Lamborghini supercar smokes out Paris show

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Lamborghini supercar smokes out Paris show

05:24 AM

Never mind how wicked it looks. What Italian automaker Lamborghini wants you to know is that the Sesto Elemento sports car weighs very little.

Only about 2,200 lbs. (999 kilograms, Lambo says), even though it has all-wheel drive, a heavy features. It's made from very light CFRP -- carbon-fiber reinforced plastics. Carbon is the sixth element in the periodic table, spawning the car's name (sesto is "sixth").

Weighs so little, in fact, that the 570-hp V-10 yanks it from standstill to 100 kph (62 mph) in an astonishing 2.5 seconds, the maker claims. Normally you'd consider a car quick if it made that sprint in five or six seconds.

Lamborghini is 100% owned by Volkswagen Group's Audi brand. Audi is famous for its quattro all-wheel drive systems and its extensive use of aluminum to lighten its cars.

Lamborghini calls Sesto Elemento a "technology demonstrator" that proves Lambo has expertise in the design, development and manufacture of very light materials.

More than exotic nonsense, such weigh-little materials will become a grail as automakers work to hit tough fuel-economy targets set by governments. A light car needs only a small engine to give it satisfactory performance. Such a machine can use small and lightweight tires, brakes and suspension components.

Carbon-fiber (used in fishing rods, for example) is still too expensive for economy cars but it is creeping into mainstream use for panels and parts in pricer automobiles. Over time, as use increases, its cont could drop.

link:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/09/ultralight-lamborghini-smokes-em-at-paris-auto-show/1