Due to the current, uncertain economical times, Automobili Lamborghini SpA has decided to put the plans to produce the amazing looking Estoque on hold for the time being.
According to Maurizio Reggiani (head of research and development at Lamborghini) the current market conditions are not in favor to put an additional model in the line up, hence the magnificent four door Estoque that was unveiled at the 2008 Paris Auto Show will not be seen on the road any time soon.
Until now the investment into the development of the new Estoque has been rather limited, hence putting the idea of producing it aside will not leave a financial burden on Automobili Lamborghini SpA, I am sure the Estoque would be a welcome addition to the line up, and we will probably see it surface again in the future, however for now it will remain a concept.
In Paris there was talk of a V10 powered version, probably using a derivative of the Gallardo’s unit, but a V8, a Diesel and even a hybrid were on the drawing boards … we will have to make due with the stunning Audi S8 instead, also powered by a V10 engine by the way.
However development at Sant’Agata hasn’t been standing still, and we can expect some serious changes when a new evolution of the already famous e-Gear transmission will become available, it could even mean the end of the manual gearbox altogether.
There have been a lot of rumors about a turbo charged Lamborghini in the near future, but this will probably not happen as Automobili Lamborghini SpA has always use high-revving normally aspirated engines in the past, and will continue doing so in the near future, however some more weight reduction could be in the pipeline.
An educated guess would be that the Frankfurt auto show later this year will see a new Gallardo LP560-4 derivative, probably a SuperVeloce edition with similar add-ons and weight saving as the awesome LP670-4 edition of the Murciélago as seen in Geneva this year.
