Lamborghini Gallardo Replacement Spied: It Looks About How You’d Expect It To

When the word “Lamborghini” pops into one’s head, it’s difficult to not reach up into the ether and snatch down an image of a wild, doorstop-shaped road-burner. These spy photos—courtesy of notorious Italian spy Marchettino and London-based supercar photographer Shmee150—of what appears to be the Gallardo’s replacement prove that, with the exception of the upcoming Urus SUV, Lamborghini has no intention of messing with its image.

A few things point to these photos being the real deal, not the least of which being the Lamborghini sign on the building behind the prototype, and that building’s striking resemblance to Lamborghini’s test facility at the Nardò Ring in Italy. Otherwise, the car’s shape and wheels couldn’t be mistaken for anything built outside of Sant’Agata. Even though the test mules are covered in some pretty heavy camouflage, it’s clear that the next Gallardo will get pointier, more-Aventador-like styling—check out those headlights and the chamfered, angled exhaust tips.

The car will make use of a new platform cribbed from Volkswagen Group’s modular sports-car (MSS) architecture. That piece of kit is expected to underpin the next Audi R8 as well, and a future Porsche model, too. We don’t expect the Gallardo’s replacement to feature any radical powertrain changes, meaning it should get a version of its current 5.2-liter V-10 that’s been updated to make close to 600 horsepower. No manual transmission will be offered, although Lamborghini plans to again offer a rear-drive version in addition to the slightly tamer all-wheel-drive model.

Look for the Gallardo’s replacement to arrive for 2014; as for what it will be called, that’s still a mystery. Internet rumor has it that the new sports car will be called Cabrera; we assume this signifies a break from the Italian marque’s tradition of naming cars after famed Spanish fighting bulls, and will begin a new tradition of naming cars after Detroit Tigers third basemen.