Lamborghini's Show Stopping 'Concept S'

By Feann Torr

It would have been fitting to see an Italian designer behind the works of such a brutally attractive exotic concept, but as it stands, 40-year-old Luc Donckerwolke from Belgium has more than paid his dues.

In addition to this stunning new concept from the House of the Raging Bull, Donckerwolke has worked at Audi and Skoda in years gone by and is responsible for the design of the Lamborghini Gallardo and Murciélago.

The gregarious twin-blade design of the new open-topped Gallardo, if built, will go head to head with the new Ferrari F430 Spider, and really, how can the Italian carmaker not build it? It's automotive erotica!

Lamborghini's chief-of-design, Luc Donckerwolke, came up with the unusual look of the Concept S at the Centro Stile Lamborghini in Sant’Agata, Bolognese, and was essentially his extreme interpretation of an "open car".

According to Lamborghini, Donckerwolke was inspired by the classic single-seater race cars of yesteryear, and so the Concept S - which was unveiled publicly at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show - is based on the V10-powered all wheel drive Gallardo, and makes use of some well-measured retro styled cues for added visual impact.

Like the classic single-seaters of the past, the Concept S does not have a windscreen as such, but what the Italian exotic automaker calls a "saute-vent", which in French means a sudden change in the wind, or something to that effect.

These shaped saute-vent deflectors would direct the flow of air over the head of the driver, but the Concept S is not a single-seater and so the decision was made to design a split cockpit.

And whether a stroke of genius or just a daft gimmick, history will judge that decision.

Either way, this split cockpit gives the concept car an "aggressive and futuristic look" in Lamborghini's own words, and it's not half wrong.

I reckon it looks brilliant, and feel free to write in and tell us what you think on our letters page.

Another benefit of this twin cockpit design is increased airflow to the mid-mount engine: the space between them acts like a channel to promote airflow towards the air inlets that feed the engine.

And what about the rear view mirror? Well, Lamborghini has installed an electronically controlled, retractable central rear view mirror in the concept show car, which "allows the driver - when required - to see what is happening behind the car."

Powering the car is the Gallardo coupe's 5.0-litre V10 that makes a supercar-like 368kW of power @ a shrieking 7800rpm. A stomach-churning 510Nm of torque hits @ 4500rpm, which, like the Gallardo, gives the Concept S a long and very usable power band. "But my HSV makes more torque," some may say. And while true, how many HSV models have a 1300kg kerb weight?

Lamborghini's show stopper, the Concept S, attracted plenty of the attention at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, and deservedly so. It's striking design is so incredibly cool it's hard not to sound like a slavering sycophant when trying to describe it, but suffice it to say that Luc Donckerwolke is most certainly earning his money over at the Centro Stile in Sant’Agata.