The Italian Lamborghini automaker needs no introduction. A big splash has been made by its models, starting from the first years of the brand’s existence, and up to the present. In this article, we will tell you about the new product of 2019, the first in the history of Lamborghini hybrid production supercar Sian from Sant’Agata Bolognese. In translation from Bolognese, Sian means “lightning strike, flash”. Make yourself comfortable – the information will be mind blowing, as well as the extravagant appearance of the car.
Sian and its creator
The chief designer of the supercar (or hypercar) Sian was 46-year-old Mitja Borkert, a man with an interesting fate. He is originally from East Germany, but his father taught Russian, and after a business trip to Moscow, he named his newborn son Mitja. He himself believes that “it is important for a designer to have a rare, memorable name. However, in Germany, most people think that I am Finnish, because Mitja looks somehow Finnish to the German eye.”
Four years ago, Borkert worked at Porsche (from the age of 25, when he graduated from the Department of Transport Design at Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences), rose at Porsche to the head of exterior design, but then he was invited to the position of chief designer at Lamborghini.
During his time at Porsche, Mr. Borkert “had a hand” in creating several production models – the second-generation Boxster roadster, the Macan and the Cayenne crossovers, as well as the Panamera Sport Turismo and the Mission E concepts. Mitja Borkert embodies the design philosophy of Lamborghini, drawing ideas from the aerospace industry, using images of jet fighters and even motorcycle schticks.
As for the Sian, the accumulation of aerodynamic elements, powerful air intakes and sharp body edges don’t allow us to doubt that this is an extreme. At the same time, the Italians are following the trend of enlarging the key elements of the exterior and, like their colleagues from Porsche, are looking for inspiration in the historical heritage. For example, the large Y-shaped diode elements of the headlights refer to the concept of the 2017 Lamborghini Terzo Millennio.
Another stylish attribute – the Periscopio transparent cover of the engine compartment – is inspired by the similar design of the classic Countach model.
The interior design also uses the family style: Y-shaped lines, hexagons, trapezoids, toggle switches in the airplane style. In the trim, carbon fiber is widely used, sports seats are covered with two-color leather, and the multimedia screen has a fashionable vertical orientation.
By the way, the edition of the Sian was only 63 copies – in honor of the year of the brand’s foundation. All copies had already been purchased by the time of the presentation.
The most powerful and most expensive
The Lamborghini Sian was first presented to the public at the 2016 Frankfurt Motor Show. This is the most powerful, fastest and most expensive supercar in the history of the company (819 hp, acceleration to 100 in 2.8 seconds at a maximum speed of 350 km/h and $3.6 million base price). There were no production hybrid cars in Lamborghini before it.
The interior of the car is strictly two-seater, and both passengers are provided with bucket seats with integrated headrests, a bright side profile and electric adjustments.
Already in “base”, coupe boasts: six airbags, full-led optics, ABS, ESP, EBD, TCS, a media hub with a 10.1-inch screen, virtual instrument cluster, a premium audio system, wheels dimension of 20 inches in front and 21 inches in rear, heated mirrors, electric controls and power folding, and other innumerable modern gadgets.
In General, the Sian design is a typical, stereotyped, standard Lamborghini. A wedge-shaped, flat silhouette, as if pressed by a road roller, and a traditional festival of triangles embedded anywhere at all. But there are enough unique schticks. For example, triple block headlights packed in carbon cases are a homage to the famous Lamborghini Countach from the 1970s. Active aerodynamics are impressive: the cooling blades are activated only at a certain temperature.
This is the first case where the hybrid has a direct connection between the electric motor and the wheels. That is, the electric motor can withstand the load during low-speed maneuvers.
Huge as a Batman cape rear spoiler, which is up to a certain time hidden in the back of the body, and in the raised working position looks just intimidating, attracts attention. The 6.5-liter V12 engine produces 785 hp, and the electric motor adds another 34 hp. The Sian’s electric motor is a bit tricky. It is built into the transmission and when switching, when the moment from the internal combustion engine even for a moment stops going to the driving wheels, it continues to drive the car forward. That is why when accelerating, for example, from 70 to 120 km/h, the Sian wins more than a second from the Aventador-SVJ. At the same time, the electric motor is powered by supercapacitors, similar to the KERS system in Formula 1. Thanks to a specially designed recuperation system, supercapacitors can restore the energy reserve almost every time of intensive braking. A very good decision – the Sian supercar by definition should be super. It turns out that the Sian has become not only the first hybrid Lamborghini, but also the first commercial model of the “big car industry” with a supercapacitor instead of a traction battery. The supercapacitor is three times lighter than a similar battery and has a much higher level of energy exchange. The unit is located between the cabin and the engine, and the entire hybrid surplus weighs only 34 kg. The Sian can move on electric traction for some time – for example, when maneuvering in the parking lot, which will not only not frighten others with the roar of the exhaust system, but also not overheat the gasoline engine once again.
The monocoque of the supercar consists of carbon fiber, the roof is electrochromic, and all other materials are intelligent and innovative. Unsurpassed quality is combined with comfort and unique advanced technologies. Imagine the experience of driving when the feeling of acceleration engulfs and the level of adrenaline at the same time increases. The emotional experience of the driver becomes compelling, because the Sian supercar is a real technological masterpiece.
The car boasts fully independent two-lever suspensions with a pushrod system, horizontal springs and shock absorbers (the latter are filled with magnetorheological fluid) and lateral stabilizers.
The overall length of the Lamborghini Sian is 4980 mm, of which the distance between the wheel pairs extends on 2700 mm, its height doesn’t exceed 1133 mm, and the width reaches 2101 mm (including side mirrors – 2265 mm). In the “active” state, the two-door weighs 1622 kg, and this mass is divided along the axes in almost equal parts – 43:57 in favor of the rear part.
A relative of the supercar – the Sian Roadster
The roofless version followed the basic coupe. Moreover, the lack of a roof on the Roadster is even for an additional fee. The car received air ducts behind the driver’s and passenger’s seats, as well as six hexagonal tail lights. In addition, the car has special active dampers that remove heat from the engine. The Roadster turned out to be heavier than the coupe, so the acceleration time to 100 increased from 2.8 to 2.9 s. The maximum speed is the same 350 km/h.
The Lamborghini Sian Roadster is an even rarer bird than the base model. When the coupe was produced in 63 copies, only 19 roadsters were made. Together, these numbers form the number 1963, the year the company was founded. Of course, all the roadsters were ordered. The price of each of them was about $3.7 million.
The personalisation programme
Each of the Sian supercars is a unique piece. At the same time, you can choose any color of the external carbon parts of the car, and as for the interior – there are no limits in the combination of materials and colors in principle. Specially designed for the supercar, an innovative interior material – amazingly pleasant to the feel Touch and Feel leather – is also available.
The original frame of the central ventilation deflectors for the Roadster is made on a 3D printer, so the customer can choose not only the color and texture of the part, but also order an engraving of his initials on it. It’s a small thing, but it tickles your vanity. The Sian is equipped with carbon-ceramic brakes with six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston calipers at the rear.
The Sian supercars are an unsurpassed brand of Lamborghini, but it also needs drivers who have documentary proof of the right to drive such a car (better an international one). If you haven’t yet obtained a driver’s license of this level, we invite you to quickly and easily process the international driver’s license on our website. Each of the Sian supercars must be driven exclusively by professionals.
