2013 Lamborghini Estoque Features

Lamborghini's 2013 Estoque could get power from a 5.2-liter V10. The concept is pictured here.

Several sources believe the 2013 Lamborghini Estoque will end up being based on the lightweight aluminum architecture from parent Audi's next-generation A8 premium large sedan, which is due in Europe during 2010 and expected in the U.S. as a 2011 model. There's also talk of Estoque using a unique "blended" platform combining aluminum and carbon-fiber elements. The goal in either case is to minimize weight and thus maximize acceleration, fuel economy, and emissions performance for what will be a pretty big car.

The same considerations will dictate powertrain choices. In theory, the 2013 Lamborghini Estoque could be designed to use any and all suitable engines in the Audi arsenal. That could mean a 4.2-liter gasoline V8, a twin-turbo version of same, and even V6 and/or V10 turbodiesels. VW/Audi is also working up a gas/electric hybrid powertrain, and however implausible that might sound for a Lamborghini, it is another option according to Maurizio Reggiani, the company's director of Research and Development Technology.

Purists, of course, would prefer that a Lamborghini powerplant at least be available. That's doubtless why the concept carried a 5.2-liter Gallardo V10, although situated in front rather than ahead of the rear wheels. Some believe the Estoque will launch with an engine identical to or very much like this, mated to a rear-mounted 6-speed automated manual transmission with steering-wheel shift paddles. The production car will almost certainly follow the concept by having standard all-wheel drive. Despite the added weight versus rear-wheel drive, Reggiani told AutoWeek magazine that the Estoque will be "lighter than anything else [all-wheel drive] out there"--which tends to confirm rumors of exotic structural materials.

As for the rest of it, the 2013 Lamborghini Estoque should retain the concept's wedgy, low-roof, coupe-style silhouette, Gallardo-like nose and tail, and cozy, leather-lined four-passenger cockpit. The styling might be tweaked a bit, but it's hard to see how it could seem stale even four years from now. Some think a rear bench seat will be available for nominal five-passenger capacity.