The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder’s primary purpose is obvious with one look at its aluminum body. Inspired by the sharp edges and flat planes of Stealth aircraft, it screams speed. The cockpit is so far forward it looks as though the sleek, blade-like front of the car is outpacing the sharp, boxy rear – even at a standstill. The huge windshield and thick A-pillars are so severely raked they seem pushed flat like prairie grass in a storm. The large air inlets and the trapezoidal bi-Xenon headlight assemblies create the face a determined, predatory demeanor and the high, squared-off rear seems to be snarling. Set atop 19-inch alloys shod with thick slabs of Pirelli PZero rubber, the Gallardo Spyder is fantastic to behold.

Though visually arresting, the Spyder’s inverted-wing design has practical roots in aerodynamics. It also helps to maximize airflow to the engine and to generate downforce over the rear axle, an effort which is augmented by a rear spoiler that tilts upward when the car hits 75 mph.

The Spyder’s interior is refreshingly simple. Thankfully, Lamborghini surrendered itself to parent company Audi’s industry-leading interior design and quality – the one time that borrowing from a parts bin is high praise and not low condemnation. All controls are simple, sturdy and straightforward – and immediately recognizable to anyone who’s peeked inside an Audi, except for a row of toggle switches on the center stack that were made specifically for the Gallardo and create an appropriate feeling of high-tech, industrial-grade switchgear.

Additional creature comforts include dual climate control, a six-disc CD changer, a HomeLink universal transmitter, and power locks, windows and doors. Another welcome bit of owner-friendly technology is a lifting system for the front axle. Operated via a toggle on the center stack, it raises the nose nearly three inches so you can avoid those heart-rending scrapes when you enter a steep driveway or drive over a speed bump.

The small-diameter, butter-soft, leather-wrapped steering wheel feels good in hand, is squared at the bottom (F1 style) to make room for your thighs, and tilts and telescopes for a custom fit. Surprisingly, the seating position isn’t that tight. The body-hugging leather bucket seats provided a near vacuum-packed fit, which greatly enhanced our time on the track, but after a couple of hours on the highway, the driver’s lower back tightens and requires constant articulation of the lumbar control for relief. Passengers will notice a boxy protrusion in the footwell that prohibits sprawling. It’s caused by ventilation and electrical works that could not be routed elsewhere. The tiny storage area (four cubic feet) in the front of the Gallardo is barely big enough for a laptop bag and a copy of the Sunday New York Times. But, other than these relatively minor inconveniences, the Spyder seems determined to expunge the stereotype of the Italian exotic that’s hell to actually drive.

The fully-automatic soft top is operated via a switch on the center console and takes about 20 seconds to raise or lower. It is covered by a carbon fiber bonnet, which also stretches over the engine for minimum weight and maximum torsional rigidity. You likely won’t care too much about that when the roof’s down, the wind’s whipping your clothes and hair and you’re carving corners like a knife in cake.