Publications
Partners
SANT’ AGATA BOLOGNESE, Italy - The VW Groups’s head of design Walter De Silva has revealed the Lamborghini Egoista for the Italian automaker’s 50th anniversary.
An emotional Silva said: “I'm very attached to this Italian brand, being an Italian myself. I wanted to pay homage to and think up a vehicle to underline the fact that Lamborghinis have always been made with passion, with the heart more than the head.
Image gallery
"The Egoista, meaning selfish, is a car forged from a passion for innovation and alternative solutions, the same passion which has always set the Lamborghini brand apart according to the designer.
"This is a car made for one person only, to allow that person to have fun and express personality to the maximum. It was designed purely for hyper-sophisticated people who want only the most extreme and special things in the world.
"It represents hedonism taken to the extreme, it is a car without compromises."
VIP ENTRY
To reveal such a special car an extravagant stage was needed in the little town of Sant’ Agata Bolognese. It had a cinematic entry announced by a trailer projected on to nine big screens and the stage was transformed into a landing strip, with a model in a flight suit guiding the Egoista's arrival with light paddles.
The roar of the V10 447kW engine shook the 20m,tensioned event structure.
Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann was in the car and invited its creator Silva to join him on stage with the unique design concept inspired - as per Lamborghini tradition - by the world of aviation, in particular the Apache helicopter. The driver even sits in an ejection seat.
“The cockpit, made completely of carbon-fibre and aluminium, is a survival cell that allows the driver to isolate and protect himself from external elements,” Silva explained. “We kept an eye on the future while designing the Egoista.”
RAGING BULL
The exterior styling of the car is characterised by its architecture and the materials used. The design has a muscular structure, with a profile of a bull preparing to charge with its horns lowered. Further styling implies the bull driving towards the front wheels with aggressive lines, keeping the "raging bull" of the Lamborghini brand in mind.
Flaps in the body make up for aerodynamics and act automatically according to speed. Two at the rear activate at high speed to increase stability, a series of air intakes on the back of the engine cover provides cooling air to the V10.
The Egoista does not have normal lights; they look more like those of an aircraft - two white front lights, two red rear lights, a red flashing light in the upper part of the tail, two orange bull's-eyes as indicators and a further two lights on the roof, red on the left and green on the right.
The car even has no-walk zones, as marked on planes - carbon-fibre is fragile. Other aeronautic materials include anti-radar bodywork, anti-glare glass with an orange gradation and carbon-fiber plates to improve aerodynamics.
LESS IS MORE
Inside the car there’s a racing seat with a four-point seat belt - each strip a different colour - and the bare minimum of instruments: the focus is on the head-up display typical of jet fighters.
Leaving the car is not a simple matter: the drivers must remove the steering wheel, rest it on the dashboard, open the dome with an electronic command, stand up in the seat, sit down on a precise point of the left-hand bodywork and swivel his legs outside of the vehicle. At this point he can stand up.
Perhaps it would be easier to press the 'Eject' button...
Lamborghini is taking the word selfish rather literally. The one-of-a-kind car is a gift from the company to itself.
An emotional Silva said: “I'm very attached to this Italian brand, being an Italian myself. I wanted to pay homage to and think up a vehicle to underline the fact that Lamborghinis have always been made with passion, with the heart more than the head.
Image gallery
"The Egoista, meaning selfish, is a car forged from a passion for innovation and alternative solutions, the same passion which has always set the Lamborghini brand apart according to the designer.
"This is a car made for one person only, to allow that person to have fun and express personality to the maximum. It was designed purely for hyper-sophisticated people who want only the most extreme and special things in the world.
"It represents hedonism taken to the extreme, it is a car without compromises."
VIP ENTRY
To reveal such a special car an extravagant stage was needed in the little town of Sant’ Agata Bolognese. It had a cinematic entry announced by a trailer projected on to nine big screens and the stage was transformed into a landing strip, with a model in a flight suit guiding the Egoista's arrival with light paddles.
The roar of the V10 447kW engine shook the 20m,tensioned event structure.
Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann was in the car and invited its creator Silva to join him on stage with the unique design concept inspired - as per Lamborghini tradition - by the world of aviation, in particular the Apache helicopter. The driver even sits in an ejection seat.
“The cockpit, made completely of carbon-fibre and aluminium, is a survival cell that allows the driver to isolate and protect himself from external elements,” Silva explained. “We kept an eye on the future while designing the Egoista.”
RAGING BULL
The exterior styling of the car is characterised by its architecture and the materials used. The design has a muscular structure, with a profile of a bull preparing to charge with its horns lowered. Further styling implies the bull driving towards the front wheels with aggressive lines, keeping the "raging bull" of the Lamborghini brand in mind.
Flaps in the body make up for aerodynamics and act automatically according to speed. Two at the rear activate at high speed to increase stability, a series of air intakes on the back of the engine cover provides cooling air to the V10.
The Egoista does not have normal lights; they look more like those of an aircraft - two white front lights, two red rear lights, a red flashing light in the upper part of the tail, two orange bull's-eyes as indicators and a further two lights on the roof, red on the left and green on the right.
The car even has no-walk zones, as marked on planes - carbon-fibre is fragile. Other aeronautic materials include anti-radar bodywork, anti-glare glass with an orange gradation and carbon-fiber plates to improve aerodynamics.
LESS IS MORE
Inside the car there’s a racing seat with a four-point seat belt - each strip a different colour - and the bare minimum of instruments: the focus is on the head-up display typical of jet fighters.
Leaving the car is not a simple matter: the drivers must remove the steering wheel, rest it on the dashboard, open the dome with an electronic command, stand up in the seat, sit down on a precise point of the left-hand bodywork and swivel his legs outside of the vehicle. At this point he can stand up.
Perhaps it would be easier to press the 'Eject' button...
Lamborghini is taking the word selfish rather literally. The one-of-a-kind car is a gift from the company to itself.
