A new rumor has been going round in the web the last few days, the talk about a Lamborghini Sesto Elemento production model to be unveiled at the upcoming IAA in Frankfurt mid-September has been muted down and now the latest info talks about some kind of super Gallardo to be unveiled as the swansong to this highly successful V10 model.
So what is it going to be now? According to TeamSpeed.com, they received information from Lamborghini officials that could mean we will be seeing some kind of Gallardo Super Trofeo street version on the stand in Germany ... now to be honest this would be a surprise to say the least.
On the 2010 Geneva Auto Show the Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera has been shown, the top of the line when it comes to V10 powered Lamborghini, later on the Performante joined the club as an open top version of this Superleggera and Lamborghini even released a special Blancpain edition of the LP570-4 as a tribute to the Super Trofeo success back in September 2010.
The differences between a regular Superleggera and the Blancpain edition were subtle, but still very impressive, among other things the massive rear wing from the Super Trofeo race car was mounted as was the different engine cover, add some alcantara inside with the Blancpain logo all over the car, both inside and outside and you've got the limited edition, it looks nice, but perhaps not different enough ... so now we hear about a Gallardo LP590-4 Super Trofeo Strada or something like that.
Some sources state this new Super Trofeo street version will shed another 50 Kg or so compared to the current LP570-4 Superleggera, it will also receive different bodywork especially at the front with a deeper spoiler and most likely a larger rear wing (either optionally or standard). Add this this an increase of 20 hp (hence the LP590-4 name) and we could be looking at a top speed of 210 Mph and acceleration figures of as little as 3.0 seconds to reach 100 Km/h.
Some sources even state this car will be red when unveiled at Frankfurt and will be priced at a hefty $330,000 for a production run of as little as 30 units ... some serious details for a car that only exists in rumors for now ... as usual nothing official has been released, and nobody 'in the known' will comment if asked about this, which is totally normal naturally.
I for one do have some questions about a Super Trofeo Strada to be honest, we all know Reiter Engineering right ? The experts behind the race going Lamborghini models from the Murcielago R-GT and R-SV, but also the Gallardo GT3 race car ... currently this latter one had evolved into an LP600 version ... yep 600 Bhp from the V10 engine, and according to qualified engineers this is about the maximum figure the current V10 engine can cope with if you don't count on turbocharging, so for Lamborghini themselves to release a 590 bhp version would mean they are stretching the engine as far as it will go for street use (note the Super Trofeo race car puts out 'only' 562 Bhp) and the Gallardo successor will receive a modified V10 engine to put some reserve into it again.
And I actually have a second doubt about this LP590-4 Super Trofeo ... it already exists ! Well not completely like these rumors talk about it, but Reiter Engineering has been offering the Super Trofeo Strada kit for a while now.
Take a look at the orange car on this page, the Super Trofeo Strada kit from Reiter Engineering turns any LP560-4 or LP570-4 model into a near perfect Super Trofeo look alike, and it's completely street legal, by the way, it fits the Spyder too ! And while we are talking details ... take a look at the white LP600 race car, wouldn't that amazing looking engine cover fit nicely on a road Gallardo too ? Shouldn't be too difficult to fit I think, and it totally changes the look of the car ... so imagine a Reiter Super Trofeo Strada with that LP600 engine cover and ask them to tune the engine a bit ... you'll end up with something very close to what Automobili Lamborghini SpA could be unveiling at the IAA.
So is all this talking anything to take seriously after all ? When asking some direct questions you get the silent treatment from those that know what 's happening ... a street legal Super Trofeo version question did get a 'you are very close' response according to TeamSpeed, but no details or further elaboration could be recorded ... so it can still go either way : a new limited edition high power Gallardo or a highly modified production version of the Paris concept car looking like a mix between the original Sesto Elemento concept, a Gallardo and a Super Trofeo race car ... and street legal after all ...
If all the other rumors turn into a reality we will be seeing a completely new V10 model to replace the aging Gallardo (keep in mind it was originally introduced back in 2003) at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show, probably called the Cabrera it will change the super car market once again as did the Gallardo, but the new LP700-4 Aventador will also be joined by a Roadster version next year, so my guess would be a new V10 in Geneva and an Aventador Roadster in Paris ... why not ?
