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The Lamborghini Athon is a concept car designed by Bertone for Lamborghini. The Lamborghini Athon can be driven and is a fully functional production concept car. Under the hood of the Lamborghini Athon sits a 3.0 L DOHC V8 engine from the Lamborghini Silhouette, with two valves per cylinder capable of a max power of 260 hp (194 kW) at 7,500 rpm and 237 lb-ft (321 N⋅m) of torque with a compression ratio of ten to one. The transmission contains an all-synchromesh gearbox that consists of a five-speed with a single plate hydraulically assisted clutch and an axle ratio of 14/35. The Bertone company SpA design includes an integral chassis and steel body. The suspension has independent wry coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers. The Campagnolo cast magnesium pneumatically actuated brakes consist of Girling ventilated discs. The front tires are Michelin 195/50 VR 15 and 275/40 VR 15 at the rear. The Lamborghini Athon weighs 2,390 lbs and has an 80-liter fuel tank. In terms of performance, the Lamborghini Athon can reach a top speed of 170 mph (273.6 km/h) and can go from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 7.3 seconds. The RM Sotheby's company auctioned the Lamborghini Athon in Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on May 21, 2011. It sold for $487,000 United States Dollars, and its present-day estimated price value is between $213,000 to $312,000 United States Dollars.
According to the Turin coachbuilder press release, the Bertone company, a private company based in Italy created the Lamborghini Athon to show their everlasting support for the Lamborghini company. The Lamborghini Athon was given its name because the car is a spider and made for fair weather; the name refers to the Egyptian cult of the sun.
Marc Deschamps, a Frenchman, led the design process for the Lamborghini Athon, which was Bertone Studio's 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 Bertone's concept cars; he specifically made the Lamborghini Athon much like the concept cars Bertone created in the 1970s. He included "sculpted geometric volumes" that were defined by clear edges and cut lines. Marc Deschamps also did not follow what is universally known as the traditional spider design for the car. The Lamborghini Athon, a proclaimed spider, has its cabin located in a forward position instead of the traditional mid-set cabin in a normal spider. 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 concept would later be used when the Bertone company created the Jalpa Speedster. The design of the Lamborghini Athon also influenced media and movie productions. The Athon was referenced when making the props for the following films: Tron, Total Recall, and RoboCop.
Nuccio Bertone also inspired Marc Deschamp to add a few more unique features to the car's body. For example, Marc Deschamps created the doors to 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 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. Note that there was a pod to the left of the steering wheel. The mounted pod was used as a place to hold the secondary controls. The touch screen panels were equipped with electronic readouts. 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 devotion to the Lamborghini Silhouette aesthetic appearance. His impact as a designer for Lamborghini is seen in the Lamborghini Athon's front sloping hood. The Lamborghini Athon was forcefully given to the Bertone company as the Lamborghini company was in liquidation and going through financial difficulty. The Lamborghini Athon was retired in the Bertone museum in Rubiana, Italy, directly after being showcased in the Turin Auto Show. Bertone occasionally removed the car from its museum and made it displayed for the public at a few select shows. Although it has had minor repairs to some of the car's mechanical components, the Lamborghini Athon was never restored. Because it has never been restored, the Lamborghini Athon is offered in its original condition.
The press associated with this move brought more attention to the Athon and Lamborghini as a company. The Athon was created during Lamborghini's financial crisis, which threatened to end with the company's liquidation. As a result, the Athon's greatest impact on the company would be when Bertone put it in their museum.
Source: Lamborghini Athon - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini_Athon
Images: Carrozzeria Bertone s.p.a.; RM Auctions