Lamborghini will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year. The bull brand, born after a quarrel between its founder Ferrucio Lamborghini and Enzo Ferrari, has had an existence as eventful as its genesis. Extremely resilient since its acquisition by Audi in 1998, the manufacturer will launch a new flagship this year which will retain the V12 despite its hybrid shift.
Named LB744, this new powertrain was unveiled last week pending the unveiling of the car it will power. The central core remains a 6.5L V12, the same displacement as the heart of the Aventador which ended production last year. It has been completely revised, dropping 17 kg in passing and can climb to 9500 rpm, to the delight of the ears. Its maximum power thus increases to 814 hp, 44 more than the last Aventador. But that is only part of the picture.
This mechanism also receives the contribution of three electric motors of 148 hp: two for the front axle and one married to a new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The latter is also now placed transversely at the rear to better integrate the battery, forcing the engineers to rotate the V12 180 degrees compared to the Aventador. This configuration makes it possible to operate the all-wheel drive in electric mode, because this creation is a plug-in hybrid. With an energy reserve of 3.8 kWh, autonomy may nevertheless be rather laughable, we agree.
What boggles the mind, however, is the stupendous power this powerhouse will produce when working in unison. Lamborghini estimates it at 1001 hp, the power – in metric horsepower – of the first Bugatti Veyron, the jewel of the Volkswagen group born in 2005, of which Lamborghini is a part. If we take into account the fact that the Aventador managed to complete the 0-100 km/h in 2.8 s with 231 hp less, this next Lamborghini will be quite mind-blowing with the instant electric torque.
