The Lamborghini V12 isn’t dead; the Aventador replacement will be a hybrid, but won’t lose its iconic powertrain.
V12 supercar isn’t dead, far from it in fact, with company bosses revealing exciting new details and early body-on prototypes of the Aventador’s successor already spotted in the wild. Early signs are promising for the marque’s next-generation flagship, and we won’t have to wait long to see it, with Lamborghini confirming a full reveal is due in just a ‘few weeks’.
Lamborghini has been dabbling in hybrid technology for a few years now with its low-volume Sian and Countach models, but this will be the brand’s first go at producing a series-production hybrid model, one that’ll sit right at the top of the core range.
The question of just how hybridised this new V12 model will be remains the one we’re interested in finding the answer to, but what we do know is that the combustion engine it assists will be far from a downgrade. Speaking to our sister title Auto Express, Lamborghini chief technical officer Rouven Mohr revealed that its new naturally-aspirated V12 will produce ‘[more] power, more revs, more sound,’ than the outgoing 6.5-litre unit.
Speaking about its hybrid assistance, Mohr did confirm the inclusion of a full electric mode, adding: ‘It’s an extremely cool feature if you drive with this emotional high-revving sound, [then arrive at] the village, switch off, then silence. And then, in ‘stealth mode’ you run out, and then after you exit again: BAAAH! Full power!’
Unlike the upcoming electrified Urus SUV, though, Lamborghini is keen to keep weight to a minimum with its sports cars. Mohr said: ‘On the SUV we will not say that we use a very small battery, but in a sports car, we do.’ Based on his experience behind the wheel of prototypes, CEO Stefan Winkleman added: ‘The car is outstanding, it’s light-footed, and you don’t feel the additional weight,’ confirming the expected weight gain associated with a hybrid powertrain.
Electrification of its flagship will provide some benefit to sustainability, but Lamborghini claims that this is not the aim of the hybrid system. Winklemann said: ‘…the main aim of this car is to use the battery as an accelerator of additional power. It gives you incredible power and also very good handling behaviour for a car of this weight, which is incredible.’
One look at the prototype and it’s clear that it will take its basis from existing V12 models, sharing its core proportions with the Aventador while combining aesthetics of the Sian with a dramatic new body that will utilise active aero to create a very forward-looking design.
Even under its thick-set camouflage, we can see the new front end’s design will be very aggressive, with its slim LED headlights partially mounted under the bonnet, underlined by a daytime running light that sits right at the leading edge of the front bumper. Directly under the headlights are two big openings that’ll feed air into a pair of side-mounted radiators.
Follow the body backwards and Lamborghini’s typical cab-forward front screen and falling windowline will join a complex and segmented body side. The rear arches are almost completely disconnected visually from the main body, with a huge intake that zig-zags its way up the side of the car, terminating in an open-air flying buttress that connects the haunch to the cabin.
This is the first time Lamborghini has incorporated a true flying buttress into one of its series-production cars, and will give the new V12 flagship a distinctive aesthetic despite the familiar proportions.
The rear end, meanwhile, is completely dominated by the high-mounted exhaust, flanked by two Y-shaped rear lights that occupy a void between the active rear wing and lower bumper. The exhaust finishers on this prototype are round, but will probably be replaced with more stylised units on the finished car.
Whatever is to come, we don’t have much longer to wait, with the Aventador replacement confirmed for a reveal in just a few weeks.