2004 Lamborghini Gallardo: A Game-Changing Entry-Level Supercar

The 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo revolutionized the brand, offering an entry-level supercar with a powerful V10 at an accessible price.

### The 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo: A Game-Changer in the Supercar World
* 🚗 The 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo, while not as fast or high-tech as newer models, boasts a **powerful V10 engine** and an **attractive price point**, making it a standout choice for supercar enthusiasts.
* 🔍 This particular Gallardo is up for auction on Cars and Bids, featuring **low mileage of around 177,000** and remains largely unmodified, presenting a **unique opportunity for potential buyers**.
* 📈 The Gallardo marked Lamborghini's return to the **entry-level segment** after a **16-year hiatus**, allowing the brand to reach a **wider audience** and compete with rivals like the **Ferrari F430** and **Ford GT**.
* 💪 With a starting price of approximately **$165,000** and a **5.0L V10 engine** producing **500 horsepower**, the Gallardo offered **significant power and performance** for its class when it was released.
* 🎨 The design of the Gallardo retained the **iconic Lamborghini aesthetic**, featuring a **wedge shape and dramatic styling**, although it notably lacked the **scissor doors** found on higher-end models.
* 🔧 Inside, the Gallardo showcased a blend of **Lamborghini flair** and **Audi practicality**, with features like a **center control stack** and familiar Audi components, while still maintaining some **unique quirks**.
* 🚦 The introduction of the **E-gear automatic transmission** allowed broader accessibility for buyers, as it was the **first Lamborghini to offer an automatic option**, paving the way for future models.
* 🏁 Despite its age, the Gallardo delivers an **engaging driving experience**, characterized by a **rough ride and heavy steering**, which many enthusiasts appreciate as a **nod to its old-school supercar roots**.

This is a 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo, and it's cool. It may not be as fast as a brand new Lambo or as high-tech, but it has a big old V10. It looks awesome, and it's shockingly cheap for what it is.

Today I'm going to review the original Lamborghini Gallardo and show you all of its quirks and features. [Applause] Before I get started, big news: this Gallardo is currently for sale and it's being auctioned live on Cars and Bids. This is an early Gallardo with fairly low miles, around 177,000, and it hasn't been messed with or horribly modified like so many other early Gallardos. And it's a bargain, so once you finish watching this video, click the link in

the description below to visit the live auction for this Lamborghini Gallardo where you can bid on it and buy it. Only on Cars and Bids. All right, time for the quirks and features of the Gallardo, and I'm going to start with the basics

and specifically an explanation of just how important this car was to Lamborghini. So Audi stepped in to buy, or some might say rescue, Lamborghini in the late '90s, early 2000s. And pretty quickly they realized they wanted an entry-level model to expand the reach of the

Lamborghini brand. It's important to mention this because young people have grown up with an entry-level Lamborghini for the last 20 years since this car came out in 2004, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, the Gallardo was the very

first entry-level Lamborghini. It was the first Lamborghini that wasn't a supercar. It was the first Lamborghini that was actually affordable for a normal person to buy. So it was a big deal, and it really changed the landscape of Lamborghini. It allowed them to reach a whole new audience, and it helped them to become the brand that it is today.

first entry-level Lambo since 1988. They took a 16-year break from the entry-level segment while Ferrari enjoyed tons of success with the 355, the 360, the 348 throughout all that time. Lamborghini didn't have a competitor, so

Audi shows up and they realize right away, "We got to get Lamborghini at a lower price point to reach more people, to expand the volume, to increase revenue and profits." And so the Gallardo was born. Now the big goal of the Gallardo was to

take on those entry-level exotic supercars and at that time that meant the Ferrari F430 which had a V8 with about 500 horsepower and the Ford GT which had a supercharged V8 with 550 horsepower. This car had a starting price

tag of around $165,000 which put it in close competition with those other two. But while those cars had V8s, the Gallardo had a V10. The early Gallardo had a 5 L V10 with 500 horsepower. It was a big

muscular car with a big muscular powertrain and cracking that 500 horsepower mark was a huge deal back in 200, 2004. Just 10 years earlier, the flagship Ferrari model, the F50, had 512 horsepower. That car was unreachable, super limited production, and just 10

years later the Gallardo came out with 500 horses. And the Gallardo beat to market the Ferrari F430 and the Ford GT. Those cars both had 500 horsepower or more, but they came out for '05. The Gallardo came in '04 and it brought huge power

to this entry-level segment and that was a major, major deal at the time. Again, it's hard to say just how important this car was when it was launched. The first entry-level Lamborghini in forever. Audi's plan to expand the brand's volume and a

500 horsepower V10 car in the entry-level exotic segment. You didn't have to spend $300,000 on a Murciélago to get that kind of performance. And then there was the look, the styling, the design. Lamborghini could have cheaped out on their entry-level model.

