Lamborghini Debuts Its SC20 Roadster, But Only Made One – Robb Report

It’s been less than five months since Automobili Lamborghini unveiled the 820 hp Essenza SCV12, its most powerful production model to date, but the team at Sant’Agata Bolognese has released a new bull today, the topless Lamborghini SC20. Like the Essenza, the SC20 was developed in collaboration with the Italian marque’s Squadra Corse motorsport division, but differs from its stablemate in that, rather than comprising 40 examples, the roadster is a customer-commissioned one-off.

Although intended for the track, the machine is street-legal and carries Lambo’s apex engine, the same naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 as the Essenza, but detuned to deliver 759 hp at 8,500 rpm and 531 ft lbs of torque at 6,750 rpm. The power plant is mated to the automaker’s seven-speed Independent Shifting Rod (ISR) transmission claimed to execute gear changes in 50 milliseconds. Performance measurements such as top speed and rate of acceleration, however, have not been released.

When it comes to form, the four-wheel-drive SC20 shares the same branch of Lamborghini’s family tree as the 1999 Diablo VT, the 2005 Concept S—envisioned by Luc Donckerwolke, now with Genesis—the 2012 Aventador J and the 2014 Veneno Roadster. And its exclusivity mirrors that of Squadra Corse’s first one-of-a-kind vehicle for a client, the Aventador SVJ–based 2018 Lamborghini SC18 Alston.

Styled by Mitja Borkert and his colleagues at Lamborghini’s Centro Stile design department, the roofless study in aerodynamics uses carbon fiber for the monocoque chassis and bodywork, and features a distinctive front splitter, elongated nostril-like air intakes on the hood—similar to those on the Huracán GT3 Evo—and a carbon-fiber rear wing that offers three configurations for varying levels of downforce.

The car’s highly creased and angular aesthetic, almost origami in nature, is further punctuated by the brand’s Bianco Fu shade of white with Blu Cepheus accents for the exterior. The interior wears the same blue trim set against a selection of black known as Nero Cosmos.

But one of the SC20’s most striking elements, both visually and from an engineering standpoint, is what appears to be the lack of a windscreen, or a negligible one, which is a testament to the airflow management incorporated in the design and execution of the cockpit. It immediately recalls the look of the McLaren Elva, the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2, and the Aston Martin V12 Speedster. We may still be in the dark days of winter—literally and figuratively—but the SC20 is the latest automotive reminder that the future is wide open.