AT A COST of more than $3 million, it's hardly surprising that Lamborghini's Gallardo Spyder is a great car. Or is it? In the two decades after Ferruccio Lamborghini retired to his vineyard in 1973, the cars bearing his name were associated less with sporting prowess than with entrepreneurs of the red-light district.
In the 1980s the cars from Sant'Agata Bolognese were resale suicide. That all changed in 1998, when Audi took over. In one sense, the German company is the antithesis of a super sports-car brand: vehicles mass-produced with laser-guided technology rather than by the passionate hand of an artisan. But for the 21st century - or to compete with Ferrari and Porsche - the Audi style makes perfect sense.
Let's also not forget that Audi has recently achieved extraordinary success in motor sport. The marque has won five of the past six Le Mans 24 Hours, for example. The interloper (in 2003) was Bentley - another Volkswagen-Audi adopted child.
The success of the Teutonic influence is clear. After four decades of selling about 250 cars a year, Lamborghini expects to sell 1,800 this year. With this has come profitability - something rarely experienced before at Sant'Agata.
But chief executive Stephan Winkelmann wants Lamborghini to remain a niche player. 'We need to control the growth,' says the 41-year-old German who was raised in Italy. 'The brand is our most valuable asset.'
Lamborghini's charging bull is still out-pranced by Ferrari. For instance, about 170 of Ferrari's new 430 have already been ordered in Hong Kong, meaning a wait of up to three years. Where Lamborghini might score is in its exclusivity: only 10 Gallardo Spyders will come here this year, so you're unlikely to park next to another at the IFC Mall on Saturday afternoon.