Lamborghini's New Transverse Dual-Clutch Transmission Is an Engineering Marvel

Lamborghini revealed drivetrain details for its upcoming plug-in hybrid V-12 flagship on Tuesday, giving us an idea of what to expect under the skin of the Aventador's 1001-hp successor, codenamed LB744.

The biggest news is the addition of an all-new transverse eight-speed dual-clutch transmission mounted behind the engine, a first for a V-12-powered Lamborghini. The gearbox's design is more groundbreaking than you might think, as we found-out first hand talking to its engineers.

The Italian supercar maker went transverse with the LB744's transmission for two reasons, the first being weight.

"We decided to do a transverse because we can push the center of gravity really [to] the front," Davide Bizzarri, head of motion at Lamborghini, told Road & Track at a preview event in Italy.

The second reason is packaging. If Lamborghini had gone with a more traditional, longitudinally mounted transmission out back, the length of the LB744 would have been extended. With the compact transverse casing, engineers could also fit a working diffuser without having to ruin the car's proportions.

Where the DCT really gets interesting is how it incorporates the electric motor.

"In the usual case, you would put the e-motor between the engine output and the input of the gearbox," Lamborghini CTO Roven Mohr told Road & Track. "We decided not to go in this direction. We have it in a different position in a kind of side shaft, and this position allows us in a very compact format to, on one hand, decouple the e-motor from the wheels, or from the engine."