Less than 24 hours after we posted news that Lamborghini was set to preview its Gallardo replacement with a new concept at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show, the first spy shots of a prototype for the actual car have surfaced.
Complete shots of the heavily camouflaged prototype can be seen on the Facebook pages of car spotters Marchettino and Shmee150 and reveal many of the new car’s details.
Namely, Lamborghini’s Gallardo replacement, which many are suggesting will be called the “Cabrera,” will be similar in size and proportion to the Gallardo.
Though it’s still too early to confirm, it looks like the car will also borrow a number of styling cues from its Aventador big brother.
As was reported previously, the Gallardo replacement will be previewed in concept form in Frankfurt this September and finally arrive in showrooms in the second half of 2014, most likely as a 2015 model.
Power will come from a revised version of the Gallardo’s 5.2-liter V-10, which is expected to deliver 592 horsepower. In metric figures this converts to about 600 horses, meaning the Gallardo replacement is likely to be labelled an LP 600-4. Note, an engine with these very specs was previewed in the previous Egoista concept.
All-wheel drive will remain standard, but this time around Lamborghini will offer a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission instead of the Gallardo’s e-gear automated manual. No conventional manual is expected.
The chassis is to be shared with a second-generation Audi R8, due approximately one year after the launch of the Gallardo replacement. The chassis will be a multi-material design combining aluminium and carbon fiber and perhaps even some fiberglass to make a structure that’s almost as sturdy and light as a full carbon structure, but significantly cheaper to produce.
Stay tuned for updates, including our own spy shots of the car, as development progresses.
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