LAMBORGHINI ESTOQUE
After weeks of tantalising teaser pictures, Italy's most exotic car marquee has finally revealed its intention of entering the super saloon race
Hey, this Lambo has got four doors...
Yup, this is the Estoque (name for bullfighter's sword) concept car from Lamborghini. It previews the third model line of the Italian exotic car marquee after the Murcie'lago and Gallardo two-door, two-seat coupe' and roadster models.
Wasn't it supposed to be an SUV?
That's what Lamborghini's head honcho told us three years ago. Apparently, the market has changed and, perhaps, a luxury saloon would make more sense to also combat CO2 legislators.
And to rival Aston Martin and Porsche?
Uh-huh, the pending Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera four-door saloons, both of which will be introduced in production-ready forms next year. Emerging markets like Russia and those in Asia should like super saloons. As well, the SUV fad in economy-stricken US is down.
Is this Lambo's first saloon?
It would be, and its dimensions are utterly elegant and sporty. It's 5.15m long, 1.99m wide, 1.35m tall and has a 3.01m long wheelbase. And check those 22-inch wheels up front and 23-inchers at the rear. The bi-xenon and LED lights have been lifted from the Murcie'lago-based Revento'n flagship and Gallardo LP560-4.
And it's Lambo's first four-seater?
Nope. Lamborghini's has had quite an illustrious past with 2+2s, albeit only with two doors like the Islero, Jarama and Espada of the '70s all powered with V12 engines. There was also the V8-powered Uracco that nearly wrecked the company in the '80s before Chrysler took over and made a special Portofino four-door concept which, however, never saw the light of the day.
But Audi owns Lambo today, right?
Right, Volkswagen Group to be more precise. That's why Lamborghini freely admits that there are several engine options for the Estoque including the Gallardo's V10 (also used in the Audi S6 and S8), a chopped-down V8 with turbochargers, a petrol/electric hybrid (VW, Audi and Porsche have teamed up to develop such technology) and, believe it or not, TDi turbo-diesel (probably the V10 used in the VW Touareg and Phaeton).
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| Four-door Portofino concept never saw the light of the day. |
Diesel? Are the Italians serious?
As said, they are open to options. But don't forget about stringent CO2 regulations that's coming into effect in 2012, so carmakers need to be open-minded as much as possible. Whatever engine, Lambo says the Estoque has all-wheel-drive, which has become a trademark for Lambo in recent years in terms of safe driving ability.
Which means that the Rapide and Panamera will also go green?
Likely. Given that Porsche now owns VW Group with a 35% majority stake, it has access to all kinds of technology it needs. What's confirmed for the Panamera is V8 petrol power, plus a hybrid version. Aston Martin is rumoured to hook up with Mercedes-Benz and could use the German's future V8 petrol/electric hybrid, not the V6 version used in the S400 (see page M2).
But this Lambo will still be a Lambo, right?
We can't say exactly. But Lamborghini executives stressed that the Estoque is a saloon with truly classiness, yet sporty performance with supercar-like acceleration of "less than 4sec" but with a top speed not necessarily in excess of 300kph like how its other two models must do so.
Okay, is Lambo going to really build it?
We reckoned they would, if they are talking about selling 2,500-3,000 cars a year in three years time. Technically, it won't be that super expensive to do so. There are the engines, space frame body and platform from the VW Group (read: Italy's Audi S8). In fact, it could be the first Lambo with genuinely German DNA.
Oh my god...
C'mon, that's nothing unusual these days in the automotive industry. On the bright side, there's still the Maserati Quattroporte with Italian DNA (read: three days on the road, four days in the garage). So, it could also be a good thing for Lamborghini. Even the chaps at Lamborghini say reliability has vastly improved since Audi took over Lamborghini.
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