Yahoo Autos Lamborghini Shows off the Heart of Its 1,001-HP Aventador Successor
We’re on the cusp of an all-new — and electrified — era at Lamborghini. The Italian automaker is getting closer to unveiling its much-anticipated Aventador successor, but before the covers can be pulled completely off, it is giving us a sneak peek at what its plug-in hybrid powertrain will look like. The new power unit is supposed to deliver 1,015 CV — which is the equivalent of about 1,001 horsepower in freedom units.
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The bulk of that power comes from a brand new mid-mounted 6.5-liter V12 (named the L545), and Lamborghini purists can rest easy knowing that it’s still naturally aspirated. That’s right baby, no turbos in the LB744 (what Lamborghini is referring to the car as for now)!
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On its own, the V12 produces 814 horsepower at 9,250 rpm. Redline is said to be a sky-high 9,500 rpm. The engine also produces 535 lb-ft of torque at 6,750 rpm, and has been turned 180 degrees inside the car compared to the Aventador’s layout. The compression ratio is also up fairly substantially from the Aventador Ultimae. The L545 engine has a ratio of 12.6:1, whereas the old car had to make do with a compression ratio of just 11.8:1.
That engine is bolted up to an eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission that is — in a change of course — actually mounted transversely behind the engine instead of longitudinally in front of it as it had been for so many years of Lambo V12 flagships. It’s apparently going to be both lighter and faster than the seven-speed unit found in the Huricán.
Engineers needed to make room in what was the transmission tunnel for something else: a 3.8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It’s super important, since that pack is storing energy for the LB744’s three electric motors. Lamborghini says one is going to be integrated into the transmission to help power the rear wheels. Meanwhile, the other two will each power one of the front wheels.
So, the LB744 will continue the tradition of all-wheel drive Lamborghini halo cars, but unlike previous generations there will be no mechanical connection between the front and rear axles. The layout also means the LB744 will be able to drive on pure all-wheel drive EV power for short distances, and it’ll allow for torque vectoring up front to improve handling.
Lamborghini says it has also paid a great deal of attention to the “emotional and unmistakable” sound of its new engine. The automaker didn’t say exactly how it did this, but the smart money is on the fast that it’ll probably sound really good.
Though we don’t know exactly when the covers will be pulled off the Aventador’s successor, it shouldn’t be too long from now.
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