Gallardo/Stradale Driving Impressions

What is the actual weight difference between the two? I heard Ferrari under reported the weight of the Stradale in the owners manual.

 

Any Texas Stradale owner is welcome to come to MotorSport Ranch and we'll weigh. My Gallardo is heavy and it would be interesting to see what the Stradale really weighs with fluids and fuel and creature comforts like A/C. I'd also gladly switch cars, put on transponders and compare lap times & driving experiences.

 

I have but the drive in the Stradale was short and slow while the drive in the Gallardo was long and very fast. It was only on some very twisty mountain roads.

It was the only time I have driven a Gallardo and I think that the e-gear took away from the experience for me. It was fast and handled well but I didn't feel like it had a lot of character. I would like to see a black 6 speed car in person and take it for a spin. I have a feeling that I would like the car a lot more after that. The Gallardo that I drove was yellow and IMO, I just can't ever like the front of it when I see it in person. It reminds me of a SMART car or something. It's growing on me though. If it had the verical doors I might have taken the Gallardo that I had an order for.

The CS was pretty nice, although I hated the styling of the 360 even more than the Gallardo when it came out. I still don't like it that much but it has grown on me a lot. I like the rawness of the CS but I don't like that it's only F1.

In many ways, I like my 355 more than either of them. It feels like a real sports car - small, low, rough, and a little unrefined. I would take a Diablo 6.0 over the Gallardo. The Diablo has some of that real sports car feel that I didn't think the Gallardo had (although I only had one drive). I have never driven a Countach, which is my childhood favourite, so I don't know what that feels like.

 

That's exactly how I feel. When I'm in the car, I want to feel that I'm in something really special and if it feels too much like a BMW (which I kind of feel like in the 360) then it just isn't what I'm looking for. The 355 is about as refined as I like it. I would prefer something with no power steering but if that's the price I have to pay for a car like that, it's well worth it. The 355 is just a bit more refined than the 348 but way less refined than the 360. If I can only get 95% of the 360 performance, then I'll have to live with that. It's worth it for the small size, low seating, and high performance feel.

 

rough and unrefinded is not what i look for in any car..i love tight handling, quick steering,anda great exhaust sound with a quick shifting 6 speed...the newer cars can give better handling with a better ride...i dont need blood in my urine from kidney trauma everytime my car goes over rough pavement....but each his own...ii love all cool sport cars,from nsx to suburu to lambo and so on...i also like the slight more refindment fo the new 996 p car vs the 993s..lmy 993 was irratating to drive for more the 10-15 minutes

 

as an aside, i felt the 355 was pretty smooth and not rough..a great little car...theonly reasons i didnt get one that the pedals were too close for my 11ee feet..always hit the gas and break at the same time...i was told to squeeze my feet into drving shoes....who needs foot pain...also i am a spider man (not that spiderman!) and i didnt like the top mechanism...otherwise its a great car!!!!

 

That's why I drive a 355 and not a 360. I like things a little harder. The big difference in the ride is that the 360 is comfortable and handles well all the time while the 355 is rough in the default mode (on manual sport is default). However, I still prefer the 355 as it sits lower and has a more aggressive driving position than the 360. It just feels special even at 5 miles per hour where I don't quite feel that in the 360. To each his own, though. The 360 is a very good car.