As petrol heads we've been blessed with a multitude of intriguing automotive concepts. Many unique designs have gone on to production, opening markets for some of the world's leading manufacturers. But amongst the array of cars released, there have no doubt been potential greats that haven't seen the light of day. Whether that is down to an economic downturn, lack of public interest or change in strategic direction, we're taking a look back and reviewing some of the most interesting "what could have beens" in the concept car world.
The Estoque was Lamborghini's original foray into the 4 door, practical supercar world. The marque saw huge success with the Gallardo, its entry level supercar, selling more units than all previous Lamborghini production combined. Lamborghini wanted to build on this success and sought to enter the daily supers sports market that had helped brands like Porsche (Panamera, Cayenne) and even Ferrari (FF) capture a new audience and more sales.
With this the foundation of what eventually became the Urus had begun.
The concept takes the 5.2 V10 from the Gallardo with the power output not stated but safe to assume around 560hp.
The face is pure supercar. The front bumper is lifted from the LP Gallardo with the updated headlights you now see on the Huracan. The elongated front bonnet, surprisingly looks natural on a Lambo, transitioning your eyes towards a super saloon, as the Estoque moves away from a mid engined set up with the the V10 housed in the front. Make no mistake, Lamborghini does a fantastic job in making this car still look like a supercar head on.
With the front bonnet elongated, the side profile is as you would expect, fitting the form of a sleek saloon. The rear doors seamlessly blend into the rear quarter of the car, similar to an Aston Martin Rapide, with the well hidden doors handles oozing a minimalist, modern, almost one piece design.
The rear takes a lot of inspiration from the Reventón with the tail lights and panels beneath the lights taken almost directly from ultra rare hyper car offering. The exhaust housing is similar albeit with a split midway through.
Lamborghini ultimately achieved what they wanted through exploring this concept. A family based practical sports vehicle was the target and the Urus continues to be one of their best selling and most in demand creations to date.
But we can't help but wonder, what if Lamborghini went through with their saloon based concept? Could the Estoque have achieved the kind of success the Urus has? Or even become Lambo's version of the Panamera?
I guess we will never know...
Comments