Lamborghini Is Ready For A Comfy Fast GT Car Again
It's a matter of if, not when, that Lamborghini will add a fourth model to its lineup.
Rather than chasing another SUV or experimenting with a sedan, the Italian automaker is looking to revive a format that defined its earliest cars. Speaking during an interview at the 12 Hours of Sebring last weekend, CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirmed that Lamborghini sees a clear gap in its current range to add a two-door grand tourer.
While most Lamborghinis built in the last 40 years are sharp-edged, mid-engine supercars like the Murcielago, Huracan, and Revuelto—the company’s first cars were elegant and powerful grand tourers. Before the Miura changed everything, the 400 GT made use of the same 3.9-liter V12 engine, but it had room for four people and luggage, because the engine was in the front.
That formula, according to Winkelmann, is exactly what the brand is missing today.
"What was missing, or what is still missing, and what was at the beginning, the starting point of our company, is a gran turismo," Winkelmann told Car and Driver. "So the idea is a two-door 2+2 gran turismo."
Even after the success of the Miura, Lamborghini continued to build attractive, if not underrated, GT machinery. Cars like the Espada and the Islero retained the front engine V12 2+2 formula of the 400 GT. The funky Jarama of the seventies was Lamborghini's last true, front-engined grand tourer.
The automaker did produce the 910-horsepower Asterion concept in 2014, but it kept the Huracan's mid-ship engine mounting.
Winkelmann said a smaller SUV was already dismissed outright, while the sedan segment—something the brand looked at back in 2008 with the Estoque concept—doesn't fit with the company’s strategy, nor with its aesthetics. "If you sell [a sedan], you sell almost only long-wheelbase cars, which are not looking that good on our type of cars,"
Instead, the focus has turned toward a more emotional, driver-focused product that still offers some level of practicality.
Whatever this new model is, it won't arrive until closer to the end of the decade— it's projected to launch around 2029.
AutoGuide's Take:
Lamborghini already previewed its fourth model direction with the Lanzador concept, first shown in 2023. It was supposed to be a fully electric vehicle, but that project has been scrapped after Winkelmann called making EVs for people who don't want them an expensive hobby.
The production version of the Lanzador is now expected to adopt a plug-in hybrid powertrain, falling in line with the rest of Lamborghini’s electrified lineup. The concept itself was one of those high-riding coupe things everyone keeps trying to make fetching, but maybe that too will change into a lower, more traditional grand touring silhouette.
But going back to the Asterion—with its 5.2L V10 plug-in hybrid powertrain, it was actually supposed to be Lamborghini's first hybrid model, but the project was shelved in favor of the Urus. At the time, it was thought the Asterion would go after the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder.
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An experienced automotive storyteller and accomplished photographer known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge—he was part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic, oversaw a fleet of Audi TCR race cars, ziptied Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars back together, went over the wall during the Rolex 24, and wrenched in the intense IndyCar paddock.
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I kinda like it. It's more what I would buy rather than the Murcielago, Huracan, and Revuelto. A little more tasteful if you will.
2+2 gran turismo sounds a lot like a Panamera to me