Packing 819 hp and integrated with a powerful supercapacitor, the roofless supercar will race through production of only 19 examples
Those who believe lightening never strikes twice will be blown back by the new Lamborghini Sián Roadster. Named after the Bolognese word for, you guessed it, ‘lightning’, the Raging Bull’s latest release is the topless variant to its initial model in the hybrid arena, the Sián coupe, which entered the ring back in September.
Like the coupe, the roadster makes 819 hp – a figure that bests all other production models from the marque – and carries the same 785 hp V12 as the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ paired with a 34 hp, 48-volt motor at the gearbox. What makes for a new benchmark is the supercapacitor, which, according to Lamborghini, is responsible for 10 times the energy storage as opposed to a standard lithium-ion battery. It also allows for comparable battery power at one-third the weight. In this case, that translates to the electric portion of the power train weighing in at about 34 kg.
“The Sián’s innovative hybrid power train heralds the direction for Lamborghini super sports cars” remarked Stefano Domenicali, Automobili Lamborghini’s chief executive officer, in the official announcement. “And the open-top Sián Roadster affirms a desire for the ultimate lifestyle Lamborghini as we move towards a tomorrow demanding electrification.”
With this car, that move comes at a top speed of more than 349 km/hr and a rate of acceleration from zero to 100 km/hr in less than 2.9 seconds. When speed needs to be abated, Lamborghini’s regenerative braking system can completely recharge the energy supply, which is available on demand when the right foot heads to the floor again. Oh, but at 130 km/hr, the electric motor disengages and the 12-cylinder beast is free to roar alone. And when the exhaust system’s temperature level needs to be reduced, vanes at the back – activated by patented “smart material” – reposition to better disperse heat.
Although sans roof, the car takes many of its aesthetic cues from the famed Lamborghini Countach LP400 drawn by Marcello Gandini of Gruppo Bertone, including its very low front end and what’s referred to as its “periscopio” line at the upper section that extends aft. Lamborghini’s head of design, Mitja Borkert, incorporated the element in homage to the Countach’s periscope feature, an elevated window set in the roof to help remedy the vehicle’s lack of visibility – obviously, a problem the roadster does not have.
“The impact that Bertone and Marcello Gandini had in the ’60s and ‘70s was the very strong foundation of the design DNA for Lamborghini,” says Borkert. “Cars like the Marzal and, especially, the Countach [represent] the basic recipe that is so important for us to contain. When creating a new Lamborghini, we want a car that is using these lines in the design idea, but I always want to have something unexpected.”
Presented to the public in Lamborghini’s Blu Uranus with an interior dressed in white and blue, the car can be completely tailored to the buyer’s preference by the automaker’s Ad Personam division. Unfortunately, only 19 examples of the open-air Sián will be made and, as expected, each one was pre-sold as fast as its name.
