Special edition Lamborghini roadsters have become big business over recent years; a Murcielago Roadster never went beyond the 650-4, but there have subsequently been Aventador SV and SVJ drop tops. There was a two-wheel drive Gallardo Spyder, albeit in tiny numbers, while the subsequent Huracan LP580-2 and RWD have been introduced far sooner in the lifecycles, implying increased demand. The Lamborghini roadster just makes sense, adding even more drama to a gloriously OTT package, and so it should come as no surprise that Sant'Agata has now produced another: the Sian Roadster.
Closely related to the Sian launched last year, the new Roadster is described by its maker as "the expression of breathtaking design and extraordinary performance, but most importantly embodies important future technologies". For Roadster specification, see the vital stats for the coupe: the 6.5-litre V12 is tickled to 785hp (from 770hp in an SVJ), then boosted further by supercapacitor hybrid system providing another 34hp for only 35kg of additional mass. Apparently a tenth is sacrificed for the Roadster in sprinting from 0-62mph (now "less than 2.9 seconds" rather than under 2.8) but the top speed is rated at more than 217mph. The same additional functions of the hybrid powertrain - low-speed manoeuvre assistance, regenerative braking, gearshift torque fill - are carried over.
The noticeable changes are in the roof arrangement, then. Lamborghini is keen to draw attention to the aerial view, said to evoke the original Countach with a 'periscopio line' running diagonally from the interior to the back of the car - and "culminating in the aerodynamic airstreamers." Furthermore, that the press release suggests occupants will be "always open to the sky" and makes no mention of even a temporary roof would imply the Sian is a roadster in the truest sense. One for hot Californian summers or balmy Tuscan springs, then - not that you'd expect anything else from a multi-million-pound limited edition Lamborghini.
While the 'Oro Electrum' colour for the wheels is familiar from the hardtop Sian - it's the Lambo electrification colour, apparently - the Roadster has been revealed in Blu Uranus, a paint available on the Aventador SVJ equivalent but seldom seen. Here it's said the colour "encapsulates the blue of the sky and the green of the fields, evoking the freedom and driving elation delivered by the open top Sian Roadster's performance." If this isn't the Sian hue for you, then Lamborghini Ad Personam is on hand to turn any specification wish into reality.
There will be far fewer Sian Roadster owners then there were for the coupe. Just 19 will be made, compared to 63 examples of the hard-top; while the latter number was a nod to Lamborghini's founding year, the 19 isn't stated as a specific reference to anything. No bother, though; all of them are spoken for already. The cost? More than you can afford, pal, and more than 99.5% of the population can, either. Given the most recent comparable Lamborghini - the Centenario Roadster of 2016, of which 20 were made - was a $2m car, expect something similar this time around. And a bit more again, what with the supercapacitor hybrid system. The best and newest tech never did come cheap, after all...
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