Gallardo Gets Midlife Help From Audi R8

SANT'AGATA BOLOGNESE, Italy — The four-year-old Lamborghini Gallardo looks set to benefit from a raft of developments created by parent company Audi for its newly introduced R8.

According to the head of development at Audi, Ulrich Hackenberg, the R8 will donate its rear suspension and a number of other unspecified components to the Gallardo as part of a mid-life face-lift planned for the midengine two-seater in 2008.

Despite their outward differences, the Gallardo and R8 are based around a common set of mechanical components, making the proposed changes relatively inexpensive. The new rear suspension, a development of the Gallardo's existing double-wishbone setup, adopts a trailing link within its design that's claimed to provide added toe-in effect for what Hackenberg describes as "more controlled cornering."

Hackenberg, who has recently been chosen to oversee new-car development at Volkswagen, says the new arrangement will be tuned to suit the Gallardo's more sporting nature, with unique bushings and anti-roll bar rates helping to set it apart from the R8.

Other developments rumored but not yet officially confirmed for the face-lifted Gallardo include a new direct injection system for its 5.0-liter V10 engine. Among other fine tuning, it is expected to help boost the Sant'Agata supercar's reserves from today's 520 horsepower up to around 550. Such a system is already used on the R8's 4.2-liter V8, which produces 420 hp.

source: insideline