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Lamborghini previews the Aventador's hybrid, 1,001-hp successor

Lamborghini is nearly ready to introduce the Aventador's long-awaited successor. Referred to as the LB744, the company's next flagship model adopts a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain that's built around a new, naturally-aspirated V12 and rated at about 1,000 horsepower. We'll need to be patient to discover the model's exterior design, but Lamborghini provided us with a very good idea of what the specifications sheet looks like. The system's centerpiece is a mid-mounted, 6.5-liter V12 that eschews forced induction — the company has previously made it clear that it wants to keep the naturally-aspirated 12-cylinder alive for as long as possible. While the Aventador was V12-powered as well, it sounds like the mechanical similarities between the two cars end there. In the upcoming LB744, the engine is bolted to an eight-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission that's mounted transversely behind the engine instead of longitudinally directly in front of it. The company will need to find a new name for the transmission tunnel: it now houses a 3.8-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. The electricity stored in it zaps three electric motors: one is integrated into the transmission, while the other two are each assigned to one of the front wheels. This layout delivers through-the-road all-wheel-drive, so there's no mechanical connection between the axles, and it allows the LB744 to drive on electricity alone for short distances. The configuration also provides a torque vectoring function for sharper cornering. Lamborghini pegs the system's total output at 1,015 metric horsepower, which represents approximately 1,001 horsepower measured in U.S. terms. The bulk of the cavalry comes from the V12; it's billed as the lightest and most powerful 12-cylinder that Lamborghini has ever made and it develops about 813 horsepower at a screaming 9,250 rpm (that's 250 rpm short of its redline). Maximum torque checks in at 535 pound-feet. We haven't heard the new engine yet, but Lamborghini stresses that it went to great lengths to give it an exhaust note worthy of a supercar. More details about the LB744 will emerge in the not-too-distant future. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lamborghini Huracan Superleggera tests new wheels for a dash through the snow

The top-end Lamborghini Huracan Superleggera was caught testing in the snow this week. While most of the car looks similar to the test vehicles seen at the Nurburgring, there are a few differences. Most notably with the wheels. This is the first time we've seen a Huracan with these spindly five-spoke wheels, which look sharp, and are probably lightweight. They also wear bright red center-locking wheel nuts. This is a distinct difference from earlier prototypes that wore conventional wheels with five lug nuts. As for the rest of the car, there isn't much new to report. The large front and rear vents and rear diffuser remain the same, as do the relocated exhaust and giant rear wing. What is a bit odd is that this winter tester appears to be missing the deep chin spoiler and side scoops of the Nurburgring cars. We assume these pieces were removed only on this test car, since even the standard Huracans feature the large side scoops. Lamborghini probably removed these bits of body work to avoid damaging them in deep snow. When the Superleggera is finally unveiled to the public, we expect it will likely have at least 611 horsepower, like that of the Super Trofeo race car. This would also make sense since the standard model already makes 602 horsepower, so an extra nine shouldn't be a stretch. The Superleggera will also bring the total model count for the Huracan to five, now that the company has revealed the rear-drive LP580-2 convertible. Considering the fact that the previous head of Lamborghini hinted there might be a total of five models, there probably won't be any other Huracan variants coming. Related Video:

We visit the Lamborghini Museum at company HQ in Sant'Agata

Last week, Lamborghini invited us to stop by its Sant'Agata Bolognese headquarters to have a look around the factory and pick up a few technical tidbits about its new Huracán LP 610-4. It won't surprise you to learn this, but Lambo's foyer is pretty rad.
Rather than front its offices and factory with a gift shop and a reception desk, Lamborghini puts its amazing heritage on full display by offering up the corporate museum as a first impression to visitors. We had coffee in the morning and lunch after the press conference in this space, with stunning Italian concept cars and production models serving as an impressive backdrop to it all. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to share the Lamborghini collection with exotic-car crazed Autoblog readers (you know who you are), we did our best to capture everything we saw in the gallery here.
With some variation, the museum's two floors are separated by vintage: older models downstairs and newer up. When you walk through the front door, you're flanked by two of the coolest Lamborghinis in the marque's impressive history: a 350 GT to the left and a perfectly green Countach LP 400 on the right. Perhaps our favorite car in the whole joint, the Countach's Bertone body is still almost impossible to believe. Up close, we're reminded how design-driven this car is; the seats are so far inboard from the scissor doors that it's difficult to imagine that engineers ever agreed that the shape was a feasible one for production or actual driving.