Lamborghini previews radical open-roof hypercar

Sant'Agata looks to be targeting the McLaren Elva and Ferrari Monza with a new speedster

Lamborghini has begun dynamic testing of a new, as-yet unannounced open-roof supercar.

An image of a disguised prototype was shared by the company's Squadra Corse motorsport division, revealing a side profile and rear end of the unnamed car and confirming it has no roof or windscreen.

The test mule shares its camouflage with the recently-revealed Essenza SCV12, a track-only hypercar limited to just 40 examples. However, it doesn't share the that car's rear end design or motorsport-influenced rear wing, instead having more in common with the Aventador SVJ and the Sian hybrid that made its debut last year.

The latter car uses an electrified 6.5-litre V12 powertrain which produces 808bhp, which allows for top speed higher than 217mph and a 0-62mph sprint time faster than that of the conventionally powered Aventador SVJ.

The Sian is already set to recieve a Roadster variant, which will be limited to just 19 cars, meaning this new car could end up being even more exclusive. Lamborghini has produced one-off roadsters in the past, most notably the 2012 Aventador J, though a small production run would allow it to compete with both the McLaren Elva and Ferrari Monza SP2.

A message accompanying the image reads "Attenzione macchina veloce aperta", literally translated as "Attention, fast open machine".

Little else is known about the prototype, including when it could make an official debut - or indeed whether it will reach production at all. 

If it does see a release, it will likely be the first new model to arrive following the departure of Stefano Domenicali, who becomes the new president and CEO of Formula 1 in January.

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