Lamborghini planning to put Estoque into production

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Click above for high-res gallery of the Lamborghini Estoque concept

Emerging reports indicate that Lamborghini is currently in negotiations with the suits at its corporate superior Volkswagen to put the Estoque into production. The four-door Lamborghini concept was unveiled last month at the Paris show after a drawn-out parade of teasers, but with no actual engine unde-hood and little in the way of specifications revealed, most surmised that the Estoque was just a flash-in-the-pan publicity gimmick. Not so, according to the company’s R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani, who confirmed to British weekly Autocar that the company is in the process of making a business case to the VW executive board. If approved, the Estoque could hit showrooms by late 2011 with a UK sticker quoted at around £150k, which lies in between the Gallardo’s £135k British list price and the Murcielago’s £220k.

To make financial sense, the Estoque would have to borrow heavily from the corporate parts bin, but Reggiani was quick to dismiss speculation that the Estoque would share its platform with any current or next-generation Audi. So what would provide the power, you ask? A re-tuned version of the Gallardo LP560-4’s direct-injection V10, optimized for usability at the slight expense of peak output and driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox — another first for Lamborghini. Also under consideration for the Estoque are hybrid and diesel V8 options, noting that the concept car’s platform was designed to accommodate a variety of engines.

Wait a second, a diesel hybrid automatic four-door Lamborghini? What’s going on in Sant’Agata since Porsche took over in Wolfsburg? Nothing all that unusual for the company that started out making tractors and even produced a HUMMER rival for a while. But with the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide on the way, the market for the four-door exotic super-coupe could be the new premium battlefield.

Gallery: Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque LIVE

[Source: Autocar]

Lamborghini planning to put Estoque into production originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque LIVE

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Click the image above for a high-res gallery of live Estoque shots from Paris

You’ve seen the whole Estoque shebang in Lamborghini’s words, pictures, and videos. Let us add our own word to it: hmmm. It’s a Lamborghini, so it’s hard not to like it. And we hate to tread out the refrain, but it’s much nicer in person. It feels, though, like they wanted to get this thing done in time for the show, and it needs a couple more drafts. The front aspect is spot on — not a tough feat since it’s Lamborghini’s language. From the side, the it looks a little too stretched forward of the A-pillar, and there’s more than one personality fighting for attention if you follow the car from snout to rear. And the back, while beautiful, is… yes… Challenger-esque… But don’t take our words for it — have a look at the high-res gallery below and give us yours.

Gallery: Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque LIVE

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VIDEO: Lamborghini Estoque Concept in 3D

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Click above to watch video after the jump

We’ve brought you the official details and high-resolution photos, and now Lamborghini has released a short video showing off even more angles of the four-door Estoque concept. Yes, we’d like to see the car in motion too, but given that Lamborghini didn’t name any engine specs and gave a wide variety of engine possibilities for a production version, we’re guessing that the concept is without a motor underneath that long hood. The car looks distinctively Lamborghini from the front and especially aggressive from the rear with its wide haunches. Don’t take our word for it, watch the Estoque revolve in video yourself after the jump.

Gallery: 2008 Lamborghini Estoque Concept

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Lamborghini Estoque Concept in 3D

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Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque official details and high-res images

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Click above for new high-res gallery of the Lamborghini Estoque Concept

After several weeks of teaser shots from Lamborghini we finally got a full view of the Lamborghini Estoque concept this morning ahead of its official debut tomorrow morning. However, the photos were relatively small and details were scarce, but we are now able to bring you high resolution photos and full details via a press release from Lamborghini. The Estoque, named for the sword use by the Matador in a bull fight, is actually listed as mid-engined with the motor placed behind the front axle. The car sits extremely low at just 4.43 feet high, but still provides plenty of interior space for all four passengers due to the long wheelbase of over three meters. As we expected, Lamborghini states that no official decision has been made regarding production, but did hint that the Estoque could lead to a third model in the lineup with numerous engine possibilities including the V10 from the Gallardo LP560-4, a turbocharged V8, a V8 with a hybrid mode, or even a high-performance TDI. We’ll be sure to bring you any additional information we can get tomorrow at the Paris Motor Show as well as many more photos. Until then, read up on the details of the Estoque in the press release after the jump and check out the new gallery of high resolution photos below.

Gallery: 2008 Lamborghini Estoque Concept

[Source: NetCarShow.com]

Continue reading Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque official details and high-res images

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Paris Preview: four-door Lamborghini Estoque unofficially revealed!

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Click above for gallery of the Lamborghini Estoque Concept

Lamborghini has spent the last few weeks tantalizing us with teasers of its front-engine, four-door concept, but that comes to an early end today as a French website has unceremoniously revealed the concept we’ve been calling the Estoque. Though the images in our gallery are low-res, we can still make everything out. The Estoque features a long hood and short rear deck, with horizontal headlights up front and a pair of big Reventon-style air intakes in the front bumper. The fender vents behind the front wheels are tucked into the car’s character line that flows back until it hits those wide rear haunches. Thanks to those teasers we had already figured out what the rear end would look like, and all those guesses were fairly spot on. The rumormills are telling us to expect the 560-hp V10 from the Gallardo LP 560-4 underhood, as well as all-wheel-drive. Though it’s showing up as a concept at the Paris Motor Show tomorrow, the Estoque is said to be destined for production as early as 2010 to compete with the new crop of four-door coupes from Porsche (Panamera) and Aston Martin (Rapide). We’ll have live shots from the official unveiling early tomorrow morning, so stay tuned.

Gallery: Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque Concept

[Source: AutoJournal.fr via WorldCarFans]

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Lamborghini concept may be named Estoque, not Urus

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Click above for a high-res gallery of the mystery Lamborghini concept

While we’ve pretty much had it up to our Hans device with the speculation surrounding Lamborghini’s Paris surprise, another salient detail has emerged about the rumored front-engined, four-door sedan due to be unveiled on Thursday at the Paris Motor Show.

Previous reports about the Lamborghini concept wearing a Urus badge are thankfully bunk (who wants to drive a supercar named after a large bovine?) and World Car Fans has dropped the name Estoque (without citing any sources), which according to Encyclopedia Brittanica is a small blade that delivers the death blow to a bull at the end of a stadium fight. We’re still more than a few days away from the official reveal, but in the meantime, enjoy the gallery of teasers below, along with the image above created by LamboPower member a007api.

Gallery: Paris 2008: Lamborghini “Urus” Concept

[Source: WCF]

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