Lamborghini 5-95 by Zagato Revs its Engine at Villa d’Este

Zagato's one-off Lamborghini Gallardo-based 5-95 may feature a controversial design, but I have to admit it is impossible to ignore. For those attending the 2014 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como in Italy over the weekend, the Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato was a curious sight, made even more intriguing by the brutal sound of the 562hp (570PS) 5.2-liter Lamborghini V10 engine.

Based on the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, the 5-95 Zagato was commissioned by Albert Spiess, one of the most significant Lamborghini collectors in the world, to mark the Italian design firm’s 95th birthday (1919 – 2014).

As you can see, Zagato managed to hide the Gallardo completely with its design – it’s up to you to decide if that is a good or bad thing.

Scroll down to watch the 5-95 Zagato come to life and parade on the Villa d’Este domain – you may also notice a well-known Lamborghini man on the passenger seat, former factory test driver Valentino Balboni.

New One-Off Lamborghini 5-95 by Zagato Looks Like a Spyker

Look at what Italian design and coach-building house did to a Lamborghini Gallardo for one very special client. The one-off production car is named the Lamborghini 5-95 by Zagato and it will be displayed for the first time at this weekend's 2014 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como in Italy.

The 5-95 is an official collaboration between Lamborghini and Zagato and it was commissioned by Albert Spiess, who is described as "one of the most significant Lamborghini collectors" in the world, on the occasion of the Italian design firm's 95th birthday (1919 – 2014).

"I always appreciated the ability of Zagato to create timeless lines with a forceful visual impact," said Spiess "I believe that a sensual design inspired by nature, together with the best technology, strike a perfect balance that is possible to achieve only in Italy. The 5-95 will be a fundamental piece of my collection."

Using Lamborghini's Gallardo LP570-4 as a creative base, Zagato re-did the entire exterior of the Italian supercar, but we can't help but see some similarities with an older Zagato concept, the Spyker C12 from the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, especially in the profile.

Commenting on his company's latest build and the selection of the Gallardo, Andrea Zagato said:

“We have chosen the Gallardo because it is the most sensational project in Lamborghini’s history. An extraordinary car, perfect in engineering terms, that has brought the image of ‘the Bull’ from a ‘cottage industry’ to a worldwide major industrial reality. The Gallardo production figures exceeded the whole Lamborghini production since its foundation.”

Zagato Lamborghini 5-95 Successfully Aims To Be An Instant Collectible

1965 was the first time Zagato and Lamborghini hooked up, when the Milanese coachbuilder created the Lamborghini 3500 GTZ for Marquis Gerino Gerini. There have been several more collaborations since then, the one you see above being the latest: the Lamborghini 5-95, created for collector Albert Spiess and designed to be "a modern collectible" in honor of Zagato's 95th anniversary.

Underneath its Speed Racer curves is a Gallardo LP570-4, its visual mass pushed forward thanks to the striving front fascia and a wind deflector at the bottom of the windshield that lengthens the hood, and a shortened trunk that "reveals the brutality of the mechanical components" in back. Between them are Zagato trademarks like wraparound glass and the double-bubble roof, and the size of the obvious air intakes has been reduced by hiding others in the greenhouse and fixing a center intake above the roof.

The Lamborghini 5-95 is on show at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este at Lake Como in Switzerland. As for being a collectible, since it's headed straight for Spiess' garage afterward, we'd say they've got that part sealed up. For you non-collectors, there's a short video where you can hear the car fire up and a press release below with a lot more info.

Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato Could Be Bound For Limited Production

Lamborghini has been seriously upping its production overt the years. When Audi took over in the late 1990s, the company's production was measured in the 200-unit range. Now it's making over 2,000 cars every year. But at the same time, Sant'Agata has been focusing on low-volume production as well, with a separate assembly line dedicated to putting together concept cars and limited editions like the Sesto Elemento and Veneno. And now it may just have another on its hands.

 

That would be the Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato, a unique coachbuilt supercar based on the Gallardo and unveiled last week at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on the shores of Italy's glamorous Lake Como. It was commissioned as a one-off custom for noted Lambo and Zagato collector Albert Spiess, but reports suggest that it could be put into limited production.

The viability of the project would likely depend on how many orders the Italians might garner for an expanded production run. Whether the project would be undertaken at Lamborghini's special projects facility or off-site by Zagato remains to be seen, but you can bet it would fetch a pretty penny or two, despite the fact that the platform on which it's based is now over a decade old and has since been replaced by the newer Huracán.

It wouldn't be the first time Zagato has performed its magic for Lamborghini, from the 3500 GTZ of 1965, through to the Raptor, L147 "Super Diablo" and LM 003 Borneo of the 1990s. Take a drive down memory lane in the image gallery below.