07 Lamborghini Gallardo First Detail In Years

This week at the AMMO Studio, I’m detailing one of the great modern exotics; a 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. According to the owner, the vehicle was originally owned by a hypnotist in Las Vegas which is its own story. The exotic Italian styling and V10 exhaust note are certainly “hypnotizing” so I can see the connection. However, it’s a long way from Vegas now and the raging bull needs some care. 

On closer inspection the Gallardo was totally swirled out and the old clear bra on the nose was clearly past its prime. First step was to remove the old PPF with my favorite hot water method via electric kettle. The material for the hood was clearly different from the driver’s side front fender which was a pain to remove. I used Rapid Remover to clean off the stubborn glue residue left behind. 

After the PPF was removed, I spritzed down the lower panels with Titan 12 Degreaser to loosen up the grime for the initial power wash. Next, I used Brute Soap in the Foam Gun for additional cleaning power while I wiped down the car with Microfiber Towels. I also clayed the paint using the soap as lubrication to safely remove the embedded contaminants. I finished up the wash by giving the exhaust tips a good scrub with Titan 12 as well. 

 

It was time to lift the car and with the wheels off I could see the suspension was covered in grease. The greasy mess became even more apparent when I lifted the car up and could see the shocks were clearly leaking. I diluted Titan 12 with Brute Soap and gave the under tray and suspension components a thorough soak with the Foam Gun. After giving everything a good scrub, the final rinse worked wonders in removing the built up grease and oil. 

With the bottom of the Gallardo cleaned up, I turned my attention to the wheels which were also soiled. A combination of oil, grease, and brake dust had coated the back of the rims so I used Titan 12 again to combat the thick grease. Between Titan 12 and Brute Soap in the wheel bucket, I made some good headway and the shiny silver finish of the rims was restored. The last step was to use Plum Wheel Cleaner on the brake calipers and Brute on the dirty wheel wells. 

Now that the greasy part of the detail is over (hopefully), it was time to work on the Gallardo’s nice candy red paint. My conclusion after polishing a test panel was that the paint was very hard requiring a two-step correction (compound followed by polish). I set to work removing the numerous swirls and scratches with my AMMO Rupes Polisher. The area around the rear Lamborghini badge was particularly bad, so I removed it as the owner would replace it later. 

After the two step paint correction, I switched gears and coated with the wheels with Gelee Pro to make future cleaning easier. I repeated the same step on the brake calipers after polishing them with the 1 inch rotary. A dab of Flitz Metal Polish on the wheel hub cleaned it up nicely and I added a little grease for easier wheel installation. My last step was to dress the wheel wells with Mud Tire Gel as the black plastic perfectly framed the gleaming silver rims. 

The exterior of the Gallardo was now rejuvenated so I applied fresh PPF to the nose and steam cleaned the glorious V10 engine bay. I turned my focus to the interior which had clearly lived a hard Vegas life. Steam was also my friend here as I heated up the tan leather, then applied Lather with the interior brush. The heat of the steam opened the leather surface increasing the cleaning power of Lather. I cleaned the carpets and floor-mats with my Galaxy Auto 3000 Extractor which restored their natural soft texture. With the interior drying, I applied Reflex Pro to the red paint and the reflection was absolutely stunning. As Reflex was curing, I circled back to the interior and applied Mousse Conditioner to hydrate and protect the clean leather seats from future UV abuse. I completed the final touches by cleaning the raked glass windshield with Obey and applying Mud to the tires. 

The Gallardo looked amazing after the detail and the candy red paint was a perfect color for the supercar design. The owner arrived and literally walked in circles around the car taking in every angle with joy. With the Gallardo glowing, the owner placed the new Lamborghini badge on the rear before firing up the mighty V10. It was time to for a drive and on a nearby highway, I waved the bull past as the V10 echoed off the highway embankments. What a sound!.... 

Thanks for supporting AMMO NYC and stay tuned for many more exciting detail stories!