Lamborghini Egoista concept looks like a space fighter
At the closure of its 50th anniversary Grande Giro tour, Lamborghini unveiled a new high-end concept that looks like something space Batman would drive.
At the closure of its 50th anniversary Grande Giro tour, Lamborghini unveiled a new high-end concept that looks like something space Batman would drive.
We've seen some pretty out-there limited-edition cars from luxury manufacturer Lamborghini, but its newest may have just taken the biscuit and sped off with it.
The Egoista, unveiled at the Grande Giro closing gala, was designed by Volkswagen head of design Walter De Silva, and is designed to be the ultimate in self-indulgence.
"This is a car made for one person only, to allow them to have fun and express their personality to the maximum," De Silva said. "It is designed purely for hyper-sophisticated people who want only the most extreme and special things in the world. It represents hedonism taken to the extreme, it is a car without compromises, in a word: egoista (selfish)."
The single-person cockpit (we hesitate to call it anything else), angled, crystalline chassis and orange highlights remind us of nothing so much as a space fighter — especially once you check out the launch video below.
Only one Egoista will ever be made: Lamborghini's anniversary gift to Lamborghini.
Flaps integrated into the car's profile act automatically according to driving conditions. Two rear flaps activate automatically to provide stability at high speeds, while vents on the engine hood provide cooling to the V10 engine.
From the side, the Egoista is intended to resemble a charging bull (the car manufacturer's logo) with its horns lowered, to give the car a dynamic, aggressive profile.
Powering away under the hood is a 5.2-litre V10 engine that provides the car with a massive 600 horsepower.
The car's lighting is designed to resemble an aircraft's, with LED clearance lights, white lights on the front and red lights on the rear, which is left open to show the car's powerful machinery. The body of the car is made from a special "antiradar material", and the orange glass is anti-glare.
Aviation actually had a strong influence on the car's design; in particular, the Apache helicopter. The cockpit was designed to resemble the Apache's ejectable one. "The cockpit, made completely of carbon fibre and aluminium, represents a sort of survival cell, allowing the driver to isolate and protect themselves from external elements," De Silva said.
Inside the cockpit is a racing seat with a four-point seatbelt, airbags and a minimal instrument panel, with a jet-fighter-like head-up display. In order to get in and out, the driver has to remove the steering wheel and climb over the side. "It's as if Ferruccio Lamborghini were saying: I'm going to put the engine in the back, I don't want a passenger. I want it for myself, and I want it as I imagine it to be. It is a fanatical vehicle, Egoista fits it well," De Silva said.