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Lamborghini Egoista concept car a 'four-wheeled UFO'

Lamborghini Egoista, inspired by the design of an Apache helicopter, was introduced to the world over the weekend. While the Lamborghini Egoista is a pure design concept, Lamborghini has said in the past that it never builds a concept without the intention of production. 

A Lamborghini sports car logo is pictured during an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the carmaker in downtown Milan. The new Lamborghini Egoista concept car presents some interesting technology we may see in the future.

Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters/File

May 13, 2013

Over the weekend,听听for a brand new Lamborghini concept cropped up. We now have all the official details for the concept, which goes by the name 鈥淓goista鈥 and was developed as a tribute to Lamborghini鈥檚 50th anniversary by a team led by Volkswagen Group听boss Walter De Silva.

The concept鈥檚 name, which is Spanish for 鈥渟elfish,鈥 has been applied because of the single-seat design. But rather than signify a potential for single-seat racing, the design was picked to allow its driver the ability to express their individual personality to the maximum.

鈥淭his is a听听made for one person only,鈥 De Silva explained at the unveiling of the Egoista at听, which took place in Italy during the past week.

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The Italian designer also used the words 鈥渉edonism,鈥 鈥渇our-wheeled UFO鈥 and even 鈥淣ever Never Land鈥 in describing the car.听

While the Egoista is a pure design concept, Lamborghini has said in the past that it never builds a concept without the intention of production. But this one is a gift from Lamborghini to itself, so we doubt it will be sold to the highest bidder.

It does present some interesting technology we may see in the future, however. Namely, lightweight construction, new design language and a 592-horsepower version of the Gallardo鈥檚 5.2-liter V-10 engine. Materials used in the construction include aluminum and carbon fiber.

The upper part of the vehicle also features active flaps integrated in the bodywork that move depending on the driving conditions, providing a balance between drag and downforce. Two rear flaps activate automatically at high speeds to increase stability, while a series of air intakes on the back of the engine hood provides the cooling air flow to the V-10 engine.

New features of听听perhaps?

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Inspiration for the concept鈥檚 design came from an Apache helicopter, whose ejecting cockpit design was borrowed for the Egoista. The profile, meanwhile, is said to represent a charging bull with its head down and horns pointed forward.

鈥淭he cockpit represents a sort of survival cell, allowing the driver to isolate and protect themselves from external elements,鈥 De Silva explained.鈥淲e kept an eye on the future when designing the Egoista, with the idea that its cockpit could have been taken from a jet aircraft and integrated into a road vehicle.鈥

Inside, there is a racing seat with a four-point seatbelt, airbags, and the bare minimum of instruments. The focal point of these is a head-up display, typical of jet fighters. To get out of the vehicle, the driver must remove the steering wheel and rest it on the dashboard, open the canopy, stand up and then sit down on a precise point of the bodywork, then swivel 180 degrees. At this point, he or she can finally set their feet down and stand up.

Hedonism, indeed.