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The Lamborghini Estoque may have been a bit early, but in today’s market it would make a lot of sense
by Khris Bharath, onDo you remember the Estoque? Yes, that evocative sedan that Lambo showed us more than a decade ago. The concept car broke cover at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. This, of course, was pre-Aventador, back when Lamborghini was just trying to garner market reaction to the idea of a four-door sedan.
The Estoque Would Make Sense In Today’s Market
Today, the performance 4-door coupe market is an extremely busy place with the likes of everything from the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe, M8 Gran-Coupe, and Porsche Panamera to the Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door, but back in the mid to late 2000s, there were really only a handful of options available. One could choose from performance sedans from players like Audi with its S8, Mercedes Benz with the S 63 AMG, and the Jaguar XJR, but those limousines were just business suits with a fire-breathing engine under the hood.
However, if you wanted a large four-door coupe with sporting credentials to its name, you were pretty much limited to cars like the swoopy CLS from Mercedes Benz, which started the trend all back in 2005, and the sensational Maserati Quattroporte. Fast forward to today, despite being a manufacturer of high-performance supercars, Lamborghini as with any other automotive brand now strives to position itself today as an entity that really does care about the environment.
Just a few weeks ago, the folks at Sant Agata Bolognese unveiled the LP 780 Aventador Ultimae, a supercar that will mark the end of an era for the glorious V-12 in its naturally aspirated form for the Italian Marque, because from here on, that V-12 will be hybridized. In fact, every Lambo in the line up including the likes of the Huracan and the Urus will use some form of a hybrid system along with the IC engine.
In an interview with Car and Driver, Lamborghini CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, said that Lamborghini wants to reduce emissions by at least 50% from 2025. In that very interview, Winkelman also revealed that Lambo will eventually give us a 4th pure EV model. He mentioned a 4 seater 2 door coupe GT car, like those from the fifties & sixties.
Which begs the question: Could Winkelman be hinting at us about a two-door version based on that stunning Estoque concept from 2008? I mean, sister brand Porsche has already developed an entire platform in the form of the Taycan as a 4 door performance EV Sedan. Audi was the first to adopt the underpinnings of that platform and they gave us the E-Tron GT. Is Lamborghini next in line?
Think about it, Lambo’s very first car wasn’t the Miura, but it was the humble and modest 350 GT, a two-door GT car from the fifties, like the one Winkelman was referring to. A 2 door Estoque could continue that tradition and become the very first pure-electric two-door GT from Lamborghini, which will go on to mark the next chapter for this glorious Italian Marque.
Yes, the Estoque was designed around a Gallardo sourced
V-10 engine but if you look at the wheelbase, which sits at a healthy 118 inches, and compare that to that of the Taycan at 114 inches, I’m sure that the folks at Porsche and Lamborghini should be able to figure out a way to house a considerably large battery pack.
The styling was done by Centro Stile, Lamborghini’s in-house design studio.
The Estoque still manages to look pretty extreme and desirable after all these years.
Truth be told, the car was ahead of its time. It was showcased at a time when the financial crisis was on and the performance sedan market had barely matured.
Now, though, the performance sedan market in EV guise is heating up again. You’ve got cars like the popular Tesla Model S, the Taycan, e-Tron GT, and the upcoming Lucid Air. This would be the right time for Lamborghini to take notice and finally give us the Estoque as an EV, be it with 2 or 4 doors. Lambo! We hope you’re listening.
Source: Lamborghini Estoque
