Lamborghini could come into the high-performance four-door supercar market soon – with a sleek and powerful sedan/coupe called the Estoque. Can a four-door car be exciting enough for Lamborghini? Yes, it certainly can so long as it is light and is powered by the fabulous V-10.
Estoque is a strange name, though. It is a Spanish sword, rather a nasty piece of work if you are at the wrong end. The Spaniards pronounce it Estokay, and Lamborghini will presumably say it that way, but Americans and most Europeans will pronounce it Estock, which does not sound very good.
Stunning car, designed in-houseEven so, this is a stunning car, designed in house by the Centro Stile of Lamborghini, and it starts with characteristic front end modelled on the Gallardo, but with a deeper pair of air intakes each side of a narrow spoiler. There is a central air intake above the spoiler, and a pair of small air intakes below the main ones – that much has the look of a car ready for production.
The hood is low and wide, with a pair of air outlets on top, and slopes back into a low coachroof, which looks more suitable for a 2+2 than for a full four-seater.
The sides are classic shape for a high-performance supercar, with air outlets behind the front wheels, and a strong fender line with rear fenders that sweep up in a neat curve and end in a short tail. The rear end is surprisingly plain, with horizontal rear lamps, but with a pair of large near-rectangular exhaust pipes at the centre.
Although the Estoque is very low for a four-door sedan, it is not quite as low as it looks, because it is sitting on enormous wheels, as is fashionable: 22-inch at the front and 23-inch at the rear, more like chariot wheels.
Big and elegantYes, this is an elegant car, and it is a big one, being a couple of inches longer than the Jaguar XJR, and nine inches longer than the Mercedes-Benz 6.3 CLS , the most obvious competitors, but lacking in exclusivity. On the other hand, a four-door coupe version of the XJR would be a more direct competitor.
Like these two cars, the Lamborghini Estoque is front-engined, but the engine is installed behind the front axle, as on the leading front-engine coupes, such as the Aston Martin DBS and Ferrari F599GTB.
V-10 power, maybe V-12 dieselLamborghini has not yet committed to which power train it will use, but the 5.2 liter, 550 bhp V-10 from the Gallardo LP560-4 will be available. For the sake of political correctness, an Audi V-8 with hybrid module is mentioned. Also likely is the Audi V-12 TDI diesel.
In all cases, the Estoque will be a very fast car, and the power will be transmitted through an electronically controlled sequential box to the Lamborghini four-wheel drive system.
Suspension and brakes will be typical of Lamborghini, and it is expected that the frame will be made from aluminum extrusions and castings, although these will not be identical in section to those of the Gallardo owing to the greater length, and of course, the completely different layout.
When it goes into production – and we are confident that it will – the Estoque will be a welcome addition to the think ranks of four-door supercars. Watch this space.
