Two Wheels to Tango

Discovering the exquisite joy of rear-wheel drive in the Lamborghini LP 550-2.

Discovering the exquisite joy of rear-wheel drive in the Lamborghini LP 550-2.

When it comes to supercars,none delivers a stronger initial impression than Lamborghini. They are as low-slung as a bump in the carpet,their oversized 10- and 12-cylinder engines produce massive thrust and with four-wheel drive,their cars stick to the road like theyre using Velcro. Recently,however,Lamborghini has discovered the joys of rear-wheel drive,prompted to some extent by its chief test driver Valentino Balboni. While four-wheel drive may offer more pace,two-wheel drive is comparatively more involving. Because there is no driveshaft sending power to the front wheels,there is more feel from the uncorrupted steering,and this makes driving more fun. And there is less under-steer too; the front wheels lose grip early as they have less work to do. Here they only need to steer,brake and grip; not transmit power as well.

As I strap up for my initialisation lap with this car,Lambos first regular two-wheel-drive model in years,a few thoughts run through my head. Strapping into a Murciélago,this cars scary,big,V12-powered sister,can be compared to strapping yourself to a ballistic missile and hanging on for dear life. But things arent as dramatic here. If power is divided by four on the Gallardo LP 560-4,here its 275bhp per rear wheel. So the driver has to do more work. But thats not a bad thing; far from it.

The V10 motor barks into life over my left shoulder and the semi-automatic gearbox engages with a refined clunk. Chinas entire Grand Prix circuit in Shanghai is open to us and I set out for a familiarisation lap. Ive driven here before and am fully aware of how tight and technical some sections of this track can get. So I administer the throttle very progressively and make sure I steer an almost perfect line.

Initially,things are a bit disappointing. The steering is slightly slow-witted around the straight-ahead,probably to prevent you from unsettling the rear of the car,the motor does not have the punch you expect in the bottom end and the cast-iron discs have a dead zone when you initially tap the brakes. The systems,however,tighten up as I make the motor scream a little bit more and the car wakes up as the pace builds.

This Gallardo isnt even breaking into a sweat,but I can feel forces at work that are very different from a four-wheel drive. The steering has more feel and weight,the tendency of the car to understeer is drastically reduced and the rear shuffles its weight from one hip to the other as I get on and off the throttle. It feels alive,with twitchy hips,and you can actually use your right foot to help steer the car. You can feel the effect the g-force has on the V10 motor,its weight and the cars balance get flung from side to side.

The next thing you appreciate is how well this motor has been calibrated. The two-wheel-drive version is down on power,sacrificed to make the throttle more linear and progressive. And Lamborghini has succeeded in making it very precise; it allows you to drip-feed power to the overloaded rear wheels in exactly the right dose. The car transforms itself once you get your confidence up and begin to use it to its full potential. The steering feels faster and more alive,you learn where and how to attack the throttle and where not to,and Lamborghinis ESP has been tuned to allow a bit more slip from the rear.

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A set of corners goes something like this: Brake hard in a straight line,get smoothly off the brake pedal as you turn in,pay attention to the weight transfer and that little bit of slippy slide behind you,get a feel of the grip in the front tyres and then when the car is pointing straight-ish,introduce some throttle,progressively. The motor howls as it nears the redline,you get pushed back in the seat,you snatch the next gear and the car snakes its way out of corners. So its easy to get carried away and even though this car is one sweet handler,you often need to check yourself.

All too soon,the drive is over,leaving me longing for more. Compact,very potent and re-calibrated for rear-wheel drive only,the LP 550-2 immerses you in the driving experience. Is there any better way to enjoy a supercar? And the best part,it comes with a practical lift feature for poor roads and costs the same as a regular Gallardo. Yes,Rs 2.35 crore is a lot. But I challenge you to find a more fun way to spend that money.

The writer is deputy editor,AutocarIndia