The 808bhp Lamborghini Sian Roadster is the company's wildest droptop ever
The quickest way to dry your hair yet conceived
LAMBORGHINI knew it had everyone’s attention when it announced the Sian as the most powerful model it had ever produced. The Italian car maker has now got our attention once more by cutting the roof off and unleashing its most powerful droptop production car to date: the Sian Roadster.
For customers who thought that the original Sian was good but wanted their barnet to fully experience its 217mph-plus top speed, the Sian Roadster combines Lamborghini’s famous V12 with a high voltage electric motor. Built into the gearbox, the motor augments the engine’s mighty 774bhp with a further 34bhp and a bunch of torque, to fill the parts of the rev range that petrol power can’t reach. Lamborghini says it thereby improves responsiveness and overall performance, as well as making low-speed manoeuvres such as reversing and parking much easier.
Power is stored in a supercapacitor located between the cockpit and the engine, that can hold ten times more power than a lithium-ion battery, and can store three times the power of a battery the same size, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 1bhp/kg. Supercapacitors’ disadvantage is that they discharge energy far quicker than a battery, but as the Sian’s electrical systems are designed to support the engine, rather than work independently, that’s not an issue in this case.
The energy system is constantly restored every time the Sian Roadster brakes via regenerative braking, and is immediately available for rapid acceleration. And we mean rapid: 0-62mph takes less than 2.9 seconds, which is even quicker than an Aventador SVJ (and 10% quicker than it would leap off the line without the hybrid tech).
Available in the perhaps unfortunately named hue of “Blu Uranus”, which can be personalised by Lamborghini’s Ad Personam department in order to give every model a unique finish. The wheels are “Oro Electrum”, which is a sort of gold-silver blend, and according to Lamborghini signifies the car’s electrification.
As does the name: Sian, as Lamborghini revealed upon its initial release, is a Bolognese word for “flash” or “lightning”, a nod to the idea that the Sian is the first page in a new electrified chapter for the company.
Design wise, most of the aesthetic cues from the Sian’s aggressive styling have been carried over to the Roadster (apart from the roof, obviously), but the roofless styling, as well as the six hexagonal tail lights, have also taken inspiration from the Countach.
“The Sián Roadster encapsulates the spirit of Lamborghini,” said Stefano Domenicali, Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “It is the expression of breathtaking design and extraordinary performance, but most importantly embodies important future technologies. The Sián’s innovative hybrid powertrain heralds the direction for Lamborghini super sports cars, and the open-top Sián Roadster affirms a desire for the ultimate lifestyle Lamborghini as we move towards a tomorrow demanding new solutions.”
Typically, the Sian Roadster is available in extremely limited numbers — only 19 are being made — and they’re all already sold out.
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