Before hybrid powertrains invaded the segment, the traditional supercar formula was high horsepower plus low weight equal fast lap times multiplied by evil laughs of joy. A couple of the best to maintain that basic equation are the Pagani Huayra BC, which weighs a claimed 2685 pounds, and the Hennessey Venom GT, which weighs 2743 pounds. But those are hefty compared with one of the most exclusive Lamborghinis of this or any decade, the Sesto Elemento. An exercise in carbon technology and power-to-weight-ratio supremacy, the Sesto weighs a claimed 2202 pounds (Lamborghini tried to keep it below 1000 kilograms and at 999 it barely achieves that goal) and was fitted with a V-10 engine.
The Sesto debuted in 2010 as a concept car and was later produced in a limited run of 20 examples. This week in Seattle, one popped up on Craigslist, of all places, for a listed price of $4,500,000. The post is extremely limited on info, but it claims that it is VIN No. 3 and that it only has 118 miles on it. Luxury goods site JamesEdition, where there was another Elemento listed in the U.K. for $2.8 million, might have been a more appropriate place to drop a collectible car like this. That the car appeared on Craigslist—right between more typical ads on the site listing a $2800 1998 Honda Civic and a $10,500 modified 2000 Jeep Wrangler TJ—made us extremely skeptical; however, the photos don’t seem to appear anywhere else on the World Wide Web, and the seller didn’t run for cover when the press came calling.
According to the broker who says he listed the car on behalf of a client, he only put it up on Craigslist because it was simple. “[We] chose Craigslist because it was easy and took a mere five minutes to create the ad,” he said in an email. “The response has been overwhelming … was not anticipating for Craigslist to have tens of people looking to purchase such a vehicle. It was more of a joke at first, but then inquiries from potential buyers came flooding in.” The broker also said that there’s plenty of room in the price for negotiation.
The featherweight supercar was so special at its debut because it uses a technology called forged composite carbon fiber, which is basically a bunch of carbon-fiber flakes heat pressed together rather than woven like carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. Both functional and aesthetically intriguing, it formed the entire body of the car and inspired its name, which means “sixth element.” According to Lamborghini, the low weight paired with the claimed 570 horsepower at 8000 rpm and 398 lb-ft at 6500 rpm made for a claimed zero-to-62-mph time of only 2.5 seconds. That would be quicker than the 2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce we tested just last year.
Before you go looking for a loan, be aware that the Sesto is not street legal and can’t be licensed for road use anywhere in the United States.
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