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Running with the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder

How does one prepare for their first drive in a Lamborghini? In my case, my bosses did what any responsible parent would do before sending their kid off on a first date with a crazed Italian -- hand me the keys to a car that has even more horsepower than the Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder I was getting set to drive.

That car would be our long-term 2011 Cadillac CTS-V wagon. Our Caddy has worn a lot of hats thus far, reporting for duty as a beer hauler, canyon carver, and grocery getter. And now we can add Lambo primer to that list. As you've probably noticed, the Italian supercar maker has been busy dominating headlines with its one-off Aventador J and more recently the polarizing Urus SUV concept. If that weren't enough, Lambo even found time to augment its line of Gallardo variants. And to show off those new Gallardos, the automaker recently hosted a ride and drive event for current and potential Lambo owners and I was asked to crash the party.

"So, drive any interesting cars lately?" a Lambo rep asked while I filled out the requisite paperwork. "Actually, yes," I replied. "I drove a CTS-V wagon up to this event. "
"Oh, OK. But how about any, like, supercars?"

Wait, what? How dare he! I felt compelled to defend our CTS-V. Perhaps he was unaware that the Caddy's supercharged V-8 puts out 556 hp -- 14 more than the Gallardo I was about to drive. Did I mention it has a manual transmission? But I bit my tongue and instead told him about the Mercedes SLS AMG I recently spent a few days with and he seemed impressed with that.

I then turned my attention to the driveway where five Gallardos were waiting, including the LP 570-4 Spyder Performante and the new LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale. An Aventador was also in attendance, but unfortunately it was off limits for drives.  Instead, my first Lambo experience ever would be in the Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder, unveiled at the 2011 L.A. auto show. It's no Aventador, but hey, it has all the necessary Lambo essentials -- a 542-hp, 5.2-liter V-10 was sitting right behind my head and its sharp, angular, sheetmetal still managed to drop my jaw despite a design that's some eight years old now. Unlike most of its all-wheel drive siblings, this LP 550-2 Spyder only sends power to the rear wheels (thus the "2" after LP 550), which means you're potentially twice as likely to end up in a ditch. Let your guard down for even a second and this bull will buck hard, as I discovered later that day (more on that later).

But the best part? The sound. Bellissimo! The Gallardo's benzina-powered boombox loudly growls and snarls right behind your ear. It's ridiculously addicting. When it comes to supercar soundtracks, the Lexus LFA's V-10, with its precise, angry, racecar-like wail, had long topped my list. The Gallardo, however, definitely made a case for itself.