The Lamborghini Egoista: Concept Car or Spaceship?
Carlos Kirby
· 4 min read
In the early 1960s, Ferruccio Lamborghini owned a tractor company and two Ferrari sports cars. In a
legendary argument
with Enzo Ferrari, Ferruccio let it slip that Ferrari made beautiful cars - with the same parts he used for tractors. This is all it took to start the rivalry that changed luxury cars
forever. Enzo Ferrari was furious about the comparison, and Ferruccio Lamborghini took the challenge by declaring that he could build sports cars himself. He'd show Ferrari "how a sports car has to be."50 years later, in 2013, Lamborghini announced the Lamborghini Egoista: the most advanced sports car of its era. The ultimate expression of hedonism, this single-seater is modeled after a fighter jet and designed with that signature Lamborghini quality to make the driver feel like the king of the universe with a price tag you wouldn't believe. Those who've seen it in the Lamborghini museum are inspired to wonder if it is more concept car or spaceship.
Lamborghini Egoista: The ultimate expression of hedonism
The legend of the Egoista starts with the name. Ego, meaning self, is the focus of this incredible one-of-a-kind vehicle. Egoista, in Italian, means "Selfish." Designer Walter de Silva himself speaks to
HotCars
explaining that the car "represents hedonism taken to the extreme". It is the ultimate expression of self-love, and the luxury that spending on oneself can achieve. Hedonism means luxuriating in physical pleasures, something Lamborghini has always celebrated and memorializes in this concept car of legend.
That is exactly why this concept car has only one seat: the driver. Your experience is the ultimate. There are no passengers to consider, and with the speeds you can achieve, presumably no other drivers on the road, either. The sleek silver body is molded more like a sci-fi space fighter than your typical sports car, with bright orange wheels and an undeniably cool orange-tinted windshield swept back for optimum aerodynamic speed.
Looks like a car, drives like a one-man space shuttle
So what makes the Egoista so futuristic? Other than the incredible exterior look, De Silva says it was modeled after
fighter jets
instead of any other car in the world. The Egoista has a cockpit instead of doors, so the driver (or should we say pilot?) feels like a chromed Batman slipping into the control position.The steering wheel also feels more like a fighter jet's control stick than your typical wheel, with a glowing orange readout to match the incredibly plush quilted orange interior. Every button and knob feels more like piloting a spaceship than driving a car, complete with a holographic HUD above the dash display. There are also no side mirrors to mar your ability to cut through the wind, only cameras to add to the high-tech display array.
Under the hood, the Egoista sports a light 5.2-liter V10 engine that can achieve 600 horsepower. The Egoista goes 0 to 60 in a heart-pounding 3 seconds flat and its top speed is around 200 miles per hour.
This 50th anniversary Lamborghini costs a king's ransom
Of course, don't expect to pick up one of these 50th anniversary celebrations of hedonism. Not only were there only 14 ever produced, but the price tag since 2013 has been set to $117 million, yes, million dollars. Each. There are small nations that could not buy one of these cars, which is why the Lamborghini museum is our best chance to see one in person.
Of course, the Egoista is really a display of what Lamborghini can do; the luxury and advanced use of technology they can achieve in every model. If you're
driving a Lamborghini
this year and need the best possible insurance package, Jerry
can help. We'll get you the comparison of coverage and price you need to indulge in a little practical hedonism of your own.
