Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera

It's 15kg lighter than a Porsche Boxster and, at a mind-altering 419kW, is almost twice as powerful into the bargain.  The weight? It’s just 1343kg – about the same as a Mercedes-Benz B Class. And four times the power.

It’s the kind of car that puts nearly all other cars – even the desirable ones – nicely in perspective, don’t you think?  Superleggera is Italian for ‘super lightweight’ which, in concert with the staggering performance from the familiar – albeit tweaked – 5.2-litre V10 engine, gives the newest, lightest and baddest Lambo in the shed absolutely unassailable performance credentials.

That makes it 90kg lighter than the previous jaw-droppingly impressive LP560-4 Superleggera. And 28kW more powerful.  Most of the lost weight is attributable to an even greater investment in carbon fibre, although some has been trimmed by making the aluminium wheels even lighter.

A real highlight with this car is the massive-worked front air intakes, obviously inspired by another incomprehensibly dramatic Lambo – the fighter jet-inspired Reventon. 

If that’s not enough to ensure standing room only around the Lamborghini stand for the duration of the Motor Show, Lamborghini will also showcase the new Gallardo 560-4 Spyder and the 550-2 (2WD) supercars, the latter of which, with a stupendous 405kW driving just two wheels, was inspired by Valentino Balboni, Lamborghini’s legendary test driver.

Balboni served the company for 40 years in perhaps the world’s most enviable job, before retiring in October 2008. He started his career at Lamborghini in 1968 as a mechanic before a personal request by the founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini, saw him test driving the cars for a living.

He reportedly drove 80 per cent of all Lamborghinis ever made. He continues to work for the company today, as a consultant.