By Dr Andre Lam

SANT AGATA, Italy - Ever since it was acquired by Audi Ag some 11 years ago, Lamborghini has produced only all-wheel-drive cars.

Then out of the blue, it introduces a rear-wheel-driven version of the Gallardo: the LP550-2 Valentino Balboni.

So what gives?

To be more fuel efficient? It consumes about 1.7 litres of petrol less than the standard LP560-4 in the city. But that is still about 22 litres for every 100km. Against the six-speed manual version, the optional E-Gear car is almost another litre more efficient.

But who buys a Lamborghini for its fuel efficiency?

By limiting its production to just 250 units, the CO2 savings would hardly benefit the company's overall carbon footprint. So that is not it, either.

Perhaps the car is yet another clever marketing strategy, to keep the Lamborghini nameplate on the radar screen of well-heeled buyers.

A limited run would mean this Lamborghini could become a collector's item from the start. To make it more alluring, it is named after the company's long-time test and development driver.

Mr Valentino Balboni has been working at the factory since 1973.

He was hired by Feruccio Lamborghini himself.

Recently retired, he has always been a proponent of rear-wheel-drive. So who better to sort out the dynamics of the new LP550-2 than him?

For more than a year, the bigwigs at Lamborghini had been mulling over this secret project but time was not on their side. The longer they waited, the more the horsepower war would escalate.

And 550bhp was about the maximum the engineers felt could be safely channelled to the rear wheels. Anything beyond that would require the aid of a costly electronic differential and even more development time.

Being a two-wheel-drive, the car is 30kg lighter at 1,380kg. This offsets the minor output deficit it has versus the 560bhp LP560-4. The 0-100kmh timing for the manual car is 3.9 seconds. The E-Gear version will match the 3.7 seconds accomplished by the LP560-4.

Another advantage of not having power diverted to the front wheels is steering feel, which is left pure and unadulterated. This allows the driver to feel more precisely what the LP550-2 is doing.

With all the drive torque channelled to only the rear axle, the tyre contact patches are taxed more heavily.

This is detected as more tail movement with application of full power or trailing throttle in the bends.

To the uninitiated, this might sound scary. But to the enthusiast, this is a challenge worthy of their consideration.

The LP550-2 allows Lamborghini to bat in the same ballpark as Ferrari's latest action hero, the F458. More importantly, it has the requisite characteristics for the thrill-seeker. In Corsa mode, the car will do controlled power slides in wide bends - and someone with the proper skills can easily gather the car as it exits.

The car is a great drive: extremely capable and vastly entertaining. But what is the real reason for the LP550-2? Lamborghini probably built it just to prove it could.

Also, it is a suitable tribute to a part of its history when it had rear-wheel-driven models.

It is unlikely the Italian marque will venture this way again.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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