2006 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder First Drive

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Introduction

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder -- 2006 First Drive: We wouldn't speed in the new Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. Yeah, we knew about its top speed of 195 mph and how it can rip from 0 to 62 mph in 4.3 seconds, but we still weren't going to exceed the posted limit. Sure, we got looks; it's not everyday the folks on Key Largo see an Italian supercar cruising the backroads, especially a mint-green convertible Lambo moving about as fast as a Crown Vic full of retirees. See, we'd heard that the police in the Florida Keys charge for every mile you exceed the speed limit and that they're eager to do the math to work out your fine.

We figured a hot new foreign exotic in crème d' menthe paint would only exacerbate the situation. Our wallets aren't fat, but the Gallardo Spyder sure made it look like they are, so we decided to just idly cruise. Besides, we were on our way to the Homestead Miami Speedway where we'd be able to go as fast as we had the stomach for. We couldn't afford a fine, but we could afford to be patient. And the Gallardo seemed quite content to loaf along with us, enough that we could see using it to commute - just not in this color.

Model Mix

Lamborghini calls the mint green color Verde Picus. There's also a baby blue officially called Celeste Phoebe. The special hues are meant to attract more women to Lamborghini showrooms, marking the first time in its 40-year history that the Italian marque has targeted female buyers. The Gallardo Coupe (Lamborghini's best-ever selling model) was predominantly purchased by males, but Lamborghini hopes the convertible top and the pastel shades will convince females to part with 200 grand in unprecedented numbers. (Yeah, that worked wonders for the Ford Thunderbird. - Ed.) Our favorite colors, regardless of gender, are: Lamborghini's distinctive yellow (Giallo Halys); the gunmetal grey (Grigio Proteus) that looks wicked-cool with the light, reddish-brown leather interior; and a mesmerizing pearlescent white (Bianco Cygnus) that seemed to change like a mood ring from silver to white to grey in the bright Florida sun.

You can further customize your Gallardo Spyder with several different interior packages, such as the $3,910 leather package that blankets nearly every soft interior surface in supple hide. If you're a fan of the high-tech hatch pattern of carbon fiber you can cover nearly every hard surface on the interior with such trim for $8,510. And if you just love the fierce, snorting bull Lamborghini logo you can pay $910 to have it embossed on the headrests and also etched on the rims and on the dashboard. You can even have a Spyder custom painted in your favorite color for $5,700.

Lamborghini plans to sell just 350 Gallardo Spyders in the United States. The majority of those cars will go to buyers in California, Florida and Texas - in that order. In fact, the automaker expects that 36 percent of worldwide sales will come from the Golden State alone.

So the Gallardo Spyder is about as rare as modesty in professional sports and more eye-grabbing than celebrity nude shots, so we're not quite sure why you would want to spend $3,250 on the two-piece silver "Callisto" brake calipers, which adds only a slightly different look to the car. But, if you have the money and the need (maybe your neighbor just bought the same car and you want to stand out), they and other items are available as exterior options to further set your Gallardo Spyder apart.

Although the 2006 Gallardo Spyder comes pretty much loaded, there are a few options that have little to do with appearances, including a navigation system ($2,600), an anti-theft alarm ($638), heated mirrors ($173), a trip computer ($460), and a rear-view camera ($2,600). Add a few more little extras, such as leather headliner ($995) and heated, power seats ($3,340) and you will be approaching the average cost of a four-bedroom house in most states. Lamborghini expects the most popular option will be E-gear ($10,000), predicting that 80 percent of buyers will want the electronically-controlled sequential shift transmission.