Thursday 30th September 2010

Paris: Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

Exotic concept showcases all-new material - 'forged carbon'

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This is the Sesto Elemento, Lamborghini's dramatic-looking and hi-tech vision of the future that's been unveiled to the world's press at the Paris motor show.

The Sesto Elemento is Lamborghini's answer to the 'how do you create a supercar that weighs as much as a 1980s supermini?' question.

It weighs in at 999kg and, being as it's based on the running gear of a Gallardo Superleggera, that gives it a power-to-weight ratio of nigh-on 570bhp per tonne (a Ferrari 458 Italia manages 'just' 370bhp per tonne). Performance is therefore pretty stellar, with 62mph reached in a claimed 2.5secs - Bugatti territory, but with half the power.

Although the Sesto Elemento is a concept, its light-equals-rapid premise points very firmly to Lamborghini's future; from now on Sant'Agata's supercars will get their pace through low weight and hi-tech engineering as much as through brute force.

That featherweight lightness is partly achieved here by stripping out, well, more or less everything; there is precious little in the way of interior fixtures and fittings - not even a dashboard in the conventional sense.

Crucially, however, the extraordinarily light kerb weight also comes from making most of the Sesto Elemento's body, tub, interior and even some suspension components from a brand-new material called 'forged carbon'.

Lamborghini has developed this new material in conjunction with the University of Washington and aviation giant Boeing. Forged carbon, reckons Lamborghini, is as light and very nearly as strong as resin-based carbon fibre and yet takes far less time and money to produce.

This will allow Lamborghini the flexibility to produce - as a commercially viable proposition - all sorts of exotic shapes and engineering options that would be prohibitively expensive in conventional carbon fibre.

You might not be able to go out and buy the Sesto Elemento right now, but don't go thinking this is pure fantasy stuff. Forged carbon looks likely to make an appearance in a Lamborghini dealer near you very soon, probably with the new Gallardo, which is due out in a couple of years time.

And the name? It's Italian for the 'sixth element' of the periodic table (that's, er, carbon, by the way).

[jb9193]

Stunning! Love it.

[jackal]

Overly self-concious and just a little bit puerile IMHO.

Outside of Monaco or Beverly Hills, I reckon you would have to be borderline narcissistic personality disorder to drive around in one one and feel comfortable with it.

[davepoth]

I wonder how much stuff they had to take off it to get it under a tonne? Spectacular achievement to make it work at such a low weight though. Ferrari will be looking at their shoes a bit tomorrow, they are a long way behind the curve on new materials for building cars.

[bencollins]

and 100kgs lighter than an elise*
pretty mad looking, great concept
*see other thread

[farrendahl]

jackal said:

Overly self-concious and just a little bit puerile IMHO.

Outside of Monaco or Beverly Hills, I reckon you would have to be borderline narcissistic personality disorder to drive around in one one and feel comfortable with it.

Basically making it the most Lamborghini like car since the Countach. Lambos have always been about drama and more than a little bit of the look at me factor and they have certainly managed to do that with this one.

[bromers2]

Isn't it a bit of a waste of time and money designing this that WON'T go into production. Love it and if the facts are true ? ? ? Then why not make it.

[P4ROT]

Talk about moving the game on- I don't usually like Lambos but this gets a 10 from me!

[Plotloss]

bromers2 said:

Isn't it a bit of a waste of time and money designing this that WON'T go into production. Love it and if the facts are true ? ? ? Then why not make it.

It's a production concept, it shows their direction.

The bossman has hinted that adding lightness rather than lumping on power is their route forward for the future and carbon fibre will play a large part in that.

That's what they're showing here, not the car itself, that's superfluous.

[Squabbler]

I think it's ugly, yet very Lambo-ish. Nice development, but hope thier production car will look better.

[Blukoo]

Squabbler said:

I think it's ugly, yet very Lambo-ish. Nice development, but hope thier production car will look better.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[george h]

I would rather see them build the Estoque instead of this. Nothing wrong with their current cars.

[TVR Sagaris]

Lamborghini origami.

[Silver Smudger]

The rear view above is bloody awful - Such a mess.

[Dakkon]

The design has very much marmite qualities about it, but great to see a company really taking low weight seriously.

[Davi]

oh dear god. It's a sad day when I truly can't stand a Lambo

[carl0s]

Interested in this cheaper & easier carbon fibre stuff ..

[Kawasicki]

Great car, just make it more comfortable, quieter & safer, then we will be ready to buy it.

Everyone says they want cars to be lighter, but then go and buy massive, refined & comfy cars.

Personally I love the idea of this car, good work Lamborghini!

[bobberz]

That's stunning! A million times better than the Reventon. Really seems like what the Countach was to the '70s, this could be to the 2010s. Really moves the game on!

[SR]

Lamborghini IMHO is about drama and that certainly has it in spades. Weight reduction is a welcome direction, the production cars will certainly be heavier but augers well for the inevitable "green" future being imposed by environmental issues.
I personally love the concept and would sell a kidney or two for it but once again that's my opinion.

[FestivAli]

It's a Mansory Gallardo. Yuck. Do like the fact it weighs less than my Fiesta though. I hope the production version looks better, because I like raging bulls in general, but this is just horribly overdone, like they've blown up the styling cues to 120%.