Looking very much like the baby brother to the Murcielago that it is, the Gallardo debuted in Geneva with a 493-hp, 5.0-liter V-10 engine mated to a six-speed paddle-shift gearbox. Due to arrive Stateside this fall for about $150,000, the Ferrari 360 Modena competitor's powertrain is mounted behind the driver in an aluminum spaceframe. Unlike the gull-winged Murcielago, the Gallardo's doors are hinged conventionally at the front. The 3153-pound coupe from Sant'Agata Bolognese is only 14.1 feet long but rides on a relatively long, 8.4-foot wheelbase. A viscous-coupling-based all-wheel-drive system helps compensate for the unevenly split (42/58 percent front/rear) weight distribution. Lamborghini claims a 0-to-60-mph time of 4.0 seconds and a top speed of 193 mph.
BOTTOM LINE: The long-planned, long-delayed baby Lambo finally arrives.