The Lamborghini Gallardo has seen a lot of changes since 2004. It has had the front and rear fascias updated twice, a convertible option, new engines, and more than a dozen special editions. One area that hasn’t seen much improvement is the audio system. The audio system uses the navigation system and speakers taken from Audi A4 from the early 2000’s. Many Lamborghini owners upgrade the sound system, and this one was no exception. The car was delivered to us even before the owner got the chance to drive it himself. We decided to keep the stock radio intact (but added Bluetooth) and stick to upgrading the sound. Step one: get those doors off. The factory speakers are an oddly shaped 6.5″ woofer and half inch tweeter. In order to properly mount our speaker, a Hertz Mille 6.5″ woofer, we first have to machine this adapter out of 1.2″ ABS plastic. In the humid climate of Florida, wooden spacers simply won’t do. The second picture is the Hertz ML1600 woofer is the flagship speaker in the audison/Hertz family. It plays low enough to impersonate a subwoofer, and loud enough to make you think there are three drivers in the door. Next on the list, the tweeters. The stock location, behind the door handle, is bad enough but the opening will only allow for a half inch tweeter. The Hertz ML280 tweeter is 28mm, or 1 1/8″ wide. Trying to fit the tweeter in the stock location would be a mess, and would choke the output. Instead we opted to replace the defroster vents for the quarter windows and the Hertz tweeter is a perfect fit. Sound processor. The audison BitTenD processor allows complete digital control over EQ, crossovers, time alignment and speaker levels. The Processor is tucked away under the bonnet, but the controls are easily accessed in this panel we made between the sun visors. This owner previously drove a Murcielago which had rear speakers as well. When you drive with the top down, every little bit helps. We stripped the leather off the rear firewall of the car to prepare to add rear speakers. We created a template for a pair of Hertz Hi-Energy HL70 3″ midrange speakers and a new cabin light. This piece was bonded and smoothed into the original panel. Some quick stitch work and the panel is back in the car. A removable grille covers the speakers, and the purple LEDs below light up the cabin, along with other LEDs in the bonnet and under the dash. Subwoofer. The passenger foot well area is a large cavity that is also home to the fuse box, ECU and SiriusXM tuner. It takes a couple hours, but we relocate all of those items (without cutting a single wire) into the top of the dash so we have room for the subwoofer. The area is taped off and a fiberglass mold is taken from the floor. The rest of the enclosure is finished outside the vehicle, and the Audiomobile Elite 8″ is ready for installation. 8″ may not seem like much, but it is one of the few subwoofers that can fit in this tight spot and handle 750w from the amplifier. Finally, the amp rack. As a surprise for the owner, we had the amp color matched and airbrushed. We decided to use the tribal style bull logo Lamborghini used in the 80’s. Normally the amplifier is a solid black, but this makes it much more interesting. Fitment in the bonnet is tight, but the amp is secure and we fabricated this trim panel to conceal the wiring. The trim is wrapped to match the interior, and also hides a string of purple LEDs that light up the amp whenever the bonnet is opened.
