Two much

Kyle Pereira flogs the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 around an F1 circuit.

What a rush, I tell you! If you’re one to scoff at the idea of a 2-wheel drive Lamborghini, you ought to get behind the wheel of the new LP 550-2 and belt the thing down a race track. I did just that, on the Shanghai F1 circuit and the raging Bull galvanised every hair follicle I had!

Think blood rushes, because that’s what the 550 causes when you shift up and stomp on the throttle. The engine whooshes like the opening of a dam’s sluice gates and you are pinned to the seat. The pace picks up and your facial muscles automatically contort into a shakey smile. Before you know it, you’re approaching the braking marker, always too fast for the Lamborghini instructor sitting beside you, who’s already clawing at the door in panic — and all of this with the Corsa mode switched off. Brake hard and your innards are flung forward, though you’re held in place by those seat belts. Before your intestines emerge through your ribcage, you attack the corner, trying to remember what racing lines are all about.

Enter on the outside, straighten out the corner by taking the inside near the apex and then exit wide. All that sounds easy, but when you're being shoved by 550 bhp from behind your tail and your heart’s pounding like a howitzer, it's a different story. The Gallardo sticks like glue, though, its potential far exceeding what my driving ability can ever be, and I get out of the kink with the car in third gear. In return, I get a thumbs up from the instructor. Maybe that’s the cue that he wants to get the hell out of the car. Or maybe he’s impressed. Who knows?

The third time around, my Chinese passenger is a tad less nervous and doesn’t wince when I begin to push a little harder and brake a little later. Down the straight, I slow down to let the car ahead build a lead. Pedal to the metal and the engine comes on pipe and whips the orange bull ahead. Strangely, the 210 kph on the speedo feels like half of what it’s reading. That’s the kind of car the LP 550-2 is, the kind that fools you into thinking that insane speeds are rather pedestrian.

But the LP550-2 goes beyond going fast, er, fast. It’s about the whole package — the style that goes along with the performance. Step out of the car, and what greets you is a brilliant specimen of kinetic sculpture. Every bulge, every line and every panel oozes speed and air-slashing sharpness. The design speaks to you, not with subtle hints but with an unabashed in-your-face attitude. It’s aggressive, strong and something that demands serious respect. I was gazing at a poster of a white car shot before a stark white background and it did something that no other car could ever pull off. It stood out, white on white; it almost jumped at me.

Once you’ve experienced the sort of thrill that only a few cars other than a Lamborghini can dole out in shiploads, you want to dig deeper into what makes it tick. First of all, you really have to understand the nomenclature behind the name. LP stands for “Longitudinale Posteriore”, which describes the placement of the engine — longitudinally just before the rear axle. 550 describes the 550 bhp output of the motor, while the 2 tells the world that the car is two-wheel driven. The LP 550-2 is another addition to the Gallardo range of Lamborghinis, a model that has sold in the highest numbers ever in the history of the marque.

The direct injected V10 engine, all 5204ccs of it, puts out 550 horses along with 55.06 kgm of torque. This kind of grunt is good for a claimed 0-100 kph time of 3.9 seconds, while the top whack of the 1,380 kg car is pegged at 320 kph. To keep the centre of gravity low — essential for a thoroughbred sports machine — the cylinders have been placed at 90 degrees from each other, while dry sump lubrication helps achieve the same goal.

The LP550-2 is a rear wheel driven car, and the live axle offers a locking effect of up to 45 per cent limited slip. This translates into optimum transfer of torque, and coupled with the tweaked ESP setup, offers supreme driving performance. If you thought converting a four-wheel driven Gallardo into the 550-2 was simply ditching the live front axle, you couldn’t be more wrong. Everything’s been analysed and worked upon accordingly, and the springs, dampers and stabilisers have all been customised for the 550-2. Heck, Pirelli has even developed the tyres — 235/35 ZR 19 up front and 295/30 ZR 19 at the rear — specifically for the LP.

Now if that isn’t enough, you could strap on some kick-ass optional kit. Take for example the automated e-gear transmission that boasts of quicker shift times. For those who believe performance is everything, the carbon-ceramic brake system that's available as an extra add-on will seem very appetising indeed. As if owning an LP 550-2 isn’t exotic enough, maybe the “Ad Personam” program will make the Lamborghini fit in with the individualistic you. You can customise the interiors as well as the exteriors according to your liking and the Accessori Originali will go on to add that extra edge to the already sensational 550-2.

This is the sort of car that you can never sneak away with. Drive up to a bank in the 550-2 with the intention of robbing it, and you’ll have the manager roll out a red carpet straight to the vault, complete with the combination printed in gold ink. Doors will be kicked open for you and you will never be short of at least half a dozen pretty companions. People will look at you with delight, jealousy and more than just a little contempt. That’s the human psyche, to hate what cannot be comprehended; to abhor what cannot be attained. But trust me, you’ll love to be on the receiving end of all that, simply because with a LP550-2 in your garage, you’ve arrived in life.

On the other hand, for people like me who’ve briefly sampled the kick of a raging Lamborghini bull, it’s like getting your first tattoo. The experience gets into your skin, inking it permanently for the world to see. It stays with you till the very end. The bull brands you for life.

(The writer was on a media invite from Lamborghini to drive the LP 550-2 in Shanghai, China)