After years of casting around for a third model, Lamborghini has settled on what Manfred Fitzgerald, head of brand and design, rather presumptively calls "the world's first supersedan." The dramatic Estoque, revealed in concept form at the Paris auto show, isn't called a four-door coupe by its makers, but it certainly would travel in the extrawide tire tracks of cars like the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide, both of which it would follow to market, in 2012.
Quest for the third leg
"The [exotic car] business is quite volatile," allows Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann. "So three legs are invariably better to stand on than two. That's why we have been thinking for several years about a third model to complement the Murciélago and the Gallardo."
Lamborghini bosses evaluated options ranging from a Miura successor (remember the 2006 design exercise?) to an LM002 reincarnation to a front-engine GT.
"The SUV fell through because that wave has passed. We also dismissed the front-engine sports car because the segment is, on a global basis, deceptively small," says Winkelmann.
