The word has three syllables. It rhymes with the name of the bloke who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's. It does not rhyme with the name of a certain Potteries town on the river Trent. Those are the first things to be clear on about Extoque;after all, though we all do almost all the time, no one likes to get a new Lamborghini's name wrong.
After that, in order of important, come the following nuggets of information. It's a four door saloon. It's not based on an Audi A8 but, in fact, has a V10 petrol engine and a chassis sourced from a Gallardo. Its name, like that of the Espada, refers to a sword used to kill during the sport so admired by Ferruccio Lamborghini himself: bullfighting. Oh, and one more thing: though this is a concept, Lamborghini intends to transfer it onto its production lines, and in doing so to turn itself into 5000-car-a-year company with a more secure future in the 21st century.
Got all that? Then you're pretty much up to speed with one of the most interesting developments that supercardom has seen in 2008. Forget the Reventon, forget the Miura concept before it; both were like flies buzzing around the great bull's horns in comparison with this. The Estoque could and probably will change its maker forever.
And yet it came from nowhere. We knew that Aston Martin was branching out into the ultra-premium saloon field with the Magna-build Rapide. We knew that Porsche was set to do a similar thing, slightly lower down the price scale, with the Panamera. We also knew how much success Maserati has enjoyed with the Quattroporte, and that Mercedes has hit similar heights with the CLS. We even knew that, BMW was all set to launch four door sport limousine called Grand Tourismo.
Still, knowing all of this did nothing to prepare anyone for the Estoque. "One of the reason we like the Estoque is because nobody expected it," explains Mourizio Regguana, technical director of Lamborghini SpA.
The Extoque marks a significant departure for Sant'Agata's Centro Stile in terms of styling, too. This new four door has a styling language that's recognizably different from the work of former design director Luc Donkerwolke. Some of the old straight lines and strong shapes are present, sure, but the detailing is much more sophisticated, definitely - perhaps a bit fussy. But right for a Lamborghini?
How can you know? Because this is car you simply can't help staring at. The parts of it that gaze is drawn to most often are those incredible, swollen rear haunches. It's almost as if a grenade has gone off inside the bodywork, somewhere near the rear diff;the effect is unexpected,and almost inexplicably unusual.
Time to take a look inside. Lamborghini wouldn't let anyone sit in the car on the Paris Show stand, but peering through the windows you could just about see the digital LCD display instruments, the jet fighter style graphic,and the triangular and trapezoidal buttons and switchgear that promise to make this car such a special place in which to travel.
You wondering if this Lamborghini four-door is big enough for four adults?I can tell you absolutely that is is.Pull on the handle,seeing the heavy rear door open and slip into the back and you'll find head,knee,shoulder and foot room to spare. This is no limousine;there enough room to get comfy. But even if you are 6ft 6in, you'd happy to watch DVD in the near fold-away LCD screen mounted on the transmission tunnel and presumably being conveyed extremely briskly across a continent by one of your richest friends.
So the Estoque is quite a commodious saloon car,then- with 450 litre boot,even - and yet it's proper Lamborghini too,running a 552bhp 5.2-litre V10 engine and all wheel drive system lifted straight out of a Gallardo LP560-4.Other version of the Extoque could use turbos,though."Part of our brief was to design the Estoque to accept V8 turbo engines,both petrol and diesel,as well as a V10,"say the Lamborghini technical don.
One thing's for certain:despite the incredible quality of the Estoque,there is much work to be done before it will arrive in showrooms.
