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NEWS
Lambo Sesto Elemento for Oz
Up to two examples of Lamborghini's $2.3 million Sesto Elemento could grace AustraliaLamborghini has confirmed that at least two well-heeled Australian enthusiasts have lodged expressions of interest to purchase the Italian supercar brand’s racetrack-only Sesto Elemento.
Of the strictly limited global production run of just 20 examples, at least one Sesto Elemento is therefore likely to call Australia home, indicated Lamborghini Automobili’s Australian-born commercial director, Fintan Knight.
“At the moment we have over 30 expressions of interest in the car,” said Mr Knight after revealing the Sesto Elemento for the first time in Australia at last week’s Sydney motor show. “We’re in the process of presenting the car to certain selected clients, including clients in Australia – at least two.
“I would love to see it going around Bathurst because I can imagine what that is like at the end of the straight.”
Mr Knight said that because demand exceeded supply, Lamborghini’s selection process will “start with our loyal clients and collectors first”.
“The time when the order is submitted is relevant and we work through that list until all of the numbers are occupied,” he said.
If sold to an Australian buyer – the identity of which will remain a closely guarded secret – the $2.3 million Sesto Elemento will become the country’s most expensive new car, a title currently owned by Aston Martin’s limited-edition One-77.
Australia’s only One-77, owned by an anonymous Queensland Aston fan, also made its national debut at the Sydney show and is one of just 77 built globally.
When Aston announced a One-77 price of £1.25 million in the UK during the height of the 2008 GFC, local taxes would have brought the price to almost $4 million, but more favourable exchange rates and reduced import duty saw the purchase price reduce to about $1.87 million when the road-going supercar was delivered to its local owner earlier this year.
Unlike the One-77, however, the Sesto Elemento – which has a carbon-fibre body and weighs just 999kg – cannot be legally driven on public roads anywhere in the world, making it a seriously indulgent track day toy.
“It’s a track prototype, so that means it’s not homologated for road use,” said Mr Knight. “However, it’s an extremely collectible car and many of our clients have facilities at their disposal that allow them to use the car.
“In addition to that, within our framework of motorsport events in Europe (we) allow the owners to showcase their cars in front of the fans who come to our motor racing events.”
Lamborghini says each Sesto Elemento – which in Italian means ‘sixth element’, a reference to carbon’s place in the periodic table - takes three months to complete, with examples hand-built in pairs, making each version unique.
First revealed at the 2010 Paris motor show before being confirmed for production at the 2011 Frankfurt show, the all-wheel drive Sesto Elemento is powered by a 419kW 5.2-litre V10 engine. Lamborghini claims it can hit 100km/h in just 2.5 seconds – a second quicker than the larger V12 Aventador – making it one of the world’s quickest production cars.
“The power-to-weight ratio is the same as a Bugatti Veyron but because it’s done with 999kg when you corner it’s amazing,” said Mr Knight.
“That is the interesting thing with the car. It is not just the 999kg – it is the complete lack of inertia in the corners. It’s like cornering on a motorcycle – you are sitting on it, you don’t have the feeling of a car around you. It’s like you’re just steering the chassis.”
Mr Knight also confirmed that if it is approved for production, Lamborghini’s mould-breaking Urus crossover would most certainly become available in Australia, which is a large SUV market and currently Lamborghini’s 13th biggest export destination. The ‘other’ Italian supercar brand already has a 14 per cent slice of Australia’s supercar segment – almost double Lamborghini’s global share of 7.5 per cent.
“There’s been no final decision made (about production of the Urus),” he said. “We’re not under pressure to make a final decision. Because it takes roughly four years (to develop) that means 2017 is our ideal time in view of the other things we have (coming)”.
Mr Knight said the Urus – which is likely to become Lamborghini’s cheapest model, positioned beneath the $409,500 Gallardo LP550-2 Coupe - would not be a people-mover but “the supercar of the SUV segment” by being more rigid and lighter than the best SUVs currently available, including Porsche’s Cayenne.
He also said Lambo’s first SUV was odds-on to reach production with hybrid power, saying: “We’re looking at the possibility of alternative drivetrains in the SUV... There is the possibility of electric boost...”
Mr Knight also confirmed the replacement for the Gallardo will lose both its existing nameplate and manual transmission when Lamborghini’s all-new entry-level model is launched.
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Written byMarton Pettendy
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