Sesto Elemento, a New Philosophy for the Future of Supercars?
Lamborghini is heading to the Motor Show in Paris next month with an ace up its sleeve. It is unveiling a lightweight beast; a monster road car whose weight-to-power ratio will, according to Lamborghini’s President and CEO, change the way Lamborghini produce cars forever.
The prototype in question: The Sesto Elemento (sixth element), which will be the lightest Lamborghini supercar (aside from the bespoke Miura JOTA), and push Lamborghini into a new direction of motor-engineering, critically focusing on a lighter carbon-fibre frame to lessen the need for a bigger, heavier, gas-guzzling engine.
“We are very focused on the future of our cars, and we think the power-to-weight ratio is the key element for the future,” Lamborghini’s President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann expressed in an exclusive interview with MeetTheBoss.TV. “We are going to show [in Paris] a technological demonstrator [which] is about power-to-weight ratio. [The car can be summed up] with just four numbers. It has a V10 engine, 5.2-litre capacity with 570 horsepower, and it [weighs] less than 999 kilograms,” Winkelmann said.
The Sesto Elemento is significantly lighter than Lamborghini’s newest road-going car, the Gallardo LP 570-4 Blancpain Edition, which has a dry weight of 1340 kilograms despite boasting racing modifications like a racing spoiler and an engine cover optimized for maximum ventilation. The Gallardo LP 570-4 can hit 0 to 62 miles-per-hour in 3.4 seconds; an impressive feat completely overshadowed by the Sesto Elemento, which has “an acceleration from zero to 62 in just 2.5 seconds,” according to Winkelmann.
The key is power-to-weight. Both cars have 5.2-litre, V10 engines and both have horsepower in the 560-70 range. However the Sesto Elemento weighs 300 kilograms less, which means its power-to-weight ratio is an awesome 1.75 kilos-per-horsepower, as opposed to 2.38 kilos-per-horsepower for the Gallardo LP 570-4. The weight and speed are more impressive when the Sesto Elemento is compared to other competitors. Ferrari’s new 599 GTO, which is billed as Ferrari’s fastest ever road-going car, tops out at 670 horsepower and weighs 1495kg, which represents a power-to-weight ratio of 2.23 kilos-per-horsepower, and ensures a 0 to 62 acceleration time of 3.35 seconds.
For Winkelmann, the lightweight body highlights the direction that Lamborghini are moving in. “The design is outstanding; it is completely made out of carbon fibre. This is what we see as the future of all new models. The new models of Lamborghini [that] come out will all have Sesto Elemento as part of their heritage.”
And as Winkelmann explained to MeetTheBoss.TV, with its unveiling in Paris, the Sesto Elemento will highlight how reducing weight is as important as adding horsepower. “It is more than a concept car because it is showing the future of Lamborghini, not [with] a single car, but [with] the technology. It is very important to our company to show the world that there is a limit to the increase of power. [So] we are looking into a decrease of weight [without compromising] driving pleasure and driving experience.”
You can watch the interview in full from Monday 4 October.
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