Most of Lamborghini's peers have in the past few years been reluctantly pushed to the ways of making their cars cleaner and quieter. Long gone are the days when cars were wild and untamed, as we see Porsche, Aston Martin, Maserati, McLaren, and even the gods themselves, Ferrari leading to the path of downsized engines, forced-induction, or electrification. Yet, Lamborghini has somehow been able to get away with it, so far.
With the exception of their Audi-sourced turbocharged engines in the Urus SUV, the rest of the Raging Bulls are occupied with large, loud, and proud naturally-aspirated V10s or V12s. Both of these remain resolute in their sonorous existence, but we all know that it's extinction is inevitable, one way or another. It's legacy will be sorely missed, and clearly Lamborghini needs something equally special to replace it.
This here is the Sián, which in the Italian-Bolognese dialect means, "lightning bolt", or "flash". Indeed, its a very shocking car, in more ways than one. Before you salivate any further, grasping at your wallet to make a purchase at the nearest Lamborghini dealership; the unveiling itself is a bitter-sweet moment. First, the bad news. The Sián is a limited-edition car that costs approximately $3.7-million each... Aaaand they're all sold out.
A New Bull Enters The Cage.
Credits to: Sian Roadster (2021)
However, the good news is - and there's a lot of it - that this is as vivid and clear of a preview as to what the future looks like. We've asked ourselves as to how mad supercars can coexist in a clean, quiet, and hopefully-not-dystopian future. So, this is Lamborghini's answer, and it's mightily exciting at that. If you're currently in the process of HODL'ing all that Bitcoin for a brand-new Lamborghini in your garage after the next bull-cycle, then do take note.
The Sián Roadster here is being launched for 2021, following the Coupe that was unveiled late last year, and somehow, I've paid no mind to that. It's origins has more than a few subtle nods to history, such as the production-run of 19 Roadsters and 63 Coupes coinciding with Lamborghini Automobili's birth in 1963. The model designation - FKP 37 - also pays tribute to the late Ferdinand Karl Piëch, Volkswagen Group's former chairman who was born in 1937, and had passed away last year.
Looking past the backstory of this wonderful machine, the car itself is a series of breakthroughs for the industry as a whole, looking forward. The Sián is Lamborghini's first hybrid car - shocking, I know - with advanced, and truly ground-breaking technologies being embedded deep inside that mesh of carbon-fibre. It's the first production automobile in the world to use supercapacitors in a hybrid system; replacing the need for batteries.
Credits to: Sian (2020)
Mounted in-between the cockpit and engine-bay for better weight-distribution, it can store 10x more power than a lithium-ion battery. Plus, it's 3x more powerful than a batter of similar weight, and 3x lighter than a battery producing similar outputs. Lamborghini first made waves about their hopes in this space-age tech years ago in a stunning concept called the Terzo Millenio, or "Third Millenium". It could very well be something to celebrate in a thousand years from now.
Alone, this show of what supercapacitors can do is quite astounding for a relatively boutique carmaker like Lamborghini, albeit with Volkswagen's deep pockets. Personally, I'm open-minded about the future of propulsion; whether through the use of electricity, hydrogen, or bio-fuels. So far, it looks like electrification is the way ahead, and if that's so, supercapacitor technology sounds like the best solution around the limiting abilities of batteries.
Just as how solid-state drives are better in every way than mechanical hard-drives - supercapacitors charge faster, can store more in a similar capacity, are lighter and can fit in a more compact space, and have better power discharge for optimal performance. Plus, this is now combined with the primal peak of the internal-combustion engine, refined after a century and a half. And our result? The Lamborghini Sián's hybrid powertrain makes it the most powerful Bull ever.
Credits to: Aventador SVJ (2019), and Terzo Millennio Concept (2017)
Mated to the tremendously prehistoric 6.5-litre, naturally-aspirated, mid-mounted V12 taken from the Aventador SVJ - is a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. It adds 34hp to the engine, amounting to a total output of 819hp. If that's not good enough, then know that it'll rev all the way up to 8,500RPM with help from titanium intake valves. The aforementioned 48-volt electric-motor is cleverly mounted onto the gearbox, itself a very clunky and un-clever 7-speed single-clutch from the aging Aventador.
The Sián can comfortably go from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in just 2.9 seconds - or 2.8 in the Coupe - and it'll keep going on to a top-speed of over 350km/h (217mph). One contributing factor to the mind-boggling performance figure is Lamborghini's attention to putting the Sián on a diet, with its respectable kerb-weight of 1,638kg. The electrical bits, including the supercapacitors and e-motor, weigh only 34kg. In all, it has a power-to-weight ratio that puts it on par with many race cars, at 500hp/tonne.
But don't worry if you're thinking that you can't stop in time, as the regenerative-braking system will make sure your brain doesn't melt. It could even fully charge the supercapacitors each time you stamp on the brake-pedal; storing that charge for an instant acceleration afterwards. Although the Sián won't be able to drive on electric-power only, the e-motor can compensate the engine for low-speed manoeuvres, such as parking or reversing. This has the intended effect of helping to alleviate the jerky-ness of that antiquated gearbox.
Admiring The Little Details.
Credits to: Sian Roadster (2021)
It's pretty clever stuff that'll make its way to more Lamborghinis down the line. However, you're going to have to put a hold on your supercapacitor bragging-rights for now. In the near-future, Lamborghini will use a more conventional battery-powered hybrid setup, as supercapacitors are not yet refined for daily-driven cars. The Sián is an exception, as its expense is made for collectability and a show of force. That said, we could see supercapacitors as soon as 2-3 years away.
Looking back at the here and now, we've not even finished with admiring the Sián's example of chaos theory yet, given how all the technology is hidden underneath a striking body. It's debut colour shown here is called Blu Uranus - I know, jokes and giggles... - a special colour that symbolises the top-down freedom of open air driving, filled with skies and fields.
The pleasures of specifying your own Sián would see more wild colour combinations though, as clients are whisked away through Lamborghini's bespoke personalisation service - Ad Personam. The wheels are finished in Oro Electrum, signifying a bold new world of electrification. There's plenty of this finish accented around the futuristic, and sharply-shaped bodywork to gaze at.
Credits to: Sian (2020)
It takes inspirations from older Lamborghinis, including the iconic "periscopio" silhouette of the Countach. This can be seen with the strong bodylines drawn from the cockpit, all the way to the rear. As is the case with a car so fast and powerful, the bodywork has loads of vents, ducts, and channels to aid with cooling, and aerodynamics. The latter is shown with the sculpture of the "airstreamers" behind the headrests. This results in a net-zero loss of aerodynamic efficiency, despite not having a roof.
If you're paying this much money, expect there to be some exotic materials. As is the norm, heavy helpings of carbon-fibre are present in the front-splitter, side-skirts, rear-diffuser, and its retractable rear-wing. It wasn't mentioned, but I reckon there's a lot of carbon-fibre in the bodywork as well. As for the more science-fiction stuff, the rear-deck that covers the engine is layered with a heat-sensitive panel, made with coating "special materials".
I don't exactly know that materials those are, but this way, the cooling vanes rotate automatically - without any motors, mind - to let more cooling air into the engine-bay. This sounds like the sort of stuff NASA uses. Equally striking are the sharp and slim Y-pattern headlights that is distinctive in Lamborghinis of late. The rear has some hexagonally-shaped taillights, three on each side as a homage to the old Countach once more. Even the exhausts aren't circular in shape.
Credits to: Sian Roadster (2021), and Sian (2020)
Toning it down a little bit, the interior is more traditional, but by no means is it any less special. The supple, white Italian leather is contrasted beautifully with Blu Glauco accents, alongside aluminium panels finished in that familiar Oro Electrum. One neat touch is that some elements and trim-pieces are 3D-printed, meaning that you can personalise them in any pattern your whim desires. Have it etched with your name, if you want to.
Each Sián can be made as bespoke as you'd like it, extending its personality as far as the driver's fingerprints. With so few of them in the wild, you can imagine that no two will be the same. Yet, in any colour combination or specification, there's no getting past how eye-catching it is, with a distinctively Lamborghini DNA, in look and tone. Whether as a driver or passer-by; you're not ever going to mistake this for anything other than a loud, angry, and menacing Bull.
More exhilarating; as mad as Lamborghinis are, they've been able to balance the adoption of space-age technology in design, programming its electronics, and artistry with material science. All the while, they've kept engineering that onto powerplants that belong more in a museum. The future is coming, and soon we shall say goodbye to our beloved internal-combustion, like it or not. If you're afraid to see what's coming, then worry no more, as Lamborghini proves that our electrified future will be an exciting one!
It also makes as a great Lego Technic set, being the most expensive one ever, and with 3,696 pieces of joy!
Credits to: Motor1 - Sian Lego Technic
Wow, so stylish. Fabulous cars!
It's a very striking piece of machinery, and I'm glad that Lamborghini's up to their usual madness! The world wouldn't be normal if Lamborghini designed boring, conventional cars XD
Beautiful limited edition beast done by Lamborghini... With only 19 examples, I'm sure I'm sure in a few years we'll see an example up for auction, investors like this kind of car.
Oh, you bet that this is the sort of car collectors and investors like. It's pretty cool, and I reckon with all the engineering and tech that's gone into it, and including the very limited run, the price is probably going to skyrocket immediately once it gets into customers' hands. Expect one or two to be flipped!
Here's my Twitter #POSH link :-D
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https://www.linkedin.com/posts/zack-n-68b74519a_a-raging-bull-for-the-future-lamborghini-activity-6688858219722481665-xSHW