Lamborghini President and CEO Stephen Winkelmann has written a perspicacious manifesto pledging that 'every new Lamborghini will make the best use of carbon fibre to reduce weight.'
We've sort of spoiled the ending for you there. Sorry. But actually, the journey to that conclusion is probably more interesting - let's face it, he's hardly saying Lamborghini is about to make an electric city car.
The open letter outlines the changes that have taken place in the supercar epoch, which used to be about 'top speed, acceleration and handling'. In that order.
Now, however, our supercar dystopia has relegated top speed to a futile statistic, because 'all super sports cars are exceeding 186mph and this is a speed that you cannot reach even on a racetrack, let alone normal roads.'
As such, it's time to think more about improving handling and acceleration, says Winkelmann, the key to which is reducing weight.
Because of safety and emissions regulations, Lamborghini is not able to increase power too much, nor remove the safety and comfort features that have contributed to a 500kg average weight increase in cars since 'the middle of the Eighties'.
Thus, Lamborghini must 'reduce the weight by using new materials' in future. The 'magic word' for this, he says, is 'carbon fibre'. That's two words.
Obviously carbon fibre isn't a new material either, but Winkelmann seems to be suggesting it will be used far more extensively in future Lamborghinis.
Future Lamborghinis like, oh let's say, the Murcielago replacement that's due to debut in
Paris later this month. What serendipitous timing.
Mark Nichol - 14 Sep 2010