The Cockpit Includes Ultra-light Racing Seat
Automobili Lamborghini has announced The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo - the world鈥檚 fastest one-make series. The series will debut in May 2009, and feature Lamborghini鈥檚 Super Trofeo: a lightweight version of the Gallardo LP 560-4 super sports car launched earlier this year. The Super Trofeo will come with a reworked chassis, significantly reduced weight of only 1300 kg, and power output of 419 kW (570 hp) from its V10, 鈥業niezione Diretta Stratificata鈥?engine. Lamborghini has a clear objective to ensure the Super Trofeo is the fastest one-make series in the world. The race car will feature Lamborghini鈥檚 permanent four-wheel drive, making the Super Trofeo the only one-make, all-wheel drive motorsport series. Lamborghini will build cars for a 30-strong grid, available to individual professional and 鈥榞entleman鈥?drivers, as well as Lamborghini dealer teams. One factory car, reserved for celebrity 鈥榞uest drivers鈥? will be included in the line-up at each round. We鈥檙e delighted to announce The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo,'' said Automobili Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann.
Both on-track and off, our championship will reflect the Lamborghini brand, with extreme, high performance racing and stylish and luxurious trackside facilities. The results of the three races are added together: no success ballast is added to winning cars, and the cars cannot be modified during the season. The Super Trofeo car and parts package is offered at 200,000 euro plus tax and entry fee, via Lamborghini dealerships, with support and parts trackside. The prestigious 鈥楲amborghini Village鈥?will provide a luxurious paddock package in true Lamborghini style, for drivers, sponsors and guests. The Super Trofeo race car is based on the Gallardo LP 560-4, powered by the new 5.2 litre V10 direct injection 鈥業niezione Diretta Stratificata鈥? engine, generating an increased output of 419 kW (570 hp). Its power flows through the e.gear six-speed robotized gear box to the permanent all-wheel drive with viscous traction. The Super Trofeo is a top-class race car in every detail. Its chassis, featuring double wishbone suspension all round, has been reworked specifically for the purpose. The slick tyres are supplied by Pirelli and a specialist racing brake system provides brutal stopping power. The race car weighs in at only 1,300 kg dry, despite its additional safety cage. Additional body components such as the large, fixed rear wing are made from carbon-fibre composite. The cockpit includes ultra-light racing seat, racing steering wheel and specialized instruments.
Skoda is on a roll. Its model range is expanding quickly, with the line-up now comprising eight models - an additional 10 plug-in variants are due before 2025, too. But next in line is a new baby SUV, based on the Vision X concept, due in 2019 to sit as a rival for the Citroen C3 Aircross. To give us a taste of what鈥檚 to come, we travelled to Skoda鈥檚 Czech HQ for a quick spin in the Geneva Motor Show concept car. While these opportunities offer little in the way of true driving impressions, it gives us chance to get up close and personal with the project and the team behind it. Catching up with designers Dalibor Pantucek and Dimitrios Darkoudis gives us a better understanding into the future styling direction for the brand, too. This suggests the Vision X will transition from concept car to production SUV with only a select few design tweaks.
Chief exterior designer Pantucek said the rounded wheelarches will remain, despite the bigger Karoq and Kodiaq using a squarer and more angular cladding. The Vision X鈥檚 two-tier front lighting signature is similar to that found on its SUV siblings, and is likely to be carried over wholesale. The illuminated grille will be sacrificed on production cars, not least for safety and regulatory reasons. The split taillight design should remain, however, offering an evolutionary pattern that sets it apart from other models in the Skoda range. Pantucek said: 鈥淚magine you are a father and you have three kids. So while Skoda wants to avoid any Audi-style Russian Doll styling, both Darkoudis and Pantucek expressed their desire to stay true to Skoda鈥檚 鈥楽imply Clever鈥?rationale, adding useful features throughout. 鈥淲e wanted to merge emotion and functionality,鈥?Pantucek told us. 鈥淕ood design is somewhere in between. The interior is filled with tech - from the large central touchscreen, to the fully digital dials.
Skoda has already confirmed this set-up will appear on Octavia, Superb, Karoq and Kodiaq later this year, and the as yet un-named crossover should a similar system, too. The ambient lighting from the concept is likely to appear in the finished product as well, albeit simplified to ease production. The four-seat cabin will be ditched in favour of a conventional rear bench and, the frameless doors will be replaced, too. Our drive consisted of just a few laps of an empty warehouse, but it allowed us a chance to assess the car鈥檚 shape, size and practicality. The wide, squat stance gave it a planted but masculine look, though the dinky SEAT Arona-sized dimensions meant it never felt cumbersome or ungainly. Powered by a VW Group 1.5-litre TSI engine, our car ran on compressed natural gas (CNG). While the fuel is gaining traction in Europe, it鈥檚 unlikely to be offered as an option when the crossover arrives in the UK next year. A small electric motor gave our test model a short EV range, as well as offering power to the rear axle for part-time all-wheel drive. The showroom-ready car will be based on Skoda鈥檚 MQB platform, allowing for petrol, diesel and electrified powertrains, as well as front or four-wheel drive. Manual and auto boxes will be available. Prices are expected to start from around 拢16,000.