Lamborghini Was Planning To Build 100 Such Gallardos but Suddenly Decided To Scrap Project

The Lamborghini Gallardo Concept S is a collectors' dream. It has been so since day one. A true contemporary unicorn. A vision in white. A one-off that But the story started as an unaccomplished dream for Lamborghini. It would eventually turn out that putting it into production just wasn't realistic.

The concept car came out of the then-head of Design, Luc Donckerwolke, at Centro Stile Lamborghini. He had just joined the Italian marque after it had been purchased by the Volkswagen Group. He found inspiration in Marcello Gandini's daring approach but spread some modern magic dust on it. Somehow, all the cars that came out of the hands of the Belgian designer were simple but extreme.

He was the one who had penned the 2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0, the 2002 Lamborghini Murcielago, and the 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo. He also worked alongside Walter de Silva on the 2006 Lamborghini Miura.

The Gallardo Concept S was officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2005 as an extreme iteration of the open-top Spyder version of the Gallardo.

Lamborghini never anticipated the hype that built around the Gallardo Concept S

It was a contemporary interpretation of the single-seater racing car but sporting twin side-by-side cockpits. In Geneva, the brand's loyal customers started inquiring: When will it go into production? How much will it cost? When will it be delivered? Lamborghini did not have an answer to all these questions. They did not anticipate the hype the concept car would cause.

But their concept car wasn't even functional. Its top speed was that of the trailer truck that had brought it to Geneva. Then and there, they decided to send it to production as fast as possible. The original undriveable prototype went to the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese.

The drivable prototype, however, made its public debut at the Concorso Italiano in August 2006. It came with redesigned so-called "scute-vent," which is French for windscreens, which were lowered for homologation reasons.

There were tiny protective windscreens also positioned on the partition that split the cabin in two, creating a two-cockpit layout. It was an extreme design that the designer used in order to create that true roadster open-air vibe. Just like the McLaren Elva or the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2. There was nothing to get in the way of the extraordinary experience.

With the driveable Lamborghini Gallardo Concept S, the Italians also improved aerodynamics. Improved front and rear spoilers showed up. The automaker also installed a large air diffuser.

The vehicle is powered by Lamborghini's rear-mounted 5.0-liter V10 engine, generating 520 horsepower. The Italian house was planning to produce 100 examples that would only reach select customers.

The first driveable prototype was also the last

However, in 2006, building this prototype made them realize that production costs would be too high and manufacturing would take up too much time. Therefore, the first example, chassis #001, was also the last.

The model changed hands several times. In 2006 and 2008, Lamborghini invited the owners to display it at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It was last sold in 2017 when someone paid $1,320,000 at an RM Sotheby's event. Back then, the odometer read only 180 kilometers (112 miles).

The auction house tried to auction it off again in November 2019, with an estimated price between $1.3 and $1.6. But it failed to sell.

Today, the almost two-decade-old sports car still looks futuristic, as if it did not lose anything along the way. The car was the star of the latest video uploaded to the CuratedTV YouTube channel. The one behind the steering wheel of the Gallardo Concept S says that it is, indeed, the kind of car you would want a helmet for. For the moment, sunglasses and a hat will have to do.

Once switched to Sport mode, that V10 roars its way through traffic of Miami, Florida, like no tomorrow, and popcorning through the exhaust when downshifting. The one driving it says the experience is almost like piloting a motorcycle.

The one-off is street-legal, registered, has insurance, and can be serviced with stock Gallardo parts. Curated purchased it late last year and sold it to a very young collector in the United States, and he is planning to drive the Lambo that has been a garage queen for its entire lifetime.

It currently has only 227 kilometers (141 miles) on the clock. It hasn’t been driven by too many people in the 18 years since it rolled off the production line of the plant in Sant'Agata Bolognese, northern Italy. Back in 2006 at Pebble Beach, the designer of the car, Luc Donckerwolke, drove the model with the CEO of Lamborghini, Stephan Winkelman, in the passenger seat.