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Lamborghini Aventador successor to use supercapacitors instead of batteries?

While we continue trying to zero in on the next-generation Lamborghini flagship and its specs, Lamborghini CTO Maurizio Reggiani spoke to Road & Track to offer glimpses and set a few things straight. Discussing the coming LB48H supercar, Reggiani said the use of supercapacitors in that limited-run supercar will be a "first jump" into a robust hybrid application for supercapacitors, and that Lamborghini "will prove that in a super sports car, it's possible to have this technology." We've known the LB48H would use supercapacitors, but we didn't — and frankly still don't — know how. Based on Reggiani's comment, and likely the fact that Lamborghini uses a special supercar to hint at what's coming in tech and design, RT takes Reggiani's comments to mean that the Aventador successor will "store its electric power electrostatically instead of electrochemically, as you would with a lithium-ion battery." A caveat to this comes in another of Reggiani's remarks. He said the brand hasn't given any indication when an Aventador successor will reach the market, and before that happens, the brand is deciding whether to do another special edition flagship. "There's the possibility to have a kind of final Aventador family member," he said, because the brand probably won't get another chance to make a non-hybrid V12 after the scissor doors come down on the Aventador. Sales of the 6.5-liter V12 monster are still on the rise, remember. The current Aventador already uses a supercapacitor for the starter battery, to run the stop-start system. And the Italian carmaker has been working with MIT for years on such technology previewed in the Terzo Millennio concