Lamborghini Sesto Elemento: the lightest few-off of all

There is a car born for the sole purpose of generating indescribable driving emotions, but only on the track, far from the roads. It’s called Sesto Elemento, like the sixth element of the Periodic Table, carbon, and its name announces its main feature: extreme lightness.

INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE

The Sesto Elemento weighs only 999 kg, engine and transmission included. Its V10 unleashes 570 CV with a weight-to-power ratio of 1.75 kg/CV. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 2.5 seconds, also thanks to the permanent all-wheel drive that distributes the thrust onto all four wheels. The Sesto Elemento is therefore the Lamborghini with the best acceleration ever, and it far exceeds the top speed of 300 km/h. This is all thanks to the only principle that inspired this car, lightness, which makes it extremely quick off the mark, responsive in cornering, and with sensational braking.

THE ART OF WORKING WITH CARBON FIBER 

But how did Lamborghini manage to create such a high-tech lightweight super sports car? Everything in the Sesto Elemento, or almost everything, is made of carbon fiber. The bodywork is devoid of paint and is made of a special plastic and carbon fiber composite covered with a thin layer of glossy paint with reflective micro-crystals incorporated. This material was developed through the collaboration between the Lamborghini ACRC (Advanced Composites Research Center) and the Boeing laboratories in Seattle. The monocoque and frame are also made of carbon fiber, as well as the main suspension elements, the rims, and the drive shaft. A true test of extreme expertise in the use of this strong, ultra-light material.

LIGHTNESS AND ESSENTIALITY

Another determining factor in keeping the weight down was essentiality, the concept that inspired the design of the Sesto Elemento. The interior is essential, devoid of any of the typical comforts of a road car. Only the steering wheel, the digital speedometer, and just a few controls inhabit the cockpit. There are not even any seats; in their place, the cushioning is fixed directly to the bodywork to form a seat. 

A MASTERPIECE OF DESIGN 

The exterior design, conceived to express pure power, is a new leap forward for the Lamborghini Centro Stile. The profile is typical Lamborghini: the Gandini Line, simple but sharp, is the hallmark that makes it immediately recognizable. All the details of this car combine aesthetics and functionality. The large air intake under the fender causes the air to slide along the slits on the front bonnet. The flows are channeled by two lines of design that lead from the roof to the hexagonal intakes situated above the engine. The slits on the dome are also hexagon-shaped and convey the air to the large rear wing, below which emerge the two exhaust pipes made of Pyrosic, a new glass ceramic composite material.

AN OBJECT OF DESIRE RESERVED TO THE FEW    

The Sesto Elemento was unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, four years before the Huracán, which it anticipated and which has very similar proportions. Only 20 examples were produced, and each sold for a price of 1.8 million euros. You will never see a Sesto Elemento on the road, because none of them are street-approved. It’s a car born solely for the track, and that is where it can express a potential for emotions that fears no rivals.