They could have made the baby Murciélago look stupid or okay to try to inspire you to spend more money to get the real thing, but that's not what they did. The Gallardo looked like all Lamborghini, the wedge shape, the flat, wide exotic car.

Feel. This thing felt and looked like a true Lamborghini even though you weren't spending all the money to get a Diablo or a Murciélago like you would have had to do years past when there was no entry-level model. So Lamborghini shows up

with an entry model that has more power than its rivals, that finally brings the Lamborghini badge to the exotic car masses, and it has the look. It really has the visual drama and flare of a true Lamborghini. And that was a major impact

of this car. There was, however, one noticeable difference between the Gallardo and other flagship Lamborghini models, and that was the doors. And the Gallardo, they opened normally. You got the baby Lambo, you didn't get the scissor doors that by then Lambo had

become famous for in the count, then the Diablo, then the Murciélago. To get the scissor doors, the Lambo doors, you had to upgrade to the flagship Lambo. But once he walked up to this car and opened the door the regular way, well then the party

started. The first thing you saw was "Gardo" written on the door, spelled in this very early 2000s font, distinctive to the time period. It let you know you were stepping into the real deal, the Lamborghini. And when you got in here, you

saw some rather interesting quirks and features. Let's start with design. This car was the first Lambo to use this center control stack design, which all Lamborghinis still use today. These switches in the center to control the windows, the hazard lights, and other

things, and this placement of gauges, climate vents, the climate controls, all in one line. The Gallardo pioneered it, and Lambo's still going with it. Beyond that, the interior of this car was just generally pretty cool. It certainly didn't have the visual drama of the

exterior with the low-slung, wide exotic look, but you did have this flat windshield right in front of you that was cool and special, and some neat design details in here. I always liked the seats, and specifically the headrest kind of stuck up on the top of the seats

which was a cool look, and the door handle on the door panel also had sort of a cool exotic car look to it, and just a general low, flat, wide feel of this interior always gave you a feel of some drama in here, even if it wasn't quite as

much as what you had on the outside, but while this interior was fairly special, it also had a lot of Audi, like I mentioned, Audi had just taken control of the Lamborghini brand and so in order to keep costs down and to maximize the profit of a new entry-level model, they

did a lot of parts sharing and a lot of Audi ended up in this Lamborghini. This climate control panel is taken straight off of other Audi models at the time. Same deal with this stereo head unit, right out of other Audis. Probably my very favorite Audi touch is the little

screens in the gauge cluster to show time and date and the odometer, those were off a lot of Audis in the late '90s and early 2000s. I had a B5 2001 Audi A4 that was like a $5,000 used car and it

had the very same readouts as the Lamborghini Gallardo, but such was life if you wanted to spread parts across different brands, keep development costs down and make a car like this as successful as possible from a business standpoint. But despite that, it wasn't

all focused German practicality in this interior. There was definitely still some weird Lambo stuff in here. For instance, the very center focal point of the center console, it all sort of comes to a middle and right there in the center is the power mirror control, which doesn't

seem like the appropriate place, but that's where it is. Also unusually, in the center of the light controls are mounted here instead of on a dial off to the left like so many other cars, right in the middle so the passenger has full access to turn on your headlights now.

mounted to the left of the steering wheel instead was the button you pressed to get the car into reverse. I have no idea why it's all the way over there. It never made any sense, no logic to it, but that told you there was still a little

crazy weird Lambo in this car. And another unusual item, for some reason, it displayed all of the gears at the base of the gauge cluster: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. I have no idea why that happened either. When you changed gears there was

a screen in the gauge cluster that told you what gear you were in, so why is it all written out below? Doesn't make any sense at all, but they've done that. But despite a few weird Lamborghini quirks and features, shall we say, Audi did their

very best to keep it reasonable inside this car. For example, on the door panel you have a storage compartment, a little door pocket where you can stick a wallet or something while you're driving. You have a glove box in this car over on the passenger side. Open it up and there it

is. In the center console you could open this and again, more storage in here. You even had a little storage pocket to the left of the steering wheel. This little panel opens up to reveal an extra hidden storage compartment just for the driver. Behind the seats you had a carpeted flat

shelf where you could store additional items if you wanted to. On the sun visor, if you opened it up, there was a mirror there and it was even lighted. You also had climate control, air conditioning that actually worked, a radio and stereo that actually worked and functioned like

You expected it to, and in the gauge cluster, even a little screen that let you know which doors were open with an image of a Gallardo from above showing the open doors. This stuff may not seem like a big deal to you: lighted visor mirrors, but trust me, earlier Lamborghinis

models did without some or all of this stuff. There were so many sacrifices made for practicality. These cars were so compromised and ridiculous, but Audi showed up and actually injected some usability and practicality into this car, which was especially important for the

entry-level model that would be reaching a wider audience. And in fact, the single most important Audi change to the Gallardo came to this very car and many others: an automatic transmission. Up until the 2004 model year when this car came out, every single previous

