After a prolonged teaser campaign – that the Classic Driver office studiously ignored – the wraps are off Lamborghini’s take on the Rapide/Panamera segment. For a ‘concept’, it looks terribly production-ready...

The company describes the Estoque (a rapier sword, approximately 90cm long, used in a bull fight by the matador) as ‘the first sedan in the history of Automobili Lamborghini’. By that, I assume, they are referring to the new car’s four doors, as 40 years ago the Espada was a not-desperately-practical, two-door four-seater.



Practicality is a feature of the latest car. It will have a front-mounted Lamborghini V10 but the company is keeping its options open by stating that: “A particularly economical, but nevertheless dynamic, variation would be a V8 with a hybrid module or an extremely high-performance TDI.”



A diesel Lamborghini, gosh.

The styling is unmistakeably from Sant’Agata Bolognese, though, with sharp creases, boxy air-intakes and large areas of only gently curving glass or steel. To this writer’s eyes it looks superb; maybe a little staid in comparison to the two-seaters, but powerful and elegant. It has four single seats and - at 5.15m long - is a big car, longer than a Continental GT and only just a little shorter than a Flying Spur. It’s wide, too, at 1.99m, yet is only 1.35m high.



The generous interior space is a result not only of the sheer size of the Estoque concept but also a very long wheelbase (3.01m) with short overhangs. Despite the latter, the company is confident that ‘it has plenty of room for several golf bags or pieces of luggage’.



With the financial and engineering back-up from Volkswagen Audi this will – should it see production, of course – be a very impressive machine, and more than a match for its nearest competitors at Aston Martin (Rapide) and Porsche (Panamera). Although, to be fair, its price will be way above the German marque's.



Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Nanette Schärf