Before Balboni came Bob.  That's right, the original Lamborghini test driver was a man named Bob Wallace.  He moved from New Zealand to Italy in search of a work as a race mechanic in the very late 1950s.  He even got one of Lamborghini's two racing concepts named after him: the Lamborghini Jarama Bob.  But, as much as he contributed to the company, Bob's name just doesn't really resonate well with the Spanish bull fighting naming convention.  So, the p  ublic never got a Bob-edition Lamborghini.

Valentini Balboni took over as Lamborghini test driver following Bob Wallace's departure in 1975.  By this point, Giampaolo Dallara had departed, and Ferrucio Lamborghini had sold his namesake to private investors.  Nevertheless, Balboni is the household name in Lamborghini test driving.  And, as such, he was rewarded with a model bearing is name when Lamborghini introduced a rear-wheel-drive Gallardo variant in 2010.  Following the limited sale of the Balboni editions, a serial production RWD model known as the Gallardo LP550-2 was introduced.

Year: 2011
Model: Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2
Engine: 5.2L V10
Transmission: 6-speed automated manual
Mileage: 11,500 mi
Price: $49,900 obo

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS: 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2

THIS CAR HAS ONLY ELEVEN THOUSAND MILES ON HER!!! GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT NEED TO SELL IT AND CUT MY LOSS. REAR END IS PERFECT ENGINE AND TRANS NOT TOUCHED. CAN BE FIXED OR USED FOR PARTS. YOU CAN COME SEE THE CAR IN PERSON OR EMAIL ME FOR MORE PICS OR TEXT 347-782-9586 JACK@ICARNJ.COM AIRBAGS WENT OFF AND FRONT END IS HAMMERED! WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET. CALL ME FOR MORE INFO. LOCATED IN TOMS RIVER NJ.

TITLE IS CLEAR BUT CARFAX SHOWS TOTAL LOSS REPORTED BY AN INSURANCE COMPANY.

The driver of this particular LP550-2 flew a bit too close to the sun, smashing the front end.  More unfortunate than the destruction of the Gallardo is the fact that the car was likely understeering when it plowed its front into whatever object was in its path.  A more fitting end to a RWD Gallardo would have been in a galant oversteer slide.

Pricing on this orange wreck seems a bit steep.  Without the manual transmission, parting it out won't be as fruitful.  A rebuild is possible, but not worth all that much.  Complicating the rebuild is the haphazard way in which the current holders of the car have stuffed the front bodywork into the front passenger compartment.  Those with a bodyshop and some Lamborghini resources might be tempted, though.  At least there aren't any front axles to worry about being damaged?

-Graham

When Lamborghini introduced the Gallardo at the 2003 Geneva Motor, we were too young to recognize the yellow coupe as a Jalpa replacement.  Instead, we saw it as a baby Murciélago.  We were also unaware of the fact that Lamborghini had previously attempted to replace the Jalpa with a V10 entry-level model known as the P140 during development.  Under Chrysler ownership, Lamborghini had enlisted Gandini to pen up a smaller high performance sports car to accompany the Diablo, but the bambino never came to exist.

We'll leave the speculation of what could have been up to your collective imaginations, but the Gallardo was well worth the wait.  Over 14,000 made it out of the factory during its 10-year production run, eclipsing any semblance of commercial success enjoyed by its Jalpa predecessor.  With VW at the helm for development, Lamborghini had access to engineering resources unheard of for a firm so small, as well as a smart parts bin from the Audi group.  Take a look at the interior of a Gallardo, notice how the switchgear has hardly aged, and try to bring yourself to acknowledge the fact that VW ownership made more sense than another shot at buying switches off the rack from Fiat.  And, the 5.0L and 5.2L engine can attribute their successes as much to VW as they can to Lamborghini.

Year: 2005
Model: Lamborghini
Engine: 5.0L V10
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage:  3,221mi
Price: $139,888

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe

This yellow 2005 Gallardo comes from the last of the initial run; 2006 and later model years incorporated a modest power increase and some gear ratio tweaks to improve driveability.  The timeless shape is most pure in the early cars, while later cars with the updated headlights and taillights deviate a bit too far from the original concept, if you ask us.  And, we are 99% sure that the press release photos from 2003 were in this same shade of Giallo.  So, if you can live with the pre-update gearing and the paltry 493hp, you'll be rewarded with the right color on the right body iteration.

Though the magazines and Lamborghini marketing folks certainly compared this with the Ferrari F430, we don't see the need to.   Lamborghini as a brand has much less to hang its hat on, and as such, can't afford to write off development mishaps as a part of the ownership experience.  That lack of compromise is evident in the Gallardo.  In this condition, we're having trouble finding a fault in the nearly $140k asking price.

-Graham