A brief history of drop top Lamborghinis

As it happens, the Lamborghini Huracán Spyder is actually quite good. And so it should be – Lambo has been Spyder-ing its cars since forever, and we figure our first go in the Huracan Spyder is more than reason enough to whip out the photo albums and get all misty-eyed over Lambos of old. 

Have a click through this gallery then, for a mostly accurate chronology of Lambo’s factory-approved drop-tops.  Oh, and we’ve stuck to just a single slide per model, for our own sanity as much as anything. Have you any idea how many special edition Gallardo Spyders there were? Many, probably. 

Lambo only built two of these – open versions of its first car, the 350GT - both for display at the ’65 Paris Motor Show. Why it didn’t make production, we don’t know, because it is quite excellent. 

A one-off built by Bertone, too flimsy to ever make production (really, structural rigidity was not its strong point). When it was first shown in Brussels, its beauty is said to have shocked even Ferruccio Lamborghini. 

A little-known Lambo which was only built in tiny numbers – 55 in all. Based on the Uracco, the first targa-topped Lambo had a mid-mounted V8 and was good for 160mph. 

Based largely on the Silhouette, the Jalpa was supposed to be the semi-skimmed Lambo to the full-fat Countach. Also the last Lambo fitted with a V8 engine. 

This is more like it. Lambo first opened-up the hariy-chested Diablo at the very end of 1995 (the one pictured is the facelifted version), a whopping five years into its 11-year life. 

The second coming of the big, V12 roadster (not counting the one-off Miura, obviously). Later benefitted from same LP-640 upgrade as the coupe. No SV version, though. 

Previewed by the awesome split-cabin Concept S, the Gallardo Spyder was the convertible version of Lambo’s most-bought car. Replaced by the Huracan after innumerate upgrades and special editions.

Lambo Gallardo, this is your life

A Murcielago in a fancy frock. Only 15 built, and therefore immensely collectible. The closest thing you’ll get to a Murcielago SV Roadster. 

Pointy, naturally-aspirated and with just the one clutch in its flappy-paddle gearbox, this is as old-school as you’ll get from Lambo nowadays. Also available in hardcore SV trim (pictured), because why not. 

Yes, it's only a concept car, built for the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. But it has a 6.5-litre V12, much carbon fibre, many bespoke body panels, and no roof to better those 700 horses. Magic.

Based on the Aventador, and built to celebrate Lambo’s 50^th. With nine slated for production at £3.3million a pop (at least when it was first shown in 2013), this is surely the road-going Lambo to end all road-going Lambos. 

The Lambo that will almost certainly sell more than any other. Read our review here.