Lamborghini Athon

The Lamborghini Athon is a concept car designed by Bertone for Lamborghini.

Under the hood of the Lamborghini Athon sits a V8 Duel Over the Head Cam engine with two valves per cylinder capable of a max power of 260 brake horsepower at 7500 RPM and a torque of 237 feet per lbs with a compression ratio of ten to one. The fronts tires measure out to be 195/50 VR 15 Michelin and the rear tires are 275/40 VR 15 Michelin. The Lamborghini Athon weighs in at 2390 lbs and has an 80 Liter fuel tank capable of holding 21 gallons of fuel. The RM Soldeby's company auctioned the Lamborghini Athon in Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on May 21, 2011.

The Lamborghini Athon sold for $487,000 United States Dollars and its present-day estimated price value, according to RM Auctions, is between $213,000 to $312,000 United States Dollar.

The Bertone company, a private company based in Italy, created the Lamborghini Athon to show their everlasting support for the Lamborghini company according to the Turin coachbuilder press release. 

The Lamborghini Athon was given its name because the car is a spider and made for fair-weather; the name makes reference to the Egyptian cult of the sun

Marc Deschamps, a Frenchman, lead the design process for the Lamborghini Athon which was Bertone Studios first ever concept car. He was chosen to lead the design after Marcello Gandini left the position as the design coordinator in 1979 for Bertone. The car was based on the silhouette sport type aesthetic and resembled some of the looks of the Lamborghini Urraco. Marc Deschamps honored the prior design of the Bertone's concept cars; he specifically made the Lamborghini Athon much like the concept cars Bertone created in the 1970s. Marc Deschamps also did not follow what is universally known as the tradition spider design of the car. Another detail that sets the Athon apart from the original aesthetics of a spider is the height and position of the rear deck compared to the height and positioning of the sloping hood. This design of the raised rear deck would later be modeled after when the Bertone company would create the Jalpa Speedster.The Athon was referenced when making the props for the following films: Tron, Total Recall, and RoboCop.

Marc Deschamp was also inspired by Nuccio Bertone added a few more unique features the cars body. For example, Marc Deschamps created the doors so they would have a noticeable gap between the doors and the door sills. Another thing to note is that Marc Deschamps also designed the tail lights to have very thin grooves in order to assure that they did not interfere with the solid rear end of the car. Something unique to note about the car is the design of the steering wheel and touch screen panels. The steering wheel was designed with a single spoke which did not affect the grip but was created to lighten the car giving the car better performance feats. Note that to the left of the steering wheel, there was a pod. The mounted pod was used as a place to hold the secondary controls. Vegalie, an Italian supplier, created the instrumental design of the Lamborghini Athon. They made the windshield wipers, turn signals, as well as the indicator switches which are in close reach within the steering wheel. The Lamborghini Athon's design was created in honor of Fillipo Perini in honor of his devout love to the Lamborghini Silhouette aesthetic appearance. The Lamborghini Athon was forcefully given to the Bertone company as the Lamborghini company was in the process of liquidation and going through financial difficulty. The Lamborghini Athon was retired in the Bertone museum located in Rubiana, Italy directly after it showcased in the Turin Auto Show. Although it has had minor repairs to some of the mechanical components of the car, the Lamborghini Athon was never restored. Because of it having never been restored, the Lamborghini Athon is offered in its original condition.

The Lamborghini Athon was created during a time when the Lamborghini company went into liquidation and was in the process of being taken over by the Nuemann and Company. One of the main reasons the Lamborghini Athon was not put into production was due to Lamborghini financial crisis. The Lamborghini Athon's greatest impact on the company would have to be when Bertone put it in the museum. The press brought more attention to the Athon and Lamborghini as a company.