Now 2011 Lamborghini Estoque Luxury Car Preview

this post is created mooiz

 

 

OK, this one really blindsided me. When Lamborghini first started sending out teaser photos of the Estoque I was thinking it might be the modern-day interpretation of the front-engine Espada coupe, but there it was in the flesh at the 2008 Salon d’Automobiles in Paris a few weeks and a half-dozen teaser shots later, quite possibly the most desirable four-door coupe ever.

Yes, by the visuals alone it should elevate the Italian super-brand’s recent sales success in the ultra-premium market. Some would say that Porsche’s Panamera Gran Turismo is the pinnacle of four-door performance and prestige, especially Porschephiles not disgruntled with Stuttgart for building the car in the first place, but most will agree that Lamborghini should be deemed a little higher on the social pecking order than Porsche, at least where price is concerned. Not counting the Aston Martin Lagonda from the late ‘70s, early ‘80s Mercedes-Benz was first to this market, effectually creating the segment by introducing the stylish CLS, and others have followed, with the most premium so far being Aston Martin with its gorgeous Rapide that will soon get in on the action. Alas, the financial crisis has claimed its first victim in the segment, the stillborn BMW CS Concept which was slated for production. A stunningly beautiful creation, the CS was poised to pull BMW back into the near-exotic segment, much like the beautiful Z8 did years ago. Let’s hope the folks at VW, who are now going over the business case proposal to build Lamborghini’s quattro-porte coupe, have the necessary anatomical appendages to give the go-ahead.

Why should we care? Well, for one, if you’re reading this you’re probably a petrol head and want to see any good design come to life, but for another, it’s a beautiful design that allows Lamborghini to expand from its two-door, two-seat format into an entirely different category, much like it entered the 4×4 arena back in the ‘80s with the fabulously fast and outrageously capable LM002. Off-roaders aside, the Estoque would be a great platform to spin off a larger front-engine, four-seat, two-door coupe, a modern-day Espada, for instance, and maybe even a conventional four-seat convertible model. As nice as such thoughts are, the four individual Nappa leather covered sports seats in the Estoque show what Lamborghini could create now, and very close to what is expected to be production trim if Wolfsburg gives it the nod.

This four-door incorporates a front-engine layout, although being positioned slightly behind the front axle allows Lamborghini to call it a mid-engine design, thus keeping true to the brand’s current core principles. And while a mid-engine configuration is good for marketing, it’s better for weight distribution.

To maintain Lamborghini’s exotic image, the Estoque will ride low to the ground, this prototype only 4.43 feet in height at its highest point, but this doesn’t mean it will shortchange its driver and passengers for headroom, and its almost 10-foot long wheelbase will make sure interior space is amply accommodating, accessible via large, wide doors. The Estoque’s other measurements equal 16.89 feet long and 6.53 feet wide, while the wheelbase is exactly 9.88 feet in length. Translated into English, Lamborghini’s new super-sports sedan is long, wide and low, perfectly proportioned to wear the raging bull on its hood and rear deck lid. Open that deck lid up and the Italian carmaker promises a trunk with “room for several golf bags or pieces of luggage.”

Its long, low and lean layout, combined with the aforementioned mid-ship engine layout and 22-inch front and 23-inch rear alloy wheels in a new five double-spoke design should make for  superb at-the-limit road manners and high-speed stability rarely attained by a four-door. Is Bentley’s Flying Spur Speed’s high-speed record in jeopardy? At least if the Estoque topples the esteemed luxury car’s 200-mph limit, it’ll be all in the VW group family.

And just in case you were wondering which fighting bull the Estoque is named after, stop the thought process entirely. It’s actually named after the sword, or rapier as it’s more accurately called, that a matador uses in a bull fight; and the car’s razor sharp angles and finely cut edges make Estoque the perfect name.

So when will you be able to get one? Of course, the Estoque has not been officially announced for production at the time of writing, although after stating that it was merely “a study, a concept created specifically for the 2008 Salon d’Automobiles in Paris,” Lamborghini’s press release did mention that it could lead to a third model in the lineup, stating, “As a concept, the Lamborghini Estoque represents one of several possibilities for a third model series within the Lamborghini product line-up. At this point in time, no decisions have been taken in respect of either a third model series of any kind or of the Lamborghini Estoque concept in particular.”

Then again, by saying that a “range of drivelines is conceivable for the Lamborghini Estoque”, the press release thoughtfully speculated on a few powertrain possibilities, including the Gallardo LP560-4’s V10 and paddle-shift actuated e-Gear six-speed sequential manual transmission. Lamborghini added that a “complementary alternative could be a turbocharged eight-cylinder derived from this V10,” being careful to express the engine wouldn’t merely be borrowed from parent company Audi, plus the possibility of a “V8 with a hybrid module”, while even an “extremely high-performance TDI” turbo-diesel is not off the table, this one no doubt derived from Ingolstadt. The press release states that the “concept” includes permanent all-wheel drive, as well.

Expect some Audi-sourced details inside however, a strategy that Lamborghini has used to make its super-sports cars some of the most finely crafted in the industry. The Estoque features a “large-area LCD screen displaying vehicle and route information,” which probably features switchgear pulled from top-line Audis, while its dual-zone automatic climate control most likely hails from the German manufacturer as well. All good, again, as Audi is well respected for building some of the best interiors in the luxury class.

Centro Stile Lamborghini has penned a remarkable design, with obvious lineage up front and a unique raked profile boasting radical rear haunches and an extremely short rear deck lid, giving it an especially aggressive and predatory stance. The sharply angled rear end features narrow LED taillight clusters and sizeable, mesh-covered air outlets down below, while hexagonal fuel caps, set into both sides of the car, are not so subtle reminders of its Sant’ Agata Bolognese heritage. The headlamp clusters are bi-Xenon, of course, and feature LED technology as well. A unique feature is a stylized green, white and red Italian flag set into the front “wings”, if you were ever to mistake this car for anything but Romanesque.

Lastly, adding a little fuel to the production speculation fire, Lamborghini Vancouver went so far as to send out an email to its customers with the tagline, “Order yours now!” Do they have some inside info or are they just being proactively positive? Send them a deposit and you’ll get your answer.

As more details and photos are released you can count on updates, as the Estoque is one very special addition to the super-sedan segment… or… er… it’s one very pretty prototype showing what could potentially happen if Lamborghini decides to build it. The market is hard to call right now though, even in the nether regions that few can even dream of entering. Normally down markets don’t affect the highest levels of the automotive sector, but this isn’t a normal recession as it’s almost completely global and has cut deeply into the incomes of top money earners, the very same people that Lamborghini would be targeting as potential buyers. Enough confirmed orders will be all that’s needed to build it, as Lamborghini will no doubt want the new platform created in order to expand their offering and grow their brand, plus spin off derivatives as previously mentioned. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.