Lamborghini’s first plug-in hybrid supercar, which will replace the Lamborghini Aventador, will arrive with a brand-new ‘monofuselage’ chassis concept, which the firm says will represent “a significant” step forward for the model’s driving dynamics and torsional stiffness.
The supercar, codenamed LB744, will be the first to feature a front end constructed entirely of carbonfibre, with energy absorption levels double that of the Aventador.
The Italian car maker says the monofuselage is 10% lighter than the chassis that underpinned the Aventador, weighing 20% less at the front alone. Torsional stiffness has also been uprated by 25%.
Its rear chassis consists of high-strength aluminium with hollow rear domes, which Lamborghini says reduces weight further, cutting the number of welding lines and bolstering rigidity.
The new ‘forged composites’ chassis technology represents Lamborghini’s renewed approach to carbonfibre engineering. The firm adds that it will increase manufacturing sustainability, reducing energy consumption and reducing the volume of waste materials.
Set to be powered by a new V12 engine supplemented by three electric motors, the LB744 will produce a combined 1000bhp, making it the most potent Lambo in the firm’s history.
It ushers in a new electrification era for the Italian marque, while also allowing its signature V12 engine to “live on”, rather than being killed off by increasingly strict emissions regulations.
This new, lighter 6.5-litre V12 is key to the PHEV’s performance, said Lamborghini, which has also paid significant attention to the way it sounds. It weighs 218kg, 17kg less than the Aventador’s V12, while still producing 813bhp at 9250rpm and 535lb ft at 6750rpm.
This allows the 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 has yet to be given) and therefore performance. The unit also emits 30% less CO2 emissions than the Aventador Ultimae’s 769bhp powerplant.