The Aventador SVJ is the last non-hybrid V-12 Lamborghini

Before its public debut at Pebble Beach in August, the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ is already well known for one thing: it's the quickest street-legal production car around the famed Nürburgring. But, it will also be the last Lamborghini model to sport a V-12 engine without some form of electrification. That means the Aventador SVJ marks the end of an era for Lamborghini.

Top Gear reported last Friday that future versions of the 6.5-liter V-12 will feature hybrid power to ensure it lives on. Maurizio Reggiani, Lamborghini's research and development head, told the publication, "This is the last time the V-12 will be on its own." It's understood the Aventador's successor, potentially ready in 2022, will introduce a hybridized V-12 engine. We may also see a plug-in hybrid system to create a short electric range, too.

The hybrid technology will help Lamborghini keep its banner engine for at least one more generation, while the Huracán successor will also boast a hybrid engine. In fact, Reggiani said Lamborghini expects hybrid engines to be the answer across its entire vehicle range.

Electrification poses a whole new slew of engineering issues for Lamborghini, and at the top of the list is weight. Regarding the issue, the company's R&D boss said, "we do not have the right solution," but noted that weight-saving will be the biggest issue for super sports cars moving forward. Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali told Top Gear in an April report that the firm is also exploring solid-state batteries, which are lighter than lithium-ion units and provide a host of other benefits.

With the confirmation of the unaided V-12 engine's demise, the Aventador SVJ has cemented its place in Lamborghini history as a special car. The latest nugget of information will also likely make the SVJ a hot-ticket collectors' item in the future. With a rumored 760 horsepower and a record-breaking Nürburgring time, it should be.

The Top Gear story also clarifies the car's name. The J in SVJ stands for Jota, which is Italian for, simply, J. Of course, the SV denotes Super Veloce, but you might hear people refer to this car simply as the Jota. The Jota name has been used on only extreme versions of Lambos, and the Countach and Murcielago never got the badge. The last J, or Jota, was a one-off Aventador J roadster shown at the 2012 Geneva motor show.