The Sián Roadster is a 217mph hybrid hairdryer
As fast and lightning and just as flash, this is the new roadster version of Lamborghini’s limited-edition Sián, the first electrified Lambo. Now you can have outrageous styling, innovative hybrid technology and the sun on your face in your 217mph Italian projectile all at the same time. What’s not to like?
The only downside we can think of is a production run even more limited than that of the Sián coupe. Lamborghini said at the 2019 debut of the Sián – it means lightning in the Bolognese dialect – it would make 63 coupes, but there will only be 19 roadsters. And they are all sold anyway.
The new roadster is pure Sián, which is itself Aventador based, but minus the roof. A familiar decapitation exercise for Sant’Agata then, but still one that causes jaws to drop. It may be the roadster looks even more dramatic than the coupe, and the firm says the roofless design leads to no loss of aerodynamic efficiency.
The performance is certainly dramatic, with that 217mph top speed matched by 0-62mph in a lightning quick 2.8 seconds. Just like the Sián coupe, the roadster gets Lambo’s most potent engine, the 785PS (774bhp) naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12, given an electric top up by a 34PS (34bhp) electric motor.
It’s a familiar mild hybrid solution then but what’s different is that power is stored not in lithium-ion batteries but in supercapacitors, which are three times as powerful as batteries of the same weight as well as faster to charge. Together, the electric motor, which is packaged inside the transmission, and the “supercaps” add just 34kg to the roadster’s weight.
Total system power is 819PS or 808bhp, making the Sián the most powerful Lamborghini ever. Sant’Agata says the roadster is 10 per cent faster than it would be without the hybrid help, as well as smoother when going up through the gear during full-bore starts.
“The Sián roadster encapsulates the spirit of Lamborghini,” says Automobili Lamborghini chief executive Stefano Domenicali. “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.”
As you might expect for such a limited run and sky high (but unspecified) price, each of the 19 cars will be highly personalised by Lambo’s bespoke division, Ad Personam. Owners can have their initials on the 3D printed air inlets. The roadster as shown is finished in Blu Uranus with Oro Electrum wheels, Lambo’s colour of choice to signify electrification.
Lamborghini
Sian
Aventador
