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.
