Lamborghini Sian Roadster
This morning, with an all-points press release, Lamborghini has announced their latest limited edition car: The Sián Roadster.
The original Sián introduced the concept of a naturally aspirated V12 engine with a mild hybrid electric motor built into the transmission to boost performance. Unlike other hybrids that came before, the electric motor provides only 34 HP and instead of a battery pack, uses a regenerative super-capacitor.
The Sián Roadster continues the super-capacitor electric hybrid concept, except for two major differences over the Sián.
The first of these, and the most obvious, is the fact that the car has no roof. Pretty obvious with the name containing the word “Roadster,” all said.
The second major difference over the original Sián is that the roadster, through not having a roof to direct air over specific areas of the engine cover to extract heat, instead has intelligent air scoops that will deploy automatically from behind the upper side air intakes. These scoops are made of super-lightweight but extremely strong composite materials, and are used to capture incoming cool air and direct it over the engine and exhaust during enthusiastic driving.
As well, the electric motor and super-capacitor together weight only 34 Kg (75 lbs), achieving a 1:1 weight to HP ratio. 34 Kg to 34 HP.
Combined with the V12, the Sián Roadster produces a total output of 819 HP, making it 11 HP more powerful than the original Sián and now the most powerful roadgoing production car to come from Lamborghini.
Pricing and the number of cars to be produced is forthcoming. If one were to assume based on the original Sián, it will be over $3.6 million and likely limited to 60 cars.
Further images from the press release:
Lamborghini Sian Roadster Press Release
- Limited edition Roadster version of visionary V12 super sports car, combining groundbreaking hybrid technologies and design
- Roadster features Lamborghini Sián’s world-first use of super capacitor in hybrid solution and unique materials-science application
- Producing combined thermal and electric power of 819 hp (602 kW): roofless version of the most powerful Lamborghini ever produced
- Low weight-to-power ratio of 2.0 kg/hp, acceleration 0-100 km/h in under 2.9 seconds and a top speed of over 350 km/h
- Produced in a limited series of 19 units: all already sold
Sant’Agata Bolognese, 8 July 2020 – Automobili Lamborghini presents the Lamborghini Sián Roadster: a limited edition, open-top hybrid super sports car engineered around Lamborghini’s iconic V12 engine, with unique hybrid technologies and delivering unsurpassed Lamborghini and hybrid performance. The roofless design of the Sián Roadster puts an exclusive group of drivers in one of the most spectacular cockpits ever: always open to the sky; resonating with the inimitable V12 sound from the most powerful Lamborghini engine to date; and experiencing extraordinary performance while reveling in the Sián Roadster’s role in Lamborghini’s route to future hybridization.
“The Sián Roadster encapsulates the spirit of Lamborghini,” says Stefano Domenicali, Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “It is the expression of breathtaking design and extraordinary performance, but most importantly embodies important future technologies. The Sián’s innovative hybrid powertrain heralds the direction for Lamborghini super sports cars, and the open-top Sián Roadster affirms a desire for the ultimate lifestyle Lamborghini as we move towards a tomorrow demanding new solutions.”
The Sián Roadster makes its debut in Blu Uranus, especially selected by Lamborghini’s Centro Stile, which together with the Ad Personam department works with every Sián client to entirely personalize the color and finish of their Roadster. Encapsulating the blue of the sky and the green of the fields, evoking the freedom and driving elation delivered by the open top Sián Roadster’s performance, the car is finished with Oro Electrum wheels: the color chosen by Lamborghini to signify electrification. The complementary interior is an elegant combination of white with Blu Glauco detailing and aluminum elements in Oro Electrum: new-design air vents produced via 3D printing allows customization with a client’s initials.
Design for the future
The Lamborghini Sián Roadster asserts the futuristic design of the coupé, but as a true roadster adds a new purity with the open-air cabin. The aerial view of the Sián Roadster is evocative of the iconic periscopio line inspired by the first Countach, running diagonally from the cockpit to the rear and culminating in the aerodynamic airstreamers behind driver and passenger. The Sián’s long sculptured contours and characteristic aero wings give the Sián Roadster an unmistakably powerful profile. The car’s very low front, with integrated carbon fiber splitter, houses the iconic Lamborghini Y-shape headlights.
The pure and uncluttered Sián design is a clear statement of the car’s optimized aerodynamic efficiency and technological prowess: airflow is directed through the front splitters and through the front bonnet, through the side air intakes and outlets and over the rear spoiler, with no loss of aerodynamic efficiency from the roadster’s roofless design. Active cooling vanes on the rear use unique materials-science technology patented by Lamborghini: operation of the vanes is triggered by the reaction of smart-material elements to the temperature generated by the exhaust system, causing them to rotate and providing an elegant and lightweight cooling solution.
The extreme and strong rear of the car incorporates Lamborghini’s evocative hexagon design, including six hexagonal taillights inspired by the Countach. The rear wing is integrated within the profile and extends out only during the driving to enhance the performance.
Electrification and hybrid technologies for a new tomorrow
The low, powerful chassis houses a next-generation V12 powerplant: ‘Sián’ in local Bolognese dialect, meaning ‘flash’ or ‘lightening’, denotes the Sián Roadster’s electrification as part of the future hybrid strategy, while maintaining the extraordinary emotion and dynamic performance inherent in naturally aspirated Lamborghini super sports cars.
The Sián Roadster’s hybrid system provides the highest power possible via the lightest solution, combining the V12 engine with a new powertrain. A 48-volt e-motor, delivering 34 hp, is incorporated into the gearbox to provide immediate response and improved performance. The e-motor also supports low-speed maneuvers such as reversing and parking with electric power.
The Sián Roadster sports Lamborghini’s innovative supercapacitor application: a world-first technology storing ten times the power of a lithium-ion battery. Located in the bulkhead between cockpit and engine it ensures perfect weight distribution. Three times more powerful than a battery of the same weight and three times lighter than a battery producing the same power, the electric system with the supercapacitor and e-motor weighs only 34 kg, thus it delivers a remarkable weight-to-power ratio of 1.0 kg/hp. Symmetric power flow ensures the same efficiency in both charging and discharging cycles: the most lightweight and efficient hybrid solution.
This advanced technology combines with the V12 engine, which incorporates titanium intake valves and is uprated to 785 hp (577 kW) at 8,500 rpm. Combined with the additional 34 hp from the hybrid system, the Sián Roadster delivers a total of 819 hp (602 kW) and reaches a top speed of over 350 km/h.
The Lamborghini Sián Roadster incorporates a highly sophisticated regenerative braking system, especially developed by Lamborghini. The symmetric behavior of the supercapacitor, which contrary to normal Li-Ion batteries can be charged and discharged with the same power, fully charges the Sián’s energy storage system every time the vehicle brakes. The energy stored is an instantly-available power boost, allowing the driver to draw immediately on increased torque when accelerating away, up to 130 km/h when the e-motor automatically disconnects, improving the elasticity maneuvers and making it more than 10% faster than a car without this system.
The innovative system also delivers instant acceleration in low gears, with improved traction force provided by the combination of V12 engine and hybrid system. The Sián Roadster accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 2.9 seconds. The improvement in elasticity maneuvers is even more evident, for example traction force is improved by up to 10% in third gear.
The Lamborghini Sián Roadster benefits from a heightened level of driving comfort facilitated by the hybrid system alongside dynamic handling and performance. The moment when deceleration and missing torque is felt during gear changes powered by a traditional combustion engine, is eliminated by the torque upshift fill provided by the hybrid’s e-motor: the pilot will feel only the pull backward of acceleration, eliminating uncomfortable jerking movements.
