After staying in production for no less than 10 years, in which it became the best-selling Lamborghini of all times, the Gallardo was finally replaced this year with the brand-new Huracan.
One might be led to believe that the racing version of the Gallardo is getting on a bit and will thus be outpaced by newer rivals, including its sister Huracan racer – but that’s not a foregone conclusion.
Last June, Lamborghini issued a press release naming German racing outfit Reiter Engineering its exclusive and official partner for the Gallardo GT3, its development and its production.
Reiter Engineering has built more than 100 racing cars and achieved over 100 wins and 400 podium finishes and now it has unveiled a heavily revised version of the Gallardo GT3.
The Reiter Gallardo Extensto ditches the rear aluminum side panels for carbon fiber ones that cover the 13 cm wider rear track, which reaches the class maximum of 205 cm and ensures better handling. There are also new headlights inspired by the Reiter Murcielago R-SV GT1.
Reiter has also fettled the V10 engine with race camshafts and new Mahle pistons that improve reliability, increase torque and reduce fuel consumption. Oh, and the soundtrack is better, too.
“The surprising and at the same time overwhelming popularity of our SaReNi Camaro GT3 showed us that for motorsport fans at least a great sound and aggressive looks are crucial for a GT race car”, explains Hans Reiter, owner of the race and tuning company Reiter Engineering. “The Reiter Gallardo Extenso must and will portray these features more predominantly. With this in mind, the sound development is at the top of the new specifications along with the visual packaging.”
Reiter Engineering will deliver 10 cars priced at €240,000 (US$298,000), including the 24-hour endurance race kit, to customers who will enter the Blancpain GT Series, the US Pirelli World Challenge and the SRO GT Sports Club Series. All of them will be clad in carbon fiber (bar the aluminum doors) and, depending on the customer’s choice, feature a carbon-black or titanium-grey paint job.