Stud Bull: Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3

No, you couldn’t wipe the grin off Luke’s his face after taking M-Motorsport’s small, lithe, mid-engined V10 around Phillip Island — a track that allowed the Lamborghini GT3 racer to show off its aerodynamic excellence to best effect.

“The aero is just amazing in this car,” he enthused.

“You can tell it doesn’t have a huge amount of straight-line speed, but I think the aero is the big thing.

“I am almost flat onto the straight in fifth and I am not pushing. So I think on the day it would be flat onto the straights.

“I am sixth gear into turn one and sixth gear up to Lukey Heights, so I am pulling big [speed] numbers.”

But it wasn’t only the grip that had Luke grinning like a loon.

“It’s a great engine. It revs a lot and sounds like a race car so you are forever plucking gears with it. I love that sound — it is actually revving and something is happening.

“The brakes are fantastic, with the anti-lock you can brake really, really late.”

Luke has significant experience driving the Audi R8 GT3 racer and can sense the similarity between it and the Lambo, which is no surprise considering their common technical heritage.

But he likes the Gallardo more than the Audi – and the other three GT3s on test here.

“It feels like an Audi,” he says. “They are essentially the same sort of thing, but I think this is a bit more race car.”

Like the Camaro, the Gallardo is developed by Reiter Engineering, but Lamborghini has taken the development of the new Huracan GT3 in-house.

That car is already racing in Europe and we will see it in Australia next year.

M-Motorsports Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 specifications:
Engine: 5.0-litre V10
Displacement: 4961cc
Bore x stroke: 84.5x98.8mm
Max Power: 447kW
Max Torque: 540Nm
Transmission: Holinger six-speed sequential, paddle-operated
Suspension: Double wishbones front and rear
Brakes: Six-piston front callipers, four-piston rear callipers
Wheels: 18x11-inch front, 18x12.5-inch rear
Tyres: 300/650 R18 front, 310/710 R18 rear
Length: 4340mm
Width: 1930mm
Height: 1100mm
Wheelbase: 2560mm
Weight: 1238kg
Weight distribution: Not given