On Paris Auto Show, a big showroom surrounded by lots of pretty girls and paunchy gentlemen with notepads sits a concept Lamborghini called the Sesto Elemento. It is made entirely of carbon fibre. Carbon, if you were unaware, is the Sesto Elemento on the periodic table: the 'sixth element'.This concept signals Lambo's intention to withdraw from the Top Speed War which the world's supercar makers have been embroiled in for some time, and instead focus on something much more doable - power-to-weight.
As such, this Sesto Elemento gets the Gallardo's 5.2-litre V10 wrung out to 562bhp, but sits on a carbon-fibre body weighing a paltry 999kgs, meaning rocket-powered performance in a go-kart shell. 0-62mph is sliced in just 2.5 seconds, which, as you've guessed, is the same as a friggin' Veyron. Top speed is 'over 186mph'.
But, says Lambo, "what the figures cannot convey is the Sesto Elemento's razor-sharp handling, voracious turn-in and huge braking power". An understanding of basic physics will tell you this is right. So, so Right.
The concept gets four-wheel-drive, Lambo's E-Gear auto box and, alongside the extensive carbon fibre, carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), including the insides, which are as spartan as the looks are outrageous.
We've got the full lowdown and exclusive access to this pivotal moment for one of our favourite carmakers, so check out next month's mag for the full scoop.
Lamborghini wants to refocus the idea of extreme performance with this. Are they heading in the right direction, or should Lambos be about big power, big speed and big drama?
that review from : _http://www.topgear.com/UPDATE----
Sesto Elemento is Italian for sixth element, which is carbon. And much of the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento is constructed from carbonfibre, helping to keep the kerbweight under 1000kg. The Sesto Elemento weighs just 999kg – incredible for a car that features four-wheel drive and a 5.2-litre V10.
The basis of the Sesto Elemento is a carbonfibre monocoque, with CFRP crash structures and body panels – the latter are visible through a clear-coat paint with nano technology-added red crystals providing a shimmer effect. The suspension components, the wheels and brakes are also made from carbon, the propshaft is CFRP, and the tailpipes are constructed from Pyrosic, a glass and ceramic composite that can withstand 900-deg. The rear subframe and rear axle suspension points are aluminium.
Combine that low, low weight with the 562bhp 5.2-litre V10 from the Gallardo Superleggera, plus that car’s four-wheel drive system, and you get a Veyron-beating 563bhp/tonne and 2.5sec 0-62mph time. The added benefit of weighing 340kg less than a Gallardo Superleggera is an improvement in fuel consumption and CO2 figures too, but more excitingly, the Sesto Elemento will stop and steer better as well.
'The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento shows how the future of the super sports car can look – extreme lightweight engineering, combined with extreme performance results in extreme driving fun. We put all of our technological competence into one stunning form to create the Sesto Elemento,' said Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann. 'Systematic lightweight engineering is crucial for future super sports cars: for the most dynamic performance, as well as for low emissions. We will apply this technological advantage right across our model range. Every future Lamborghini will be touched by the spirit of the Sesto Elemento.'
this update from _http://www.carmagazine.co.uk
Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Review
