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The Lamborghini Terzo Millennio is a brutally fantastic EV supercar concept

Lamborghini isn't known for bowing to convention. Ever since Ferruccio told Enzo Ferrari where he could stick his temperamental cars, and decided to build his own, it's been going its own way. This car, the Terzo Millennio ("third millenium"), built in collaboration with MIT, is very much a Lamborghini approach to the EV performance car. To begin with, it is obviously nothing else but a Lamborghini. Wild concept car touches aside, it's as wedgy and mean as anything to come out of Sant'Agata (and definitely anything to come out of Cambridge, MA!). There's some advanced tech here, too, as you might imagine with MIT's involvement. The most notable is the supercapacitor energy storage technology. Supercapacitors aren't ready for primetime yet, being very expensive and not quite as energy dense, although currently they're used in a few niche automotive applications. But MIT and Lamborghini want to produce one that'll work more like a main battery, but with greater ability to recharge and discharge quickly. That's ideal for brutal, explosive acceleration. If Lamborghini and MIT can make a breakthrough here, it'd let the decidedly conventional Lamborghinis of today (naturally aspirated, non-electrified) take a leap into the future on Lamborghini's own terms. The company is also exploring carbon composite batteries utilizing nanotechnology, which the company claims would reduce weight and increase the discharge capacity of the batteries. So, it seems, the Terzo Millennio might combine the two power storage technologies into the same drivetrain. Of course, like most modern Lamborghinis there's all-wheel drive, although it's in-wheel electric motor-based rather than the conventional mechanical type. It'd be easy enough to leave off the front motors for a Performante variant, perhaps. Or maybe in-wheel electric motors become the norm in the future. It's too early to tell; for now, this concept is AWD. The body is carbon fiber, and this concept previews some technology that can detect degradation in the carbon fiber early and potentially repair it with something called "nano-channels" utilizing a form of the technology that allows carbon composite materials to store energy. This technology deserves more explanation than we have room for here, and we'll get a deep dive on it as soon as we can. Lastly, Lamborghini wants a vehicle like the Terzo Millennio to sound like a Lamborghini. That won't be easy, since there's no V12 or V10 to be found.

The Lamborghini Centenario is sold out

Lamborghini is expected to unveil a new supercar at the Geneva Motor Show in a couple of months. Tipped to be called the Centenario, the limited-run special will commemorate the hundredth anniversary of company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini's birth. But before it makes its public debut, the company has reportedly sold every last one. The Centenario (or whatever it's ultimately called) will be the latest in a line of limited-production supercars rolling out of Sant'Agata, following in the footsteps of the Reventon, Sesto Elemento, and Veneno. It's expected to be based on the Aventador, but with unique bodywork and a more potent version of Lambo's 6.5-liter V12 engine. The company is expected to produce 40 examples – 20 coupes and 20 roadsters – all of which have reportedly already been spoken for despite a price tag of nearly $2.4 million. The trend of selling out such high-end machinery prior to their debut is picking up steam at the top end of the supercar market. Manufacturers like Lamborghini, Bugatti, Pagani, and Koenigsegg typically show their most dedicated customers plans for what they have in store behind closed doors and start taking deposits before the vehicle is ever shown to the public. And with such limited production numbers, they sell out rather quickly, no matter how many millions the company charges for the privilege. As Autocar points out, 2016 also marks the 50th anniversary of the Miura – one of Lamborghini's most legendary models. Ten years ago the company marked the model's 40th anniversary with a one-off concept that never saw production. While Lamborghini is more forward-looking than prone to retro throwbacks, we wouldn't be surprised to see some form of tribute resurface this year.

Lamborghini museum relaunches as MUDETEC, the Museum of Technology

Lamborghini has relaunched and rebranded its museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. From hence forth, it will be known as the MUDETEC, aka the Museo Delle Technologie, aka the Museum of Technology. The new museum will blend the old with the new using interactive displays to both remember the breakthroughs of the past while exploring current and future directions. Lamborghini says it focuses on "safeguarding and conveying the values, driving passion, and future-focus that are the mark of Lamborghini." At opening, the museum will display the "Future Shapers since 1963" exhibition. It features a "virtual journey" through time with a different car representing each decade. For the '60s, Lamborghini chose to highlight the 350 GT, what the company calls its first sports car, the Miura, and the Espada. The Countach is the mark of the '70s, the LM002 represents the '80s, and the Diablo GT is featured for the '90s. For 2000 on, Lamborghini chose the Sesto Elemento. The Asterion, the Huracan Performante, the Aventador SVJ, the Huracan EVO, and the Urus help round out the exhibit with some of the company's newest innovations. In addition to serving as a walkable recording of the company, the new museum will host two student workshops. One, named "Vehicle Set-up and Ergonomics," will teach dynamics, aerodynamics, and structural vehicle development. The other, named "Carbon Fiber and Its Technology," will teach performance through the art of weight reduction, with a focus on Advanced Composite Lightweight Structures Development. Extra activities include a virtual driving simulator, a 360-degree immersive "brain room," and an Ad Personam area, where people can configure and customize cars they likely cannot buy. The exhibit is already open and will run until October 2019.