If there’s one thing the internet remains regularly successful at beyond ragebaiting and spreading misinformation, it’s reminding everyone that they’re older than they feel. For instance, the viral post about how “That ’70s Show” premiered in 1998 and was initially set in 1976, which means if it launched today and kept a similar time gap, it would be “That 2000s Show.” The restomod industry’s a bit like that, because it keeps creeping newer and newer. Another was one announced over the weekend and it’s a reimagining of the … Lamborghini Gallardo?
In a way, the story of the Gallardo starts in the mid-’90s, before Audi owned Lamborghini but after Chrysler’s disposition. Then-owner Megatech was exploring the potential of a new entry-level model, and it teamed up with Italdesign to create something called the Cala. Powered by a 395-horsepower four-liter V10, the project ended up being shelved before production, but there was clearly something to that mid-engined V10 formula. Flash forward to 2003, and the first entry-level Lamborghini in 15 years launched with a five-liter V10, all-wheel-drive, and a distinctly wedgy form.
The Gallardo was an instant success, a fixture of music videos and fantasy garages alike. Sure, early models weren’t perfect—the gear ratios were rather long, the exhaust was a bit quiet, and the handling was more confident than it was electrifying. However, by 2006, Lamborghini had addressed all of those concerns and more, with a 20-horsepower boost as the cherry on top. Indeed, a 2006 through 2008 Gallardo is a brilliant, semi-attainable supercar you can still use just about every day, which makes the prospect of a restomod seem a bit strange.
This is the Cavën Atelier x Fabrizio Giugiaro Hommage 26, a restomod of what is effectively a reasonably modern, fuel-injected, 192-MPH car. A chance for the Gallardo’s original designer to have another crack at it, now that lighting technology and composite manufacturing have moved on by roughly a quarter of a century. Pricing starts at just over a million dollars excluding the donor vehicle, so what do you actually get for seven figures?
It starts with bodywork that’s effectively all new. New fenders, new bumpers, a new engine cover, even a new pair of doors. That’s all capped off by slim, modern LED lighting, and the result is going to take getting used to. While the shaved doors and slightly pumped arches look fabulous, the headlights and taillights make it seem as if a time traveller moved a rock or something. They’re just not quite era-appropriate in appearance, even if the idea of pop-down headlamps seems fabulous.
Perhaps the most contentious bit of the updated styling will be the black accents connecting the reshaped bumper grilles with the headlamps. Or the new and rather ornate exhaust tips. The former does dredge up some “Need For Speed: Most Wanted” nostalgia, but the latter really are a lot. Oh, and the flying buttresses are gone too, although Giugiaro’s take on a classic slatted engine cover is fetching in its own way. Inside, you’ll find loads of leather and suede, Q-citura-style stitching, and perhaps most intriguingly, an updated shifter.
That’s for a gated manual gearbox, and it comes connected to a slightly brawnier even-fire V10. Figure 540 to 560 horsepower with a redline bumped up to 8,500 RPM. Updated adjustable dampers, bigger brakes, and a new wheel and tire setup round out the performance package, which ought to add a little extra spring to the baby bull’s step. In an age of four-figure power outputs and forced induction, there’s something rare, approachable, and reasonably exploitable about this sort of powertrain.
Here’s the thing: If you want a well-kept 2006 to 2008 gated manual Gallardo with the performance updates but before the Audi-shared odd-fire V10 came in, you’re looking at a price tag of between $200,000 and $275,000. For that money, you still get an excellent car that doesn’t really have typical old car problems. It’ll start on the button every time, you’ll never have to rebuild carbs, or tune Bosch Jetronic, or sweat through your shirt in the summer because the air-con’s feeble, or really worry much about safety. It has airbags and stability control, and aside from potential oil pump wear (get the pump rebuilt and have the rod bearings done if pressure’s low) and soft-touch buttons going a bit sticky, the general list of common issues is about what you’d find on a slightly older Corolla. Fix leaks as they crop up, and otherwise, just enjoy what is still a fast, enthralling car.
Because you don’t really need to un-jankify a Gallardo, the business case for a restomod is a bit limited. Even though Cavën Atelier is only planning on building 25 of its Hommage 26 rework, it’s still an intensely niche proposition. Weirder still, it’s not the only Gallardo restomod out there. The Tedson Etna might not feature the handiwork of the original designer, but it promises to scream to 10,000 RPM. A rather different proposition, then. Still, were the 2000s really that long ago that we need two Gallardo restomods?
Top graphic image: Cavën Atelier
The Gallardo is a cool and iconic car as is. Why mess with it?
When all you can afford is a Civic you mess with it, and when you can afford a Gallardo, you still mess with it. We’re all kind of the same that way.
Uhhh…this isn’t really “restomod”, this is just “mod”. What advancements in automotive technology were put on this car? This isn’t a 64 Mustang with modern suspension, dual fuel injection, four piston brakes and a litany of modern upgrades, this is just a Gallardo with some work done.