Cut and thrust

Lamborghini's new concept sedan is named after the sword a matador uses to deliver the coup de grace

Lamborghini's new concept sedan is sharp and powerful. Called the Estoque, it's named after the sword a matador uses to deliver the coup de grace

You’ve probably seen one of those Hummers which has been converted into a stretched limousine. It has all the ambience of a bus stop but you can tell it’s meant to be a limo because it’s longer than a taxi queue on New Year’s Eve. In reality, the Hummer is to elegant transport what a Rolls-Royce is to army logistics. There was a similar paradox on the Lamborghini stand at the recent Paris motor show. Its centrepiece, the Estoque, is almost as surprising as a Hummer with disco lights: it’s a Lamborghini sedan. At first it appears to be nothing more than an XXL supercar but you realise it’s meant to be a sedan because it has two more doors than other Lambos – and a boot.

The dramatic shape of the Estoque further explores Lamborghini’s affection for fighter aircraft themes, highlighted by the recent Reventon special editions of the Murcielago. But this car goes further. With its pointy nose and huge air intakes, it wouldn’t look out of place on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.

Aviation obviously isn’t part of the Estoque’s repertoire but the promise of air-scything performance is written in every crease and curve. Under the bonnet will be one of the brand’s awesome V10 engines or a new turbocharged V8. The company leaves the hood open for other possibilities too, such as a hybrid petrol-electric or even a monster diesel. The Volkswagen group, to which Lamborghini belongs, already has some leviathan oil burners in its armoury and their potential has been explored by sibling brand Audi in the Le Mans race series, which it’s been winning regularly.

With its long bonnet, the designers clearly left room for an engine of that calibre – although the claim it can carry four in comfort seems less plausible in something that makes a skateboard look like a people-mover. Until, that is, youtake in the other dimensions: at 2m-wide, the Estoque would straddle any street and it’s only millimetres shorter than a Holden Statesman.

The name, meanwhile, continues a traditional Lamborghini obsession with bullfighting: both its current models are named after famous horned snorters. This moniker adds a twist: an estoque is the metre-long sword that gives the mighty matador his deadly sting.

Perhaps Lamborghini hopes it will have a rapier effect on its rivals, because in many ways it’s coming late to the super-sedan party. Next year both Aston, with the Rapide, and Porsche, with the Panamera, will introduce four-doors along similar lines. Arguably, Mercedes with the CLS and Maserati with the Quattroporte have already set the trend. Lamborghini has repeatedly denied the need for a third model in its line-up, but profits are soaring this year despite the economic turmoil so perhaps the time is ripe. With the Estoque, it can trump traditional rival Ferrari, which is unlikely to follow suit thanks to its affiliation with Maserati.

It may be only a “concept” but the company doesn’t make statements like this lightly any more. It teased showgoers a few years ago with a modern interpretation of its classic Miura and, in the wake of disappointment that it wouldn’t be built, pledged that future concepts would be more than merely studio exercises.

The Estoque would make sense, too. By the time it’s in the showrooms, there’s a good chance the economic turmoil will be over and buyers will have money to spend – again. It would spread the risk for a specialist sportscar maker with only two models and lift production to more viable levels. The Sant’Agata factory in Italy’s supercar heartland is running hot with production at 5000 cars a year but that’s half what most exotic brands consider necessary for comfort. An Estoque could soon be as common a sight as a stretched Hummer.
Philip King is The Australian’s motoring editor