Images of a car claimed to be a 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 have been leaked on the internet.

Two things will have almost certainly struck you straight away about the collection of letters and numbers that appears after the word ‘Gallardo’: first that it appears to demonstrate that next year’s baby Lambo will have less power than this year’s and, secondly, that it will be the first car to come out of Sant’Agata with rear wheel drive since the last Diablo SV.

Given the relentless push towards ever increasing power outputs, particularly from the supercar manufacturers, the idea of the new Gallardo having less power than its predecessor might appear to kill this story dead in the water. However, Lamborghini has recently been making a lot of noises about decreasing the impact it has on the environment, with commitments to reduce the emissions of its cars and its manufacturing processes, and a drop in power for its ‘volume seller’ would go some way to achieving these targets as well as making a positive political statement – Sending The Right Message.

From the drivers’ and enthusiast point of view the move back to rear wheel drive will almost certainly be viewed as a very good thing. Aside from a possible return to massive smoking skids, the reduction in weight that will come from ditching all the front wheel drive oily bits will at least compensate for the apparent 10bhp drop in power.

Given the photos of the car’s interior, this doesn’t appear to be a stripped-out Superleggera version of the Gallardo, since it shows leather seats, full trim and ‘stick and pedal’ gears.