V12 Vantage vs Gallardo
Discussion
Having just spent last weekend and over 1000 miles driving to the 'Ring and back in the company of this '07 Gallardo (520bhp) I feel better informed to comment on how the cars compare.
First of all I'd forgotten how much fun simply driving in Europe can be in cars like this. It's absolutely what they were designed for and it's even more fun with a similar car to spar with. As it happens, for a 'Ring trip, it was a relative disaster. The track was shut on the Sunday, the day we had planned for all day lapping, so we ended up only getting the one lap in on Saturday evening. That's a long way to go for one lap but it was a great opportunity see how the Vantage behaved in more testing circumstances. The answer was very well. There's a limit to how good any heavy road car can be on a track but for what it is, I was genuinely impressed. I wouldn't recommend one for regular track use (if nothing else, for the expense) but for occasional use you could do a lot worse. In fact the only other heavy road car I've driven that felt tidy on the track was my R34 Skyline GTR. However unlike the Vantage it was bone jarring on the road. The V12V's carbon seats, brakes, near perfect balance and especially the corsa tyres all came into their own on that lap. However I strongly advise against doing playstation laps in an attempt to learn the track. It undid everything I thought I knew about the lap and I was left constantly surprised by the gradients, camber. The reference points in the game are just no use whatsoever! As a result the lap was pretty intimidating and I thought I was getting a reasonable grasp on the place before this trip. The corsa tyres were immense round there though and the mighty 12 thundered me up the fast uphill sections, faster than I've ever done it before. A lap from the likes of Sabine Schmidt in a V12V would be as intense as a base jump!
So given 1000 miles is a long way to go for 1 lap it was the car's breathtaking road covering ability that redeemed the trip. That and french A-roads. My advice, if you have the time, is to get off the motorways as soon as possible. After pounding down the german autobahns (I was amazed how much less fun speeding is when you're allowed to!) across Luxembourg and over the border to France we got off the motorway and the whole trip instantly came to life. Perfectly smooth, wide, winding, country roads, no hedges to restrict visibily, no gendarmes in sight, hardly any other cars either and two truly epic road cars, fully let off the leash. After about 30kms it was time to swap places and try each other's cars.
The differences are stark. The biggest surprise was to find an even more 'in your face' steering wheel position than the Vantage! But now to the business of driving down a glorious quiet french a-road. The Gallardo is a more physical car to drive. All the control weights are heavier. The throttle needs a good punt to wake the V10, the gears a good yank and shove around the gate. But actually this adds to the feeling. Changing gear in a manual lamborghini is an all-body action, just as it should be. It's befits the screaming soundtrack that you should be giving your all behind the wheel - just as the engine is, behind you. Gearchanges are faster at high revs, in fact the whole car works better at 10/10ths, like it's been set up for it. It's Italian so you want drama and in the Gallardo (the most sensible Lambo ever, by far) it's nice to know that you still get it but a major contributor is the open-gate manual. The engine is another high point. With the exhaust valves wide open it is offensively loud and it just wants to rev itself to death. 7-8k is where it's at its sharpest and that's the zone you have to be in if you want to keep up with a fully lit V12 Vantage. For some it might be all a bit too histrionic but it's undeniably fun, if overall a bit crude after the Vantage. It doesn't do 5/10ths very well and is quite hard to drive smoothly. Either way I won't have a bad word said about the Gallardo, it's a brilliant, useable, exciting, life-affirming car and I was very priviledged to get to know one on that road.
Back in the Vantage you can pretty quickly appreciate the extra torque (Vantage has an extra litre of capacity), more bespoke beautifully finished interior, slick controls and overall dynamic polish. It feels shorter wheelbase than the Gallardo. Steering is similar in that they are both quite sensitive to steering inputs and both settle into a corner nicely, increasing confidence. You can get on the power in the 4wd lambo earlier in the lower gears. The V12's instant torque is something to be a bit wary of at lower speeds but from 3rd gear and above it really helps to dig the tyres into the asphalt and launch you forth with brutal intent.
