CONVERTIBLES TEND TO be the softer, less focused option, when compared with their coupe equivalents. They’re usually less aggressively sprung, heavier, as result of the structural reinforcements that are attendant with the removal of the roof, and consequently slower to boot. However, all this pretty much stops applying when you’re in supercar territory, as evinced by the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

For starters, the new baby Lambo drop-top’s V10 engine packs 520bhp, a 20bhp increase over that of the standard coupe’s. And Lamborghini insists that the Spyder be considered an entirely new model, and not a roofless version of the coupe, given the level of engineering depth lavished on it. No less than eight electric and hydraulic actuators hide somewhere in the bowels of the engine compartment to work both the hood and the engine cover.

The fabric hood stows in a surprisingly small receptacle behind the driver’s head, and can be lowered or raised at the touch of a button in little over 20 seconds. Other mechanical tweaks that distinguish the Spyder from its fixed roof cousin are a recalibrated steering rack and a revised set of gear ratios, as well as a different suspension setup. The 0-100km/h sprint takes a scant 4.3 seconds, which not that you’d actually notice, is 0.1 seconds down on the coupe’s timing.

The Gallardo Spyder lists at $858,000 without COE. Lamborghini Singapore recently brought in a special preview model for invited guests and potential customers. However, if you’re still interested and you haven’t put your name down for a unit, you’re in for a bit of a wait. Allocation for Singapore has been fully taken up till the third quarter of next year.