A raw, back-to-basics Lambo

Because the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 isn't quite enough for everyone, says Chris Chilton in Car, there's now a 'less-is-more' version, the LP550-2 Balboni. Now, with no front driveshaft, all the power from the 5.2-litre, V10 engine goes straight to the back wheels. Sound scary? It isn't. "You'd struggle to get yourself in trouble on the road, at least in the dry." The traction is "astonishing", the steering "feelsome", the drive far more involving than the regular Gallardo. This is a "brilliant supercar" the best Gallardo yet.

What's most exciting about this new Lambo is what it represents, says Ollie Marriage in Evo. "This is Lamborghini distancing itself from Audi [which owns the firm], rejecting the 4wd gospel, embracing a back-to-basics philosophy." It is still "very predictable, very controllable", but "you absolutely cannot be rash, cannot take liberties with it. If you do, especially in the wet, it quickly becomes discomforting, unsettling it's a proper rear-drive supercar in other words."

It's more connected and awake than any Gallardo ever made, agrees Tom Ford in The Sunday Times. It should be the "perfect heart-pumper" if you're a talented driver who can handle it. For the rest of us, however, you'll basically be paying more money for a slower car. Go for the standard Gallardo instead and save £18k in the process.

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Price: £163,245. On sale: Now (limited edition, 250 models made). Engine: 5,204cc, V10. Power: 543bhp@8,000rpm. Top speed: 199mph. 0-62mph: 3.9 secs.

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