The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder has been awarded the title of Top Gear Dream Car of the Year for 2006. The V10, 520 bhp convertible was voted into the dream car category’s first place by a team of judges from Top Gear TV and magazine, including Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Richard Hammond and magazine editor Michael Harvey. The award was officially presented to Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann, at a glittering Top Gear ceremony in London.

Meanwhile Richard Hammond celebrated his first day of filming for the new series of Top Gear by attending the Top Gear Cars of the Year Awards last Thursday. On his first night out since his jet car accident in September, he was accompanied by co-presenters James May and Jeremy Clarkson, who confirmed that the first episode of the new series is due to air on January 28 at 8pm on BBC2. Lego's Andy Woodman presented Richard with a scale model of the infamous Vampire jet car and a Lego version of the Top Gear studio set, complete with presenters and, of course, a tiny Stig. This followed Richard's recent announcement that playing with Lego blocks had aided his swift recovery. Richard was also crowned one of Top Gear magazine's Men of the Year at the awards ceremony, which saw Jeremy and TG magazine editor Michael Harvey handing out the BAFTA-inspired gongs to the Cars of the Year category winners.
 

A Gallardo Spyder graces the covers of the latest edition of Top Gear magazine alongside other category winners, after the 195 mph super car joined the winners’ line-up on a photo shoot in Mumbai.  The magazine includes a review of the Spyder by Emma Parker-Bowles and Bollywood film star Akshay Kumar, with Jeremy Clarkson commenting, “… we telly boys think the best, most fun car to emerge all year was Lambo’s new soft-top.”

Top Gear magazine is now distributed in multi-language versions in thirty countries worldwide, including India, while Top Gear’s television programme is also broadcast in numerous markets world-wide. The £131,000 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder was officially launched at Frankfurt Motor Show in autumn of 2005. Customer deliveries commenced in the United Kingdom this year, from the four official dealerships in Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and London.