New Four-Door Lamborghini Estoque Revealed
Estoque Photos
The four-door coupe craze has officially gone high-end with the introduction of
sedan, and 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 is deemed a little higher on the social pecking order than Porsche, at least when price is concerned. Mercedes-Benz was first to this market, effectually creating the segment by introducing the stylish CLS, and others, such as Aston Martin with its gorgeous Rapide and BMW with its stunningly beautiful CS Concept, will soon get in on the action.
The Estoque is a bit of a surprise, however. Well, as much of a surprise as two weeks worth of teaser shots can allow for, but it was unexpected by most before the first carbon-fiber rear valance image debuted, and more or less has remained a mystery until now. Some, after the teaser photos appeared, speculated that Lamborghini would return to a front-engine four-place coupe, a reborn Espada of sorts, while others were certain a four-door was on the way. The two-door variant may still be in the wings, and why not with a sedan complete with four individual Nappa leather covered sports seats providing the front half of the interior and the donor chassis/engine architecture, but the Estoque shows what Lamborghini could create now, and very close to what is expected to be production trim.
If you had guessed that the new Lambo would be a front-engine four-door, give yourself a little pat on the back, or at least half a pat. You were right about the four-door configuration, but the car will maintain a mid-engine layout to keep true to brand principles, or at least that’s what Lamborghini’s press release states. The reality is the engine will be placed slightly aft of the front axle to optimize weight distribution, not unlike Infiniti’s front mid-ship layout, or in other words the engine will be up front… ahem… yes, go ahead and give yourself a full pat on the back.
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 wheelbase, at almost 10 feet, 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 Lamborghini promises a trunk with “plenty 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 translate into 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.
If you were wondering what 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.