Lamborghini LB744 PHEV heralds in new carbon fibre chassis tech
The supercar, codenamed LB744, will be the first to feature a front end constructed entirely of carbon fibre
New supercar mates a lighter V12 engine with a trio of electric motors to become most powerful Lambo yet
Lamborghini's first plug-in hybrid supercar, which will replace the Lamborghini Aventador, will herald in 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 carbon fibre, with energy absorption levels double that of the Aventador.
The Italian car maker says the monofuselage is 10% lighter than the chassis which underpinned the Aventador, weighing 20% lighter 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 carbon fibre 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 LB774 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, whilst 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 in at 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 is yet to be given) and therefore performance, with a combined output of 1000bhp. The unit also emits 30% less CO2 emissions than the Aventador Ultimae's 769bhp powerplant.
Those motors also boost low-end torque, with 258lb ft immediately available. Although acceleration figures have yet to be confirmed, this will give the LB744 blistering off-line speed, likely with numbers close to the special-edition Lamborghini Veneno, which can hit 60mph from standing in just 2.9sec.
Electric power is drawn from a 3.8kWh lithium ion battery, mounted within the transmission tunnel to keep the car’s centre of gravity as low as possible. It can be charged either through an external 7kW current, which takes 30 minutes, or by a combination of regenerative braking and the petrol engine, which Lamborghini claims takes as little as six minutes.
The LB744 even has the ability to run solely on electric power, driving the front wheels when cruising, and all four wheels when the power is asked for (depending on drive mode). However, given the battery’s small size, EV range isn’t expected to be more than five miles.
As this battery takes up the room normally used by the gearbox, a new smaller one was developed. The LB744’s compact eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission – which measures just 56cm long and 75cm wide and weighs 193kg – is positioned behind the V12, also aiding weight distribution.
The LB744 will be only the second Lamborghini road-going car to be fitted with a transversely mounted gearbox, after the iconic Miura of 1966.
It uses a different setup to limited-run Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 and Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 hyper-hybrids, which had a supercapacitor in a mild-hybrid system, boosting power without the ability to run on electricity alone, bar in reverse gear – a trait the LB744 adopts.
More details will be released on the Aventador’s replacement in the coming weeks, but it will be “completely new from the ground up”, chief technical officer Rouven Mohr previously told Autocar.
Confirming this will be the case for the also-upcoming follow-up to the Huracán, he said: “There’s no carry-over from any car. From the model point of view, all relevant modules, meaning engine, gearbox, drivetrain or whatever, everything is new.”
Mohr added: “You can be sure the car will not be a disappointment regarding the emotions. We will fulfil the regulations, but we will [also] improve the emotions. I can guarantee that.”