Lamborghini Aventador successor to get 1,015hp V12

The Lamborghini LB744 ushers in a new electrification era for the Italian marque, while also allowing its signature naturally aspirated V12 engine to “live on”, rather than being killed off by increasingly strict emissions regulations.

 

The new-generation V12, which Lamborghini refers to as L545, has a capacity of 6.5 litres and, Lamborghini says, it is the lightest and most powerful engine the carmaker has ever made. The engine weighs 218kg, making it 17kg lighter than the one in the Aventador, while still producing 825hp at 9,250rpm and 725Nm at 6,750rpm. 

 

Lamborghini has made a few changes to the engine to enhance its performance. For instance, it gets re-engineered air intake ducts to cylinders which, according to the carmaker, helps in increasing the air supply and ensuring optimal airflow in the combustion chamber. Special attention has also been paid to keeping the carmaker’s iconic V12 soundtrack intact. 

 

The lightness of the engine allows three 18.5kg motors – two driving the front axle, and one gearbox-mounted driving the rear – to be fitted with minimal impact of weight (a total figure is yet to be given), and therefore performance, with a combined output of 1,015hp.

 

The unit also emits 30 percent lower CO2 emissions than the Aventador Ultimae's 779hp power plant. Although acceleration figures have yet to be confirmed, this will give the LB744 blistering off-line speed, likely with numbers close to the special-edition Lamborghini Veneno, which can hit 100kph from standing in just 2.9sec.

Like most plug-in hybrids, the LB744 has the ability to run solely on electric power, driving the front wheels when cruising to lower energy consumption, and all four wheels when the power is asked for (depending on drive mode). However, given the battery’s relatively small size, EV range isn’t expected to be more than 8km. 

 

Electric power is drawn from a 3.8kWh lithium-ion battery, mounted within the transmission tunnel to keep the car’s centre of gravity as low as possible. It can be charged either through an external 7kW current, which takes 30 minutes, or by a combination of regenerative braking and the petrol engine, which Lamborghini claims takes as little as six minutes.

For the LB774, Lamborghini has developed a brand-new eight-speed gearbox that is positioned transversally behind the longitudinal V12. This is done to leave space in the transmission tunnel for the lithium-ion battery that feeds the electric motors. The LB744 will be only the second Lamborghini road-going car to be fitted with a transversely mounted gearbox, after the iconic Miura. The gearbox has two distinct shafts against the usual three. This layout, Lamborghini says, helps to keep the overall weight down while also saving space. The eight-speed gearbox and the electric motor attached weigh only a combined 193kg.  

 

The electric motor, which is placed on the gearbox, doubles as a starter motor generator in addition to supplying energy to the front electric motors via the battery in the transmission tunnel. 

 

Reverse gear is provided by two front electric motors, but if more speed is needed, the rear electric motor kicks in activating the rear axle and wheels. 

 

More details will be released on the Aventador’s replacement in the coming weeks, but it will be “completely new from the ground up”, chief technical officer Rouven Mohr previously told sister publication, Autocar UK.