Lamborghini had three pedals and a manual transmission. Until '04, Lamborghini, Audi developed an automatic, a sequential automatic transmission that they called E-gear, which again would allow this car to reach a wider number of buyers. People who couldn't or didn't

want to drive a manual transmission suddenly could buy an automatic Lambo. And E-gear the same year found its way into the Murciélago, the flagship Lamborghini. And within a decade, there were no more manual transmission Lamborghinis at all. They had all

switched to automatic transmissions, and it started right here in this car. And this is an E-gear example, and if you wanted to drive it in auto mode, you would press this button in the center console, and it would drive automatically, or you could manually shift using the

paddles mounted on the steering column plus and minus on each side we take this for granted cuz so many cars now have this feature but this was a pioneering technology 20 years ago when the Gallardo came out you also had a little sport button here in the center console to put

the transmission in sport mode for quicker shifts and then a third button is the traction control off this would have obviously been the perfect place for reverse since these are all transmission buttons but no reverse is to the left of the steering wheel like I showed you earlier and traction control

off is next to automatic and transmission sport again there was some quirky Lambo in this modernized, AI-assisted version of a Lamborghini and another important practical point in the Gallardo was the front trunk which is not to be taken for granted because a

lot of previous Lamborghini models didn't have one or storage space was at a premium the Murciélago for example has no trunk in front it's a mechanical compartment the spare tire is there but you don't have storage up front the Gallardo did to access the front trunk there was a

little lever in the driver's footwell and you would pull on that and by the way before I get into the front trunk to access the rear compartment with the engine there was a little lever behind the driver seat it was sort of hidden on the firewall you would pull on that that

and that would open up the rear compartment to get you into the engine but back to the front trunk so you'd open up the front trunk and the first thing you notice is it's reasonably large again a new nod to practicality that was a bit of a surprise for a

Lamborghini, but there it is, enough space for stuff. A car you can actually use. Imagine that. Now, you'll also notice in this front storage area two small bags. The one off to the right is perfectly sized to fit into this space. Zipper

little bag with the Lamborghini logo on it. You open that up, and it's the tool kit. And you can see it not only includes tools but also fuses and even bulbs in case you want to do some DIY roadside repair on your Gallardo. And over on the

other side of the front trunk, you have this little bag which unrolls and contains tire sealant. No surprise, this car doesn't have enough room for a spare tire, so instead you get tire sealant. In case you have a flat, you just kind of

spray that goo on and hope for the best. This front compartment was also large enough to fit a car cover which is included with this car. It fits right there in the front trunk so you could cover up your prized Lamborghini when you weren't using it. Again, a reasonably practical

car, but also an enjoyable one, which we'll now find out when we get this thing out on the road to see how it drives. But first, let's take a listen to a little V10 and whale a couple of revs at idle before I get behind the

wheel. All right, driving the Gallardo. Now, I've only ever reviewed one Gallardo on my channel, and it was a very late model, low production, special, high-performance model. But to me, the cool Gallardo is the one that I remember from when I turned 18, the original 04 to 08

You know, pre-facelift early Gallardo like this one, so what's it like to drive the original Gallardo? You know, I got to tell you, this feels more old-school Lambo than I was expecting. I say that for a few reasons. Number one, the ride is rough.

It's harsh, it's rough. I mean, like you want from a supercar or an exotic car, that's what it feels like in here. It is bumpy. It feels very like planted and well put together. It doesn't feel like the suspension is like messed up, but

you don't hear bad noises and you don't feel a lot of travel, but it is a harsh ride in a sporty car. Um, also the pedal box is offset. You don't have a great like area for resting your left foot. There is a dead pedal, but it's like in

the middle of the of the pedal box, it's over to the side. Plus you have these jerky upshifts from this old-school transmission. Now, the sequential manual, the e-gear in this car, was not obviously the desired transmission. Cars with a true six-speed manual transmission

bring more money, but there is something kind of kind of like old school about the clunky original E-gear and sequential manual transmissions. And I've been saying this as I've been doing Ferrari reviews over the past few years that I've actually developed sort of an

affinity for the original F1 paddle shift transmission, and I feel that way about E-gear too. Like when you pull the paddle, there is a delay, there is a mechanical feel. Uh, the dual-clutch transmissions, as wonderful as they are, have sanitized the whole experience just

a little bit and in this car you lose some of that sanitizing. It actually feels a little bit more mechanical and a little bit more like you're doing work than I think people give it credit for. The drawback is these slow, jerky shifts

but again, it feels mechanical. Now this car is also cool because it is low and it sounds great and it's fast, and that's kind of something special about the original Gallardo. Even though it's an old school exotic car that is not particularly expensive by exotic car

standards, it is still a Lambo. It drives like a Lambo, is fun like a Lambo. Oh yeah, get up, get up, and then we pull the paddle and let off the accelerator. It's fun. This car is honestly legitimately truly fun to drive.

