Lamborghini Cala
Encyclopedia
Lamborghini Calà, also known as the Italdesign Calà, was a concept car
Concept car
A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....
designed for Lamborghini
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
by Italdesign Giugiaro
Italdesign Giugiaro
Italdesign-Giugiaro S.p.A is an automobile design and engineering company based in Moncalieri, Italy founded in 1968 by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani as Studi Italiani Realizzazione Prototipi S.p.A...
. It was first shown at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show. It was a completely functional prototype that never made it into production.
The Calà was designed to fill Lamborghini's need for a replacement for the Jalpa
Lamborghini Jalpa
The Lamborghini Jalpa is a sports car produced by the Italian sports car manufacturer Lamborghini from 1981 to 1988.-Overview:The Jalpa was a development of the earlier Silhouette intended to fill a role as a more "affordable" Lamborghini, being much less expensive than the flagship Countach and...
, which discontinued production in 1988 at the behest of then owners of the company, Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
. In 1994 Chrysler sold Lamborghini to Megatech
Megatech
Megatech is an Indonesian company that pursued the development of various supercars. It is jointly owned by Hutomo Mandala Putra, the youngest son of President Suharto, and Mycom Setdco, a Bermuda-based subsidiary of Mycom Bhd....
, the Calà design took shape, but when Megatech sold Lamborghini to the Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
in 1998, the concept was shelved. The Jalpa replacement would not be found in Lamborghini's lineup until 2003, with the release of the Lamborghini Gallardo
Lamborghini Gallardo
The Lamborghini Gallardo is a sports car built by Lamborghini. The Gallardo is Lamborghini's most-produced model to date, with over 10,000 built in its first seven years of production...
.
The Calà was powered by a mid-mounted V10 engine
V10 engine
A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...
, which produced 400 hp, mated to a 6-speed transmission that drove the rear wheels. Top speed was estimated at 181 mph (81 m/s).
The car is featured in the 1997 computer and video game Need for Speed II
Need for Speed II
Need for Speed II, released in Japan as Over Drivin' II, is a 1997 racing video game, developed by Electronic Arts Canada and published by Electronic Arts...
and Need For Speed II SE.