FrontRunners January 2015: MACHINES & GEAR

From Myth to Bull

Like the Huracán, Aventador, and Murciélago, the Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 (lamborghini.com) concept car takes its name from a particular bull—in this case, a half bull. The car’s namesake is the mythological creature better known as the Minotaur. The moniker suits the Lamborghini, because it too is a hybrid, a plug-in gas-electric model that, the company claims, could generate a total of 897 hp from its naturally aspirated V-10 engine and three electric motors. But while the half-beast, half-man Asterion was so threatening and ferocious that he had to be confined to a labyrinth, Lamborghini insists that the car—notwithstanding its zero-to-60-mph time of less than 3 seconds and its top speed of 199 mph—was conceived for comfortable, environmentally friendly daily cruising. The company claims it could offer commuters a range of 31 miles and speeds as fast as 78 mph when operating in electric-only mode.