2004 Lamborghini Gallardo

This particular example is an early 5.0-litre, 2004-registered car. Whilst this may mean you’ll have to somehow manage with *only* 493bhp, this example makes up for it by having the glorious, desirable gated manual transmission and three pedals in the offset footwell.

Let’s just recap here: Three pedals, a gated transmission and a naturally aspirated V10 engine howling away behind you. Yep, that’s a recipe that’s hard to beat!

Finished in a timeless and stylish colour combination of black-over-black, this sleek Gallardo coupé has been owned by the vendor since November 2016, when he traded in his Ferrari 612 Scaglietti to obtain this ‘raging bull’ - evidently a man of good taste, and no stranger to Italian supercars.

Having enjoyed the car, but used it sparingly during his ownership - having put only a few hundred miles on the odometer - this V10-powered head-turner is now looking for a new home, so if you’re looking to experience a Gallardo in all its glory, now is your chance.

Time has been incredibly kind to the design of the Gallardo Coupé, with the sleek lines and angular cutoffs still looking impressively fresh and modern to this day. If you don’t believe us, just ask the general public, who seemed to stop whatever they were doing and stare during our short test drive!

This particular car has clearly been well-used during its life with previous owners, with numerous small marks dotted around the bodywork. The front end has the usual smattering of stone chips you’d expect on a high-performance supercar, along with some scratches noted on the offside of the front bumper, and marks to the lower splitter.

The driver’s door is missing its lock cap/cover, though this is included with the vehicle. The bodywork is lovely and straight throughout, however, showing no sign of any impact damage.

To the rear, the raised haunches and tail of the Gallardo are also lovely and straight, whilst all the honeycomb grille elements remain in place and undamaged, though there are some areas of staining here-and-there, all of which are shown in the gallery below, whilst the exhaust tips would benefit from a thorough polishing.

All four wheels remain in presentable condition and are painted black to match the bodywork, though there are some areas of kerb racing. Given the provenance and appeal of the car they’re sat underneath, we’d suggest getting them refurbished, though this is hardly a matter of urgency and they still present well as they sit.

Inside, the fighter-jet-like centre console, expansive speedometer and figure-hugging seats give the driver a wonderful taste of what’s to come, and the gated gear lever takes pride-of-place atop the transmission tunnel.

As far as we could tell, all of the switchgear appeared to be working as intended, and the windows both go up-and-down without any fuss or noticeable hesitation. The gauges all worked correctly, and the seats are in good condition.

There are some signs of wear-and-tear to the ‘soft touch’ covering on the centre console - a common problem with VW/Audi group products of this era - though certainly nothing that couldn’t be remedied by a specialist to bring the cabin back to its best.

The standard stereo/entertainment system has been replaced by a more modern Alpine unit, though truthfully the V10 engine located directly behind the driver’s head certainly provides a stirring soundtrack all of its own, so the stereo is somewhat superfluous in a car such as this.

Elsewhere, high-traffic areas such as the door cards, pulls, inner sill covers, seat edges, shifter and steering wheel all display a light use patina, though nothing that is untoward or distracts from the overall condition of this Italian bull.

Squeezing underneath the aggressive lines of this Gallardo, the underside looks to be in generally good condition, and nothing stood out as concerning, though visibility and access wasn’t exactly what you’d call generous.

What we did note was that the underside of the front bumper is scuffed, and there appears to have been a chunk taken out of the front under tray/splitter section, though both of these issues are hidden in day-to-day use.

The most recent MOT test would confirm our suspicions that nothing is amiss, with the certificate dated 03 July 2021 showing a clean bill of health for this Gallardo on the first go around.

Now, on to the fun bit. Strap in, foot on the clutch and fire up the sonorous 5.0-litre V10 engine, which - even with a stock exhaust system - wouldn’t find it too hard to wake every neighbour in the surrounding area.

Out on the road, the gated transmission is an absolute joy to interact with, encouraging the driver to shift up-and-down through the gearbox with a wonderfully slick action and characteristic noise that you can only get from a gated transmission. The clutch, too, was wonderfully direct and easy to use.

The steering showed no sign of any alignment issues, and the brakes worked well and didn’t appear to ‘grab’ or pull the car to one side, even under heavier applications. The throttle response was quick and healthy, though we did find the car had a tendency to idle high on occasion, sitting around 1,500rpm, but quickly settling back down after a short blip on the throttle.

Similarly, the battery sounded slightly laboured when starting the car with the engine hot, though these are consumable items and with the vendor stating the car has not seen much use, it could be due a replacement.

Opening up the rear engine cover, the 5.0-litre V10 engine is revealed in all its glory, though - on account of Lamborghini’s aesthetically-pleasing packaging - there isn’t much to see. The engine and its ancillaries look to be in good health, and the engine bay generally presents well with only light staining to the walls of the bay, though we suspect a few hours of your time and some elbow grease would go a long way towards rectifying these issues.

Included with the vehicle is the original Lamborghini book pack, service record, numerous invoice and MOT certificates, a copy of the vehicle report and purchase agreement from the vendor’s time with the car, assorted manuals and two sets of keys.

The stamped service record was last added to during 2014, though an invoice for a service (and some other remedial work) totalling £2,876 dated October 2017 is included, along with a service invoice from 2016 carried out by Belgravia Garage is also included.

There is a very, very small amount of finance on the vehicle to be cleared by the seller once the auction ends.

With the future of combustion engines looking increasingly uncertain, now is the time to buy the car of your dreams, your childhood poster car, or a vehicle that gives a howling soundtrack and returns incredible performance, fuel economy be damned.

This 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo certainly fits all the above criteria, and provides a thrilling driving experience which is further enhanced by the desirable gated manual transmission. A true ‘hero’ car for the kids of the 90’s and early 2000’s, the Gallardo remains as desirable and head-turning today as it was back when it was launched.

Given the condition and mileage of the vehicle, we estimate a final hammer price in the region of £60,000 to £80,000 for this raging bull. So, go on - treat yourself and enjoy the performance and soundtrack that only a Lamborghini V10 can offer!

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; our offices are open Mon-Fri 9.00 am to 5.00pm. To arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.