, the transportation company started bumping the delivery out, day by day. It finally arrived on Friday morning in a massive 18 wheeler. An impromptu crowd of a dozen people showed up to watch the yellow beast be extracted from the carrier. The car draws a ton of attention, even when covered in plastic and stowed in a car carrier. This car has a magnetic personality, and that is before it gets fired up.

More to come in a later posting about the first drive! Keep an eye out for that, and other engaging car-related postings.

Labels: Buying Experience, Club Sportiva, exotic car share club, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Lamborghini Murcielago, ownership alternative