Of course what I wanted to know most was which car was quicker (obviously hoping the answer would be mine) and the truth is, despite their virtually opposite approaches to going fast, there is absolutely nothing in it. A fantastic memory and highlight of the trip was a side by side motorway duel from around 80mph to about 165mph. It was flat through fourth, fifth and into top. The Vantage is a bit higher geared (it needs to be with 1000 fewer revs to play with) so it pulls ahead when the Gallardo has to go for fifth. Then the gallardo pulls back level when the vantage goes for another gear. It's like that all the way to near 170 and you suspect both cars wouldn't give an inch, deadlocked in a battle all the way to the limiters in top. It's an overused word but it was utterly awesome!
You have to conclude therefore that the LP560 must be quicker still and what a car that must be, but I'll take full blown Gallardo performance along with all the other fantastic and unique virtues of the V12 Vantage. The car was staggeringly good, and even more important, staggeringly fun. The V12 motor just sounds so intoxicating, but when there isn't a Gallardo in the tunnel stealing your thunder (quite literally), it sounds scintillating and I shall be going through enormous withdrawal symptoms until my next fix.
The photo was taken in the hills overlooking Epernay in the Champagne region and sums up the titanic clash that took place over 1000 miles and six countries, last weekend.
Thankyou Aston Martin.
Edited by The Pits on Saturday 7th May 14:44
Great write up.
Can I just say what a lovely garage you have and how enlightening it is to able able to read a description of each car you have owned!!!
It's so dissapointing to go to someone's garage and to try and read up a little on their car ownership to be greeted with "no description"
Can I just say what a lovely garage you have and how enlightening it is to able able to read a description of each car you have owned!!!
It's so dissapointing to go to someone's garage and to try and read up a little on their car ownership to be greeted with "no description"
Just got back from 2750 miles around Europe in the Elise.
Yes I missed the Vantage, especially its air con in Tuscany, it was stinking hot!
I followed the mille miglia and there were a serious lack of modern Astons out there, an oversight to be put right next year.
It really is a whole country given over to celebrate the car for three days. Old men with sticks line the streets, schools are shut to cheer and wave flags and teenagers fill the hills holding out home made signs that read 'gas! gas!'. Give them some revs or better still a wheelspin and they go beserk - whatever car you're in. Literally a caned fiat panda would get just as big a cheer as a blower bentley. They went wild for the Elise too but a bit of stick from a modern Aston would send them delirious! Including the Polizia!
Simply incredible atmosphere and the Futa pass is somewhere you simply have to drive, so you may as well do it chasing a Ferrari F40 or 250 GT racer while you're at it.
I'd also go via the Grimsel Pass in Switzerland. It would be a near religious experience in a modern Aston. Good place to stop and eat at the top too.
I've most likely had all my euro trips for this year condensed into one amazing May. If you're planning a trip soon the Grimsel Pass (which leads on to the Furka Pass) is probably the best road I've ever driven on in Europe. Can't wait to take the Vantage back there next year.
Yes I missed the Vantage, especially its air con in Tuscany, it was stinking hot!
I followed the mille miglia and there were a serious lack of modern Astons out there, an oversight to be put right next year.
It really is a whole country given over to celebrate the car for three days. Old men with sticks line the streets, schools are shut to cheer and wave flags and teenagers fill the hills holding out home made signs that read 'gas! gas!'. Give them some revs or better still a wheelspin and they go beserk - whatever car you're in. Literally a caned fiat panda would get just as big a cheer as a blower bentley. They went wild for the Elise too but a bit of stick from a modern Aston would send them delirious! Including the Polizia!
Simply incredible atmosphere and the Futa pass is somewhere you simply have to drive, so you may as well do it chasing a Ferrari F40 or 250 GT racer while you're at it.
I'd also go via the Grimsel Pass in Switzerland. It would be a near religious experience in a modern Aston. Good place to stop and eat at the top too.
I've most likely had all my euro trips for this year condensed into one amazing May. If you're planning a trip soon the Grimsel Pass (which leads on to the Furka Pass) is probably the best road I've ever driven on in Europe. Can't wait to take the Vantage back there next year.
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