Tedson Updates the Lamborghini Gallardo

Restomods were a good idea. Specialist tuning companies would take a classic car, update it with the most modern materials and parts, and produce a final car with the build quality and craftsmanship of the best new car, but with a classic’s lightness, smallness, and manual driving experience. It’s a great formula, but the market is thoroughly oversaturated.There are companies making Alfa Romeos, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Fords, Lancias, Jaguars, and even Jensens, and there are an almost infinite number of brands making their take on Porsche 911s. If you want to spend between $500,000 and $4,000,000 on a restomod 911, there are dozens upon dozens of companies looking to sell you one.Tedson Motors Daydream. Courtesy of Tedson MotorsOne of them was the Croatian company Tedson, whose 911-based “Daydream” — based on the 964 or 993 chassis — is a stylish, carbon-forward take on the formula. It’s racier than the cars from Singer, but not as modern as those from Gunther Werks, and they must sell a few of them, but it’s hard to say why it stands out against competitors like Tuthill, Paul Stephens, Rennsport, or Theon Design, to name a few.Thankfully, their latest car is far more interesting because rather than go for an expensive classic, they’ve updated a relatively new but still pretty special, underappreciated supercar. Namely, the Etna is a restoration and update of the Lamborghini Gallardo, the entry-level Lamborghini sold in volume between 2003 and 2013.Tedson Motors Etna. Courtesy of EtnaIts V12 big-brother, the Murcielago, has become a collector’s item, but the market has largely ignored the Gallardo. They were cheaper, smaller, less powerful, and more plentiful — with 14,000 built compared to only around 4,000 Murcielagos — and cars in moderate condition can be bought for about $75,000. But, particularly compared to new supercars, they’re still exceptional, raw driver’s cars.Courtesy of Tedson MotorsToday’s mid-engined Ferrari, the 265 GTB, is an automatic-only, twin-turbo V6 hybrid. The Gallardo came in a manual, used a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V10, and was lighter and smaller than the GTB. With the Etna, Tedson has celebrated this platform, updating everything around it with a new, full-carbon body, a titanium exhaust system, lightweight AL13 wheels, and a PROactive suspension by JRZ, stripping 450 pounds out of the base car. They have also completely rebuilt that original engine, and these updates, paired with a new air intake and exhaust system, mean the even-firing V10 now revs to a screaming 10,000 RPM + redline, producing more than 600 horsepower.Tedson Motors Etna. Courtesy of Tedson MotorsThey have also made styling tweaks to the Gallardo, and it’s here where the car is a little more divisive. Broadly, I think it looks beautiful — particularly with the updates to the silhouette, the refreshed pre-facelift Gallardo headlights, and the new wheels. However, I’m not entirely convinced by the new front bumper design, which also seems a little too jutted out, and it would look cleaner without the hood scoop, as it would if they reduced the number of louvers and slits at the rear. It still looks far better than Lamborghini’s current, over-designed entry-level supercar though, the Temerario; and I’d far rather have the manual, old-fashioned experience of the Etna, even at the sacrifice of some performance.But that experience comes at a high price. Gallardos trade for between $70,000 and $130,000, depending on condition, excluding special editions. The Temerario starts at $360,000, with options adding roughly $100,000. And even then, it looks like a bargain compared to the Etna, which starts at close to $800,000, which doesn’t include the price of buying the Gallardo it’s built on top of.Tedson Etna and Lamborghini Temerario, left and right. Courtesy of Tedson Motors and Lamborghini

Tedson Updates the Lamborghini Gallardo

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