New Lamborghini GT on the way?
Carmaker drives towards new Espada
 Lamborghini Espada -- inspiration for a new model? |
Lamborghini is expanding its portfolio, and could be about to build a successor to the legendary Espada. According to this week's Autocar, Lambo chief designer Luc Donckerwolke wants to expand the company's range outwards from just the Murcielago and Gallardo.
What's prompted the potential move is the establishment in the market of the two cars, and the imminent arrival of a new V12. In addition, the experience of Bentley, also VW-owned, showed that it is possible to expand out of a niche. Well, Lamborghini did start with tractors...
The story is based around the discovery of advanced design studies by student Emily Sawamuru that were developed as pat of a Lamborghini-sponsored at the Pasadena Art Center in California. The Center is one of the world's top automotive design colleges, and carmakers often use students for this purpose. The car itself looks set to be a four-seater GT based on an Audi-supplied aluminium space-frame chassis. The report suggests that the 6.2-litre V12 will be front-mid mounted, and that it will generate a hefty 620bhp and a seriously meaty 511lb-ft of torque.
We wont know until next year if it will go ahead and, even if it does, the car won't arrive until 2009. We can but hope....
dinkel said:
http://home.comcast.net/~chapelbmw/lambo.jpg . . .
(and pics of 2 yuk studies I've deleted for the occasion)
You never know . . .
You mean this absolute stunning black thingy?
>> Edited by dinkel on Wednesday 15th June 13:54
festernath said:
They look awesome, although the silver one doesn't appear to have much space for a V12 under the bonnet...
"The report suggests that the 6.2-litre V12 will be front-mid mounted, and that it will generate a hefty 620bhp and a seriously meaty 511lb-ft of torque.
" ?? Maybe that's 11 tiny wee little cylinders and one MASSIVE fella under the seat
festernath said:
They look awesome, although the silver one doesn't appear to have much space for a V12 under the bonnet...
You'll wonder how much space the V12 takes when it's out of the car, and how little it seems to need when it's inside the enginebay. Really curious. (same with the inline 6 of the E-type)
I'm going to experience that again this evening, when we are going to remove the V12 of the S3 Espada.
Pics will follow soon on my website.
errek72 said:
Maybe it's just because I have no kids to stow in the back, but a four seater sports car, no matter what type of engine it has, seems pretty pointless to me.
I fit in the back of the original Espada (I'm about 1.90 m). A trip to the Nürburgring (approx. 270 km from here) is absolutely painless
So even if you don't have children, it makes sense. If you don't have children AND you don't have friends either, you're probably right.
But I think you have to see the Espada as a Grand Tourer, not as a sportscar.
"Like the original it will be a hatchback, but interestingly Lamborghini's engineers are considering dispensing with the use of conventional door pillars, and instead follow a path recently trodden by the highly successful Mazda RX-8, by utilising the rear, small 'suicide' door approach.
Power will be delivered by the Gallardo's 5.0-litre V10 and the Murcielago's 6.2-litre V12 engine, both of which will by then have benefited from a performance upgrade, while traction will be fed to the wheels via Lamborghini's stock four wheel drive system.
The new V10 Espada will be a direct competitor to the Aston Martin DB9 as well as Maserati's forthcoming 5000GT. The more powerful V12 engined version, to be built in limited numbers, will take on Ferrari's recently introduced 5.75-litre V12-powered 612 Scaglietti. One of the reasons Lamborghini have decided on also offering the Murcielago's fearsome engine, which currently boasts in excess of 600 bhp, is that the decision has been made that, right across the range, their models should go head-to-head with the Prancing Horse marque in the power stakes.
The new project has been designed around the VW-Audi Group's new D4 'architecture' set. These are prestige market-end floorpans that are expected to be used by Audi for the next A8 saloon, Bentley for the Arnarge replacement, VW for the next-generation Phaeton, if this project is given the go-ahead after the disastrous sales that are being achieved by the first model to bear this name, and Bugatti, for a planned 'entry-level' sportscar, which will complement the 'future' Veyron. However these underpinnings do not technically approach the highly sophisticated transaxles, and perfect weight balance of 42/58 percent, that has been achieved by Ferrari with its new 612 Scaglietti, a feat which is expected to be mirrored by the forthcoming Maserati 5000GT."
And additional pics of Lambo's own models:
http://hvtm.totalcar.hu/car/m/lamborghini/930340.jpg
There are rumours that the NEW Espada would use the TDi V10 . . . .
www.gto-magazine.nl/newsdisp.php?cache=no&ID=3186
Look at all this yum:
www.autoweek.nl/newsimages.php?ID=3186&p=4&ref=
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