Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder

If you like the idea of the latest Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, but find that it's just that little bit too, er, roofy, then Lamborghini has come up with the perfect car for you at the LA motor show.

It's called the Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante and it is, in essence, a roofless version of the Superleggera coupe.

Like the Superleggera, the Performante has been on a diet, with a variety of carbon-fibre bits - including the bootlid/engine cover, rear diffuser, spoiler, seats and a selection of under-body components - helping to cut the Spyder's kerb weight to 1485kg, a reduction of 65kg.

The engine and drivetrain is also near-as-dammit identical to the Superleggera's, with the "Iniezione Diretta Stratificata" engine (that's Italian for Audi-style stratified direct injection, don'tcher know...) developing 562bhp at a spine-tingling 8000rpm and a maximum of 398lb ft of torque at 6500rpm.

That poke is channelled via Lamborghini's six-speed e-gear sequential transmission and viscous-coupling four-wheel drive (which can put up to 70 per cent of power to the rear wheels) and is enough, claims Lamborghini, to propel the Performante to 62mph from rest in just 3.9secs and onto a top speed of 201mph. That's actually only 0.1secs quicker to 62mph than Lamborghini claims for the 'standard' Spyder but, like the Superleggera, the Performante is undoubtedly going to be more about driver focus and sharper handling than outright speed.

As for price, well, Lamborghini isn't yet saying - but expect it to be at least as expensive as the £175k Superleggera coupe.