Ludicrously offset steering columns and pedals, and a posture only suitable for an orang-utan belong to Lamborghini’s past, not its present. In fact, you could argue that a conventional door is a little too conventional, but we won’t.
Finding the correct driving position is a little tricky, though. The problem isn’t the range of steering column and seat adjustment, but the nature and positioning of the clutch pedal. You’ll need to be sitting so that you can push the clutch to the floor for slow-speed gearchanges, and then adjust to the higher bite once the pace quickens. But the exquisitely dished wheel juts perfectly at the chest, and the seat’s padding supports all the right chubby bits.
Space isn’t an issue either - there really isn’t any. Just enough for a half-set of golf clubs behind the seats, and a tiny bag in the nose-mounted bonnet. For some, that won’t be enough. It’s a shame a supercar that has been made so useable can’t carry enough luggage to take advantage of the added practicality.
So will people with £117,000 to spend care about how much it costs to fuel? Possibly not - but that's just as well, because a Gallardo won't return more than 16mpg. Our test average of 13.6mpg included some hard treatment, but the basic message is clear: 492bhp from 10 cylinders in a 1.5-tonne car equals dreadful fuel consumption. People will care about the car’s range though, and the 90-litre tank means it’s possible to put 300 miles between fills.
Of more interest to owners will be residual values. The £117k Gallardo is an unknown quantity; demand has been strong, with over 200 orders taken. Lamborghini will double its UK sales outlets over the next year, but given that this means opening a Manchester showroom alongside the existing London site, it’s still not what you’d call national coverage. But with a three-year warranty and build quality you’d expect from an Audi concern, the Gallardo will certainly be the hottest supercar property of 2004.