Markuzzi Exclusive Gives The Lamborghini Gallardo A Reventón-Inspired Makeover

The project is based on a 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo, which means Markuzzi started with Lamborghini’s 5.0-liter V10 and all-wheel-drive platform. In standard trim, the early Gallardo produces about 500 horsepower, which most reasonable people would consider enough. Apparently, nobody at Markuzzi is particularly reasonable.

The company has increased output to a claimed 560 horsepower through revised engine management and a stainless-steel sport exhaust system with throttle control. That puts the older Gallardo right alongside the newer LP 560-4 in terms of horsepower, at least on paper, although Markuzzi has not released performance figures for the modified car.

Of course, horsepower is only part of the package.

A Little Reventón for Your Gallardo

The biggest visual change comes at the front, where Markuzzi has fitted an entirely new apron clearly inspired by the Lamborghini Reventón. That is not exactly a bad place to look for inspiration.

Introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007, the Reventón took Lamborghini’s already outrageous styling and pushed it in a decidedly military direction. Its sharp surfaces, angular intakes, and fighter-aircraft influence made the Murciélago look almost restrained by comparison.

Only 20 Reventón road cars are being built, each costing well over $1 million, so simply buying one is probably not an option for the average Gallardo owner. “Average Gallardo owner” being a relative term. Markuzzi’s front bumper borrows heavily from that angular design language, with enlarged openings and sharper surfaces giving the Gallardo a more aggressive face. A carbon-fiber front splitter sits beneath the bumper and helps visually lower the nose.

The styling continues along the sides with new skirts that make the Gallardo appear lower and wider without completely changing the basic proportions of the original car. Around the back, Markuzzi has installed a redesigned rear apron and carbon-fiber diffuser. These pieces work surprisingly well with the Gallardo’s factory shape and give the car considerably more visual weight from behind.

There is plenty of exposed carbon fiber throughout the package, which seems appropriate on a modern Lamborghini and keeps the modifications from looking like a simple fiberglass body kit. So far, so good. Then we get to the wing.

About That Rear Wing…

We have tried. We have stared at the photos. We have looked at it from different angles. We still do not quite understand what is going on. The Markuzzi rear wing looks less like something developed in a wind tunnel and more like a component borrowed from an especially ambitious model airplane kit.

The main wing itself might have worked, but it is joined by a collection of small vertical fins and pod-like elements that make the entire assembly look unnecessarily complicated.

Perhaps there is some serious aerodynamic theory behind it. Perhaps Markuzzi has discovered something Lamborghini’s engineers overlooked. Or perhaps somebody in Germany simply had access to a large amount of carbon fiber and refused to stop.

Considering that Lamborghini’s Reventón was inspired by fighter aircraft, maybe Markuzzi decided the Gallardo needed actual aircraft parts. Whatever the explanation, it is the one part of the package we would leave off the order sheet. Thankfully, the rest of the car is aggressive without completely overwhelming the basic Gallardo design.

Markuzzi Moves Beyond Mercedes

The Gallardo also represents a significant step for Markuzzi Exclusive.

The German tuner has become better known for modified Mercedes-Benz models, particularly its heavily restyled C-Class projects. Its recently introduced ME 35 GT, based on the Mercedes-Benz C350, featured a widebody conversion, 22-inch wheels, revised exhaust system, and an increase to 332 horsepower.

Moving from a C-Class Mercedes to a Lamborghini is a considerable jump, but the Gallardo is also becoming an increasingly attractive platform for aftermarket companies.

Since its introduction earlier this decade, Lamborghini’s smaller V10 model has become one of the company’s most successful cars. More Gallardos on the road means more owners looking for ways to make theirs different from the one parked outside the next nightclub, hotel, or casino.

That has created an expanding aftermarket for wheels, exhaust systems, engine upgrades, carbon-fiber components, and complete body conversions. Markuzzi is clearly hoping to claim its piece of that market.

Would You Modify a Lamborghini Gallardo?

The larger question is whether a Gallardo really needs this much help. Lamborghini’s original design has aged extremely well, and modifying a car with such distinctive factory styling can go wrong very quickly. There is a fine line between making an exotic car more individual and making an expensive car look considerably less expensive.

For the most part, Markuzzi manages to stay on the correct side of that line. The Reventón-style front end gives the early Gallardo a more contemporary and aggressive appearance, the carbon-fiber splitter and diffuser suit the character of the car, and an extra 60 horsepower is difficult to complain about.

Even the side skirts and rear apron feel like believable extensions of Lamborghini’s original design rather than an attempt to turn the Gallardo into something it is not. Then, once again, there is that wing. Our advice is simple: order the power upgrade, exhaust, front bumper, carbon-fiber pieces, side skirts, and rear diffuser. Then politely tell Markuzzi you seem to have misplaced the page in the catalog containing the rear wing. You will still have a 560-horsepower, Reventón-inspired Lamborghini Gallardo. And nobody will mistake it for a radio-controlled airplane.

Markuzzi Exclusive Lamborghini Gallardo Quick Facts

• Base Car: 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo
• Engine: 5.0-liter V10
• Standard Output: Approximately 500 hp
• Markuzzi Output: 560 hp
• Performance Upgrades: ECU tuning and stainless-steel sport exhaust with throttle control
• Front End: Reventón-inspired front apron
• Exterior Upgrades: Carbon-fiber front splitter, side skirts, redesigned rear apron, and carbon-fiber rear diffuser
• Rear Wing: Yes. Unfortunately.
• Builder: Markuzzi Exclusive, Germany

Images courtesy of Markuzzi Exclusive