The Estoque is the first decidedly new model to come from Lamborghini in several years. The Italian super sports car maker’s current line, consisting of only the top-of-the-line Lamborghini Murcielago and the smaller Gallardo, plays things relatively safe as supercar makers go.
The Lamborghini Estoque, while still only a concept car though with a strong chance of seeing production, seriously shakes up what the name Lamborghini calls to mind. First and foremost, it is a sedan. Yes, a four door, four seat Lamborghini. While some will groan this as the antithesis of everything Lamborghini stands for, others will applaud the Estoque for its bold and iconoclastic design.

Performance details and specs are slim at this point for the Lamborghini Estoque concept. Notably, Lamborghini has not yet solidified what engine would power the car should it see production. The most likely choice would be the excellent 5 liter V8 which forms the performance base for both the Lamborghini Gallardo and the Audi R8.

Rumors have circulated that the Lamborghini Estoque might be powered by a cleaner-burning turbodiesel engine, and while this is unsubstantied, it would certainly be an interesting choice as luxury sports car makers try to reach out a hand to wealthy buyers turning away from huge horsepower in favor of a more green image.

The name “Estoque” signifies the sword worn at the hip by a bullfighter, used to gore the bull at the end of a match. The Lamborghini Estoque concept has long, low proportions, and with its pointed front end and huge rear fender flanks certainly looks sword-like in its own right.

Power from the as-yet-unnamed Estoque engine is put to the ground through all four wheels, as is customary of everything to come from Lambo. The Estoque, which Lamborghini calls a mid-engine car, features both a motor and drivetrain located aft of the front axel line, a move which should lend itself to perfect weight distribution.

Since the success of the Maserati Quattroporte and the first images of the still-in-development Porsche Panamera, buyers are told it is o.k., even unique in a crowded field, to have four-door halo sports cars. Lamborghini has succeeded in drumming up a fever of excitement in the automotive world for the Estoque, and while no official production announcement has been given, bet the Estoque will be coming to Lamborghini showrooms worldwide with most of its concept equipment intact.

Gadzooks — a Lamborghini four-door, four-seat saloon. Strictly a concept at present, the Estoque (no, we don’t know how to pronounce it either) sports a detuned, 500bhp V10 engine from the Gallardo, with longer inlet tracts to reduce the engine’s height and to extend the torque curve further down the rev range. “It could take an FSi V8 engine, also a turbodiesel,” says chief engineer Maurizio Reggiani, which are words you will never have heard before from a Lamborghini engineer. With the engine completely behind the front axle line, it is officially classed a mid-front-engined and has a weight distribution of 55 per cent front, 45 per cent rear. The transmission is a seven-speed, twin-clutch DSG unit from the parent VW Group, driving all four wheels.

Will it be built? “It is a concept for our third model, but now we have to investigate whether the possibility exists,” says Reggiani. With Porsche’s forthcoming Panamerica and Aston Martin’s Rapide reintroducing the idea of four-seat coupé/saloons to the market, perhaps Lamborghini is on to something. “Even if the answer is yes, it will take four years to make it,” says Reggiani, although he admits he would feel happier about the future when the financial masters of the universe start earning their bonuses again.

Source: rsportscars & telegraph