Lamborghini Confirms Limited Production Run of the Sesto Elemento

The Gallardo Super Trofeo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale may have been the center of attention at Lamborghini's press event in Frankfurt, but the Italian company had another surprise under its sleeve as it announced that the stunning Sesto Elemento concept would enter a limited production.

The Sesto Elemento was unveiled at last year’s Paris Motor Show as a showcase for Lamborghini’s technological innovations. The automaker had then denied speculation that it was the Gallardo’s replacement or a new addition to its range.

It was a plausible denial: the outrageously designed, carbon fiber prototype was seemingly too radical for production.

The Sesto Elemento was Lamborghini's first supercar after the 1986 Countach Evoluzione that weighed less than 1,000 kg – even by a mere kilogram. This, combined with the motorsport-sourced 570HP V10 (the same engine as the Gallardo Superleggera and Stradale) gave the Sesto Elemento a power-to-weight ratio of just 1.75 kg per HP and a 2.5 seconds time for the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint.

Winkelmann explained Lamborghini’s change of heart: “The excellent feedback and the numerous requests we’ve had from our customers have really convinced us to embark on the challenge of producing a vehicle with unique characteristics. We are proud that what a year ago was a technology demonstrator of future super sports cars, even though in working order, will become a small series reality.”

Exactly how small? Well, lets’ just say that it will make the 150 units of the Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale seem too common in comparison: the Sesto Elemento’s production run will be a mere 20 units, with deliveries starting in 2013.

 

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IAA 2011: New Hardcore Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale

One simple word at Lamborghini’s invitation to the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show should have given us a clue about the kind of car the Sant’ Agata manufacturer would unveil at this year’s IAA. The key word was “racing”, and that is exactly what Lamborghini will present, the most hardcore Gallardo ever built. And it doesn’t get any more hardcore than a street-legal version of a racing car.

Named the Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale, the special edition model is based on the race cars that participate in the one-make Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo championship.

Of course, we’ve lost count of the limited editions of the Gallardo that we’ve seen in the past couple of years. So what makes this one different from the rest, apart from the fact that it will be produced in only 150 units?

Well, for starters there is the engine: the V10’s output reaches 570HP at 8,000 rpm and 540 Nm (398.2 lb-ft) of torque at 6,500 rpm, while the different firing order of the cylinders is said to make the engine sound like a thoroughbred racing unit.

The Super Trofeo Stradale’s uprated V10, along with a reduced weight of 1,340 kg, enables the latest version of the Gallardo to sprint from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.4 seconds and 200 km/h (125 mph) only 10.4 seconds later, while its top speed is rated at 320 km/h (200 mph).

Like the racecar, the street version uses an electronically controlled six-speed semi-automatic gearbox controlled by steering-wheel mounted paddles that powers all four wheels that are wrapped around Pirelli P-Zero Corsa-shod. The Trofeo Stradale also features a “Thrust Mode” for maximum acceleration from a standstill – in other words, Lamborghini’s version of a launch control system.

Like the Superleggera, the Trofeo Stradale’s suspension and steering are tuned for giving the driver the closest experience to a racecar possible. Braking is taken care by 365 and 356 mm front and rear discs respectively, with 380 and 356 mm carbon-ceramic brakes. A tubular roll cage, four-point seat belts and a fire extinguisher also feature on the options list.

On the outside, the Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale is finished in a brand new “Rosso Mars” red paint that is said to symbolize Italy’s traditional racing red of the beginning of last century’s motor racing when different colors stood for different nations. If you don’t like red there’s also “Grigio Telesto” grey and “Bianco Monocerus” white and, as an option, you can have the roof in gloss black paint.

The Trofeo Stradale also features a matte black finish on the large, race-inspired rear spoiler, the easily removed engine hood and the air intakes while the rear diffuser, mirror housings and rocker panels are made of carbon fiber.

Further allusions to motorsport include the carbon fiber seats and the Alcantara-sweathed interior that covers almost everything, from steering wheel to the underside of the dashboard, but there are also optionally available amenities like a satellite navigation with Bluetooth connection for mobile phones, an anti-theft system, and a lifting system that raises the front axle.

 

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