The Man Who Designed The Lamborghini Gallardo Has A New Take Nearly 30 Years Later

Fabrizio Giugiaro revisits the Gallardo, adding pop-down headlights and active aero flaps.

Photo by: CAVËN Atelier

By: Adrian Padeanu

Nov 2, at 6:01am ET

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The Lamborghini Gallardo is getting a second chance at life, and its original designer is calling the shots. Almost 30 years after Fabrizio Giugiaro first penned the V10 supercar at Italdesign, he has returned to the drawing board to breathe new life into his creation. Called HOMMAGE 26, the project comes from CAVËN Atelier and will be limited to just 25 cars.

Unveiled at the Concours at Wynn Las Vegas, the project revisits the Gallardo with a fresh take without messing with the lines that made the original instantly recognizable. It’s still the wedge-shaped supercar you remember, but when Giugiaro worked on the original in 1998 for the Volkswagen Group, we can only imagine he had to meet a long list of requirements. Fast-forward to 2026, and the talented designer has far fewer restrictions, allowing him to fully express himself.

Through GFG Style, the studio he co-founded with his legendary father, Giorgetto Giugiaro, he has reworked the Gallardo in every area except for five components: the roof, side windows, windshield, side mirrors, and mirror bases. Everything else has been redesigned, with a carbon-fiber body, pop-down headlights, and active aero flaps above the taillights.

2026 Lamborghini Gallardo HOMMAGE 26 by CAVËN Atelier

Photo by: CAVËN Atelier

The V10 Engine Gets More Power

The redesigned, louvered engine bay offers a better view of the Gallardo’s defining feature: its naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V10. Paired with a gated six-speed manual, the engine now revs to 8,500 rpm and comes in two states of tune: 540 hp for the GT version and a slightly higher 560 hp for the Performance model. Elsewhere, the 20-inch Italtecnica wheels are paired with a new two-mode adjustable suspension.

Predictably, the Gallardo-based HOMMAGE 26 doesn't exactly come cheap. Pricing starts at €900,000 before taxes and excludes the donor car, which customers can supply themselves or have CAVËN Atelier source for them. Finding one shouldn't be too difficult, considering Lamborghini built just over 14,000 Gallardos between 2003 and 2013, before the Huracan took over.

However, it's worth noting that the build is based on the original Gallardo, rather than the updated version introduced in 2006 with a larger 5.2-liter engine. Pre-facelift donor car aside, it'll be interesting to see who's willing to fork out a cool $1 million for a reimagined Gallardo.

Lamborghini Gallardo HOMMAGE 26 by CAVËN Atelier

Photo by: CAVËN Atelier

What's Old Is New Again

The project follows an unusual philosophy called Design Authorship. Rather than handing an iconic car to an outside design team, CAVËN Atelier brings back the original living designer to reinterpret their own creation. In this case, that means Fabrizio Giugiaro gets to revisit the Gallardo with access to materials and technology that weren't available, or practical, when he first designed it.

CAVËN Atelier calls its approach "Respectful Evolution," and the idea is to improve an established design without stripping away the character that made it special in the first place. This isn't about chasing four-digit horsepower figures or turning an old supercar into something unrecognizable. Instead, Giugiaro has focused on making his original creation feel more complete, using nearly three decades of hindsight to refine the details.

'It's an opportunity to show the world that many things can become better and better if we continue working on them with care, and in a delicate way. I was very happy to have the chance to return to the work I did on the original car.

It's a beautiful challenge: rather than creating something entirely different, we're evolving an archived concept. Some elements remain just as I designed them back in 1998, especially the front end, which is almost exactly as it was originally. Others are completely new and contemporary, like the rear design and some of the ideas for the interior.'

Lamborghini Gallardo HOMMAGE 26 by CAVËN Atelier

Source: CAVËN Atelier

With the Huracan losing its manual gearbox before Lamborghini went even further by dropping the V10 in favor of the Temerario's V8, the Gallardo HOMMAGE 26 harkens back to the good old days. For a price, of course.

What do you think?

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We're told this is just the beginning. It's the first chapter in CAVËN Atelier's Designer Series, with additional projects already in development and the next one expected in 2027. Each will bring another renowned designer back to an important car from the late 20^th or early 21^st century. In other words, this could eventually become a collector's series organized around the people who designed the cars rather than the badges on their hoods.

Here's hoping the original designers stick around long enough to revisit more of their greatest creations...