2004 Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe 5.0l V10 on 2040-cars

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Italdesign will build five of its Zerouno supercar, a carbon-bodied Lamborghini Huracan

There's a lot going on here. Italdesign is launching its new limited-production brand, Italdesign Automobili Speciali, with the crazy mid-engined supercar you see here. The Zerouno looks more like a place to keep every aerodynamic flourish the company has ever created than a car you will actually be able to buy, but they're going to sell five of them. It also reminds us of a Nissan GT-R in some ways, such as the shape of the roof, but you can be assured this is a Lamborghini underneath. Italdesign says the car is powered by a 5.2-liter V10 that will send it to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 205 mph; the engine makes 602 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, just as it does in the standard Huracan. The Zerouno uses the Lambo's seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel-drive system as well. Given the fact that Italdesign is controlled by Lamborghini and the two companies often work closely with each other, we're pretty confident this is the world's most exclusive Lamborghini Huracan. Those few buyers will be able to outfit their car to their taste with help from the Italdesign staff. And just look at all of the aero bits! We count three pairs of dive plane blades, two sets of louvered fender vents, some aggressive splitters, and what might be the world's most complex rear diffuser. The bit at the front that sort of resembles a hand vac intake is part of what Italdesign calls the Y-duct, which pulls in air at the leading edge and routes it out of two ports at the rear of the hood to produce downforce. Air flows around and through just about every part of the car, including the floating light units. The silver car is done up with tricolori accents running down the middle and lots of red trim on the exposed carbon fiber. The whole body is made of the lightweight material, in fact, meaning it should be lighter than a run-of-the-mill Huracan. Even the tires are customizable; it features new Pirelli P-Zero rubber available in a choice of white, red, yellow or metallic gray. The car is designed to be registered for street use, but an optional Corsa package turns it into a track-only vehicle and includes such additional aerodynamic aids as a dorsal spoiler. It will be interesting to see how the Zerouno stacks up against the new top-dog Huracan Performante, which is being shown for the first time at this year's Geneva Motor Show, just like the Italdesign car.

Are supercars becoming less special?

There's little doubt that we are currently enjoying the golden age of automotive performance. Dozens of different models on sale today make over 500 horsepower, and seven boast output in excess of 700 hp. Not long ago, that kind of capability was exclusive to supercars – vehicles whose rarity, performance focus, and requisite expense made them aspirational objects of desire to us mortals. But more than that, supercars have historically offered a unique driving experience, one which was bespoke to a particular model and could not be replicated elsewhere. But in recent years, even the low-volume players have been forced to find the efficiencies and economies of scale that formerly hadn't been a concern for them, and in turn the concept of the supercar as a unique entity unto itself is fading fast. The blame doesn't fall on one particular manufacturer nor a specific production technique. Instead, it's a confluence of different factors that are chipping away at the distinction of these vehicles. It's not all bad news – Lamborghini's platform sharing with Audi for the Gallardo and the R8 yielded a raging bull that was more reliable and easier to live with on a day-to-day basis, and as a result it went on to become the best-selling Lambo in the company's history. But it also came at the cost of some of the Italian's exclusivity when eerily familiar sights and sounds suddenly became available wearing an Audi badge. Even low-volume players have been forced to find economies of scale. Much of this comes out of necessity, of course. Aston Martin's recent deal with Mercedes-AMG points toward German hardware going under the hood and into the cabin of the upcoming DB11, and it's safe to assume that this was not a decision made lightly by the Brits, as the brand has built a reputation for the bespoke craftsmanship of its vehicles. There's little doubt that the DB11 will be a fine automobile, but the move does jeopardize some of the characteristic "specialness" that Astons are known for. Yet the world is certainly better off with new Aston Martins spliced with DNA from Mercedes-AMG rather than no new Astons at all, and the costs of developing cutting-edge drivetrains and user interfaces is a burden that's becoming increasingly difficult for smaller manufacturers to bear. Even Ferrari is poised to make some dramatic changes in the way it designs cars.

Egoista concept comes home to Lamborghini Museum

Unless you happen to live in one of the great supercar capitals of the world, seeing a Lamborghini up close is a rare treat. But even in such rarified company, some Lambos stand out more than others. We're talking here about elusive examples like the Reventón (of which only 20 were made), the $3.4-million Veneno (only four made) or this, the one-of-a-kind Egoista.
The Egoista concept was revealed a year and a week ago during Lamborghini's 50th anniversary celebrations. Unless you are a Lamborghini owner who traveled to Italy for the event, chances are you didn't get a chance to see it. But if you're heading to the Bologna region any time in the near future, you'll be able to check it out at the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata.
There the one-of-a-kind single-seater concept with the aircraft-style canopy greenhouse will surely occupy a place of honor, alongside the many classic, racing and otherwise significant models - including the Sesto Elemento, Estoque and Miura concepts. Unfortunately, since Google's crew was there before the Egoista (or before us, for that matter), you won't be able to see it on Street View, so you're going to have to trek to northern Italy to see it for yourself.