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NEWS
AIMS: Lamborghini's sixth-element hypercar
Ultra-rare, super-light 350km/h Lamborghini Sesto Elemento is one of the stars of the Sydney showExotic Italian supercar maker Lamborghini is displaying its show-stopping Sesto Elemento hypercar car at the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) in Sydney, flanked by the Aventador LP700-4 supercar driven by Bruce Wayne in the Batman film, and a Gallardo 570-4 Spyder Performante (just in case the eye candy wasn't enough already!).
Only 20 Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, or Sixth Element, hypercars have been built since it was first unveiled in late 2010 at the Paris motor show (all are spoken for) and the kicker is you'll have to get the motor show quickly if you want to see the 350km/h coupe, because it'll only be on show for four days (October 18 to 21) before it's whisked off to Hong Kong then the Middle East.
After the first four days of the show, the Sesto Elemento will be replaced by the Gallardo LP550-2 Tricolore, which is Lambo's tribute to the 150th anniversary of Italian Unity.
The Sesto Elemento has been dubbed the most extreme super sports vehicle ever. Much of the track-only vehicle's body and componentry is constructed from carbon, hence the sixth element name. The body panels, monocoque chassis, suspension components, driveshaft and even the seats are fabricated from carbon-fibre, all of which is designed to reduce the car's mass to a paltry 999kg.
Power comes from the Gallardo's 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine, outputting 419kW at 8000rpm and 540Nm at 6500rpm – enough shunt to ensure the all-wheel drive weapon accelerates to 100km/h in an eye-watering 2.5 seconds.
The car's mid-mounted engine gulps in air via two large intakes behind the doors, while 10 hexagonal vents in the rear engine cover regulate powertrain thermal dynamics. The radical prototype car gets its power to the ground via a six-speed robotised manual gearbox.
And the design? Angular, aggressive, aerodynamic and, simply, stunning. When car companies call their vehicles ‘show-stoppers’ the hyperbole needs to be digested with a grain of salt, but in the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento's case, it's likely to be a crowd favourite in Sydney, and possibly even undisputed champion of the show.
Festooned with LED lights front and rear, the Sesto Elemento also features a special ‘matt shimmer clear coat’ finish, which not only exposes the carbon-fibre weave, but also makes use of nano-technology to integrate fine crystals for a subtle red tinge.
Though most mere mortals will never get to own one, and with AIMS being the closest we'll get to the car, spare a thought for the well-heeled owners of the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, who will only be able to drive the car in a few places -- it's not road legal and is not classified as a race car, says Lambo. It's a fully operational collector's edition, if you will.
The Sesto Elemento is one of the most in-demand show cars on the planet, but the Aventador and Gallardo Spyder will be displayed on the Lamborghini exhibit for the full duration of AIMS, from October 18 to 28. This particular Aventador LP700-4 is a little bit special, because it was driven by Bruce Wayne (aka Batman, aka Christian Bale) in the Batman film.
On top of the quintessential Lamborghini Automobili design – sharp angles, assertive lines and sleek details – the Aventador LP700-4 is powered by a 6.5-litre V12 engine that outputs 515kW at 8250rpm and 690Nm of torque at 5500rpm, giving the Italian stallion a 2.9-second 0-100km/h dash. A top speed of 350km/h isn't too shabby either!
The car features plenty of carbon-fibre elements, including its monocoque chassis, but if you're at the show, definitely try and get a close look at the exhaust outlets, which are an exotic mix of carbon-fibre and glass-ceramic matrix composites. Look out also for the giant 400mm-diameter carbon ceramic composite front disc brakes too, looming large inside the 19-inch alloy wheels.
The third vehicle to grace the Lamborghini exhibit is one of the most powerful versions of the Gallardo convertible car, the Spyder. Weighing 65kg less than the regular LP560-4 Spyder, thanks in large part to carbon-fibre componentry, the Gallardo 570-4 Spyder Performante is powered by Lambo's 419kW/540Nm 5.2-litre V10 engine and accelerates to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds, making it one of the world's fastest drop tops.
There are less than 10 of these vehicles available in Australia and Lamborghini reckons "every spin in the Spyder Performante is like a journey into the eye of the storm". So it must be windy then?
The ultra-low exotic measures just 1.18 metre high and weighs 1485kg. Like its hard-top sibling, the Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera, almost half of its weight savings are due to carbon-fibre replacement parts.
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