Qatar show: Lambo's 'extreme’ new Gallardo Bicolore

AS LAMBORGHINI continues to drip-feed information on its all-new V12-powered Murcielago successor ahead of its world debut at the Geneva motor show on March 1, the House of the Raging Bull has followed other leading marques in using this week’s Qatar motor show in Doha to show off a striking special-edition model – in this case, the Gallardo LP560-4 Bicolore.

Whereas Porsche’s limited-run Panamera also unveiled in Doha will be restricted to the Middle East, Lamborghini has confirmed that the Bicolore – which as the name suggests, features an exclusive two-tone paint finish with matching interior – will be produced for European and Asian-Pacific markets.

Pricing and availability of the Bicolore for Australia is still to be confirmed, but expect a dollar figure northward of the standard V10-powered all-wheel-drive LP560, which starts from $475,000. It will also be sold as in the US, but as an LP550-2 variant.

Describing it as an “extreme look for a special edition super-sportscar”, the Bicolore is fitted standard with a black top half (including roof, pillars, engine cover and rear spoiler) using a pastel ‘Noctis Black’ colour, while customers are offered the choice of five shades for the rest of the body, namely yellow (Giallo Midas), orange (Arancio Borealis), grey (Grigio Telesto), white (Bianco Monocerus) and blue (Blu Caelum).

The air intakes and front spoiler, and the upper section of the rear diffuser, also have a high-gloss black finish, while the Skorpius alloy rims with 15 thin forged spokes provide an effective contrast.

Inside, the contrast between black and a lighter shade is repeated “in an understated, elegant manner” with ultra-high-grade black ‘Nero Persus’ leather used across the dashboard, door panels, seats and other elements, while the stitching is used to match the exterior colour in all but the white-painted version, which carries grey stitching.

The bezel of the e-gear transmission on the centre console is also finished in Nero Noctis.

Top: Pushrod suspension to debut on the Murcielago successor. Bottom: carbon-fibre-clad Sesto Elemento concept from the Paris motor show last year.

Automobili Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann said the Gallardo LP560-4 Bicolore “demonstrates once again the extreme, uncompromising and unmistakably Italian nature of our brand”.

“The super-sportscars from Lamborghini combine volcanic energy with design that is as unique as it is stylish,” he said.

Like the regular Gallardo LP560-4, the Bicolore uses a 412kW/540Nm 5.2-litre V10 engine that enables it to reach 100km/h from standstill in 3.7 seconds, on its way to a 325km/h top speed.

Meanwhile, on the Murcielago front, Lamborghini has also revealed that the new-generation 515kW V12-engined model will feature a pushrod spring and damper design for its aluminium double wishbone suspension, which was inspired by Formula One racing and, according to Lamborghini, will provide a unique “motorsport feel, combined with long-distance comfort”.

“An extremely precise, indeed razor-sharp, driving feel accurately describes the soul of the newest and most powerful super-sportscar ever to bear the sign of the bull,” the company says.

“This includes a steering system that can think its way through a bend adhering to the perfect line, a suspension that masters the ideal balance between racecar feel for the road and plenty of comfort for ramping up the miles, and lateral stability that ensures absolute safety even at the very highest speeds.” The pushrod suspension design connects the spring/damper components to the bodyshell structure rather than on the wheel mounts, and in this case they are transversely positioned – under the windscreen in the front and close to the engine in the rear.

Pushrods and relay levers/rockers transmit the forces from the wheel mounts to the spring/damper elements.

“Due to the combination of the double wishbone and pushrod arrangement, wheel control and damper remain separate from each other,” Lamborghini says. “As a result, handling is more responsive and easier to manage at all speeds, while rigid connection to the chassis also improves the precise and spontaneous reaction of the springs and dampers.

“As a result, spring stiffness can be notched back a little – comfort increases, while precision remains. On the front axle, the shock absorbers are equipped with a hydraulic lifting system, which enables the front end of the super-sportscar to be lifted by 40mm at the touch of a button, simplifying its ability to negotiate minor obstacles.” Lamborghini says that the entire suspension system, including the upper and lower control arms, wheel mounts and relay levers, is made from forged aluminium alloy. The body and chassis, on the other hand, is entirely constructed from carbon-fibre.

Other features confirmed for the new vehicle include a new ultra-lightweight high-performance braking system with carbon-ceramic composite disc brakes measuring 400mm in diameter at the front (using six-piston callipers) and 380mm (with four-piston grippers) at the rear.

An electronic park brake makes its debut, while the standard wheel and tyre combination is 19-inch rims on 255/35-section tyres at the front, and 20-inch rims on 335/30 rubber at the rear.

Lamborghini says that the hydraulic steering system also has “three different servotronic characteristics managed by drive select mode”.

Reports out of the Detroit auto show in January, including from US industry journal Automotive News, quoted Lamborghini’s R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani as confirming that the V12 engine will remain at 6.5 litres, but with a different bore and stroke.

It will reportedly generate 700hp (522kW) and 690Nm and produce 20 per cent fewer CO2 emissions, down to around 390g/km.

The latest E-Gear transmission, still sourced from Graziano, is said to be the first seven-speed automatic mated to a V12 engine. In ‘Corsa’ mode, shifts can be completed in a claimed 50 milliseconds.

Lamborghini also provided a clue to the new-generation model with the unveiling of the super-lightweight carbon-fibre-clad Sesto Elemento concept at the Paris motor show last year.