So what is it going to be now? According to TeamSpeed.com, they received information from Lamborghini officials that could mean we will be seeing some kind of Gallardo Super Trofeo street version on the stand in Germany ... now to be honest this would be a surprise to say the least.
On the 2010 Geneva Auto Show the Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera has been shown, the top of the line when it comes to V10 powered Lamborghini, later on the Performante joined the club as an open top version of this Superleggera and Lamborghini even released a special Blancpain edition of the LP570-4 as a tribute to the Super Trofeo success back in September 2010.
The differences between a regular Superleggera and the Blancpain edition were subtle, but still very impressive, among other things the massive rear wing from the Super Trofeo race car was mounted as was the different engine cover, add some alcantara inside with the Blancpain logo all over the car, both inside and outside and you've got the limited edition, it looks nice, but perhaps not different enough ... so now we hear about a Gallardo LP590-4 Super Trofeo Strada or something like that.
Some sources state this new Super Trofeo street version will shed another 50 Kg or so compared to the current LP570-4 Superleggera, it will also receive different bodywork especially at the front with a deeper spoiler and most likely a larger rear wing (either optionally or standard). Add this this an increase of 20 hp (hence the LP590-4 name) and we could be looking at a top speed of 210 Mph and acceleration figures of as little as 3.0 seconds to reach 100 Km/h.
Some sources even state this car will be red when unveiled at Frankfurt and will be priced at a hefty $330,000 for a production run of as little as 30 units ... some serious details for a car that only exists in rumors for now ... as usual nothing official has been released, and nobody 'in the known' will comment if asked about this, which is totally normal naturally.
I for one do have some questions about a Super Trofeo Strada to be honest, we all know Reiter Engineering right ? The experts behind the race going Lamborghini models from the Murcielago R-GT and R-SV, but also the Gallardo GT3 race car ... currently this latter one had evolved into an LP600 version ... yep 600 Bhp from the V10 engine, and according to qualified engineers this is about the maximum figure the current V10 engine can cope with if you don't count on turbocharging, so for Lamborghini themselves to release a 590 bhp version would mean they are stretching the engine as far as it will go for street use (note the Super Trofeo race car puts out 'only' 562 Bhp) and the Gallardo successor will receive a modified V10 engine to put some reserve into it again.
And I actually have a second doubt about this LP590-4 Super Trofeo ... it already exists ! Well not completely like these rumors talk about it, but Reiter Engineering has been offering the Super Trofeo Strada kit for a while now.
Take a look at the orange car on this page, the Super Trofeo Strada kit from Reiter Engineering turns any LP560-4 or LP570-4 model into a near perfect Super Trofeo look alike, and it's completely street legal, by the way, it fits the Spyder too ! And while we are talking details ... take a look at the white LP600 race car, wouldn't that amazing looking engine cover fit nicely on a road Gallardo too ? Shouldn't be too difficult to fit I think, and it totally changes the look of the car ... so imagine a Reiter Super Trofeo Strada with that LP600 engine cover and ask them to tune the engine a bit ... you'll end up with something very close to what Automobili Lamborghini SpA could be unveiling at the IAA.
So is all this talking anything to take seriously after all ? When asking some direct questions you get the silent treatment from those that know what 's happening ... a street legal Super Trofeo version question did get a 'you are very close' response according to TeamSpeed, but no details or further elaboration could be recorded ... so it can still go either way : a new limited edition high power Gallardo or a highly modified production version of the Paris concept car looking like a mix between the original Sesto Elemento concept, a Gallardo and a Super Trofeo race car ... and street legal after all ...
If all the other rumors turn into a reality we will be seeing a completely new V10 model to replace the aging Gallardo (keep in mind it was originally introduced back in 2003) at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show, probably called the Cabrera it will change the super car market once again as did the Gallardo, but the new LP700-4 Aventador will also be joined by a Roadster version next year, so my guess would be a new V10 in Geneva and an Aventador Roadster in Paris ... why not ?
http://www.lambocars.com
