An engagingly raging bull
A three-day drive in Lambo's newest model gets our columnist's heart racing (and nearly gets her arrested).
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(Fortune Magazine) -- "Did he see us?" I screamed to my automotive accomplice, whom I'll call Speed Queen, as I dug into the carbon ceramic brakes and wrestled the new Lamborghini LP560-4 to a standstill. About 100 feet off the car's chiseled bug-green nose, a California Highway Patrol cruiser was attempting to herd the black Lambo Murciélago to the shoulder.
A narrow escape! And only the first, as it turned out, over the course of Lamborghini's annual three-day Giro driving event - this year from Lake Tahoe to Pebble Beach.
As Speed Queen (name withheld to protect the guilty, but I'll tell you this: She is automotive royalty and a real hotshoe) and I crept away, cackling at our good fortune, a second CHP car pulled up alongside us and pointed us over. In fact, he lassoed more than 30 of us at once. The breakdown lane was a techno Italian rainbow.
"Our switchboard lit up with reports of a pack of wild Ferraris tearing up the road," he said sternly to the group.
"Well, guess we can go then - we're all driving Lamborghinis!" I quipped. He released us with a warning, but within a few miles, the same bad behavior resumed - ridiculous speeding, dangerous passes, insane lane changes. Delightful!
Although all current Lambos are likely to increase your blood pressure and decrease your common sense, the latest iteration of the entry-level Gallardo, the LP560-4, is truly a leap ahead. As SQ and I revved our way toward Mammoth Lake, our first overnight, we were impressed by simple yet chic touches, such as the quilted Alcantara headliner and the black suede steering wheel - perfect for grip no matter how sweaty the palms.
As the odometer logged first 100, then 200 miles, we began to worry that the gas gauge hadn't moved much. Malfunction? No: The LP560-4 is 44 pounds lighter than its predecessor, aerodynamically more slippery, and fully 18% more efficient (fuel economy and CO2 emissions) than its predecessor.
We made quick use of every foot-pound of torque, every one of the V-10's 560 horses - and every bit of the all-wheel-drive system's gluelike grip. As we passed (and passed and passed) other Lambos in our herd, I began to thoroughly trust this brawny bull: The LP560-4 (great cars occasionally have bad names) is boldly capable of raw performance, sounds so hot it should have a parental block on it, and looks sexy enough to stand up to the Murciélago, a V-12-powered sibling.
In fact, as we bombed through Yosemite, I realized that Lambo's latest is actually addictive. Why drive conservatively when you can nail yourself to the seat with every shift? The darn thing even navigates brilliantly, thanks to the Audi unit onboard (Audi owns Lamborghini), and a back-up camera solves one of the car's few flaws - rear visibility.
Ferrari has long owned quality and haute performance, but now Lambo has caught up. As we pulled into a foggy Pebble Beach on the last day, the young valet attendant summed it up best: "Wow! I'll put this in the front spot - all those Ferraris here are for old guys, but this is totally cool!" 
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