Everybody seems to want the later Gallardo models. Everybody prefers the facelifted look and improved interior. I don't. To me, when I was a kid, when I was 18, this was the Gallardo, the original, the 04 to 07, pre-LP, pre all the stupid

special editions. Like this was the Gallardo, and I just think it's insane that you can get them for such a reasonable number, and I just think they're cool. I just straight up think they're cool cars, and this one is reminding me just how cool it is. It

drives great, it's fun, it's fast, it sounds great, it looks cool, it also handles quite well. Um, again, like an old school Lambo, the steering is heavy. Obviously it has power steering. It's not like my Countach where the steering is so heavy that it's, you know, difficult, um

but it feels heavy like there's a weight to it which I love clearly a hydraulic steering and that's kind of a cool thing there's still a lot of old school Lambo feel in this car regardless of what anybody says to me the first real Audis

Lambos were the Aventador and the Huracan those were the ones that were fully Audi developed that had a lot of Audi to them that that just sort of lost some of the Lambo DNA they're both great cars but it was a different thing this

definitely feels more Countach more Diablo more Murciélago than a Huracan does there's no doubt with the kind of heavy steering heavy suspension rough ride the clunky gearbox the sound like this feels like an old school Lambo in a cool way

and I just love that and as a bonus I really love how these early Gallardo look to me this was the Lambo in its era just being a kid at that time because Audi then came in and and and changed things later Lambos were just made in higher

numbers and I here in Southern California see Aventadors on the road you see Aventadors you see Huracans quite consistently you do not see early Gallardos anymore very much they're aging into this kind of special classic status and it's it's to me kind of a treat to see a

car like this I think this is a very very special car I really do especially for the money and so that's the 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo these cars can be a bit temperamental but they're fast they look cool I think they're awesome and

they're surprisingly cheap to buy and you can buy this one on Cars and Bids anyway. Now it's time to give the original Gallardo a Doug score and the Doug score is here: 59 out of 100. I've reviewed a long list of the

Gallardo rivals and it finishes last. It's important to note though that just six points separates the Gallardo from the very highest car on this list, so this is a very competitive set, the mid-2000s supercars in actuality. I really like

that Gallardo. I love how it looks. I think it's undervalued and it's fun and it's fast. People think you need a V12 Lamborghini for a true Lambo experience, but this car proves otherwise. There are drawbacks though, like potential

reliability issues and this Gallardo's automatic transmission and the Ferrari F430 is more engaging and more exciting, which, which is reflected in current market values. [Applause] [Music]

The Lamborghini Gallardo Is a Surprisingly Cheap Supercar

Doug DeMuro

Description of a 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo, highlighting its V10 engine and affordability.

Announcement of a live auction for the reviewed Gallardo on Cars and Bids.

Promise to review the car's quirks and features.

Explanation of Audi's acquisition of Lamborghini and the creation of the Gallardo as an entry-level model.

Highlighting the Gallardo as the first entry-level Lamborghini, changing the brand's landscape.

Comparison with Ferrari's entry-level models during Lamborghini's absence from that segment.

The Gallardo's goal to compete with Ferrari F430 and Ford GT.

Comparison of the Gallardo's V10 engine with its rivals' V8 engines.

Discussion on Lamborghini's decision to maintain the brand's signature styling for the entry-level model.

Emphasis on the Gallardo's design resembling other Lamborghini models.

The impact of the Gallardo's design on the brand's image.

Mention of the difference in door design compared to flagship models.

Description of the interior design, including the center control stack and gauge placement.

Observations on the overall interior design and specific features.

Discussion of Audi parts used in the Gallardo's interior to reduce costs.

Mention of unusual placement of certain controls within the interior.

Highlighting practical storage features within the car's interior.

Comparison of the Gallardo's practicality with earlier Lamborghini models.

Discussion on Audi's contribution to the Gallardo's practicality.

Introduction of the E-gear automatic transmission and its impact on the brand.

Description of the front trunk and its contents.

Details about the size and functionality of the front trunk.

Description of the included tool kit and tire sealant.

Mention of the car cover included in the front trunk.

Description of the driving experience, emphasizing the old-school feel.

Discussion on the E-gear transmission and its characteristics.

Overall assessment of the driving experience and its enjoyable aspects.

Personal preference for the early Gallardo models over later ones.

Comparison with later Lamborghini models in terms of driving feel and DNA.

Contextualizing the score within the competitive landscape of mid-2000s supercars.

Summarizing the pros and cons of the Gallardo.