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Okay, so Lamborghini says that the future of the supercar is in the pudding, er, the Sesto Elemento concept. Fine, we believe them. Having had a word with Stephan Winkelmann earlier this year, Srini found out that the company really has it clear in its head as to what the future supercar is all about. And I agree with what Stephan thinks!
The supercar, as we know today has gotten heavier due to various safety legislations, luxury requirements and what not. To offset that, engines have become bigger and more powerful and the end result is a rather porky supercar that can go really quick and has a fantastic top speed, but getting increasingly dull. I drove the new PDK equipped Porsche 911 Turbo cabrio a while back and while I was amazed by its turn of speed and handling, it didn't feel visceral enough. Think about it, it has got torque vectoring to kill understeer and dynamic engine mounts to reduce drivetrain vibration. You know what it really does? It kills the fun factor. It doesn't let you truly enjoy a car until you take it to its absolute limit, which is very rare on public roads in any part of the world – German autobahns included!
Which is why, I like Lamborghini's focus on light weight. What it does is take the onus of driving back to the driver. Think about it, a lighter-than-normal supercar with lots of horsepower means the driver is once again fighting the car, which is what it should always be as far as supercars are concerned. Lamborghini says acceleration is what truly matters, top speed is academic. I agree, since it is nigh scary and close to impossible to be doing anything more than 300 kph, even on de-restricted roads. And to do anything more than that for a long duration, you need to head to the Papenburg testing arena, or Ehra Lessien or the Bonneville salt flats. So 400 kph plus for a Bugatti Veyron sounds fantastic, but not many owners will find the opportunity to do 300 kph plus easy to come by.
I hope, others are watching what Lamborghini is doing keenly. It is a practical thought and concept which could work. I also hope the regulators are getting it too, because light weight needn't necessarily mean unsafe. Or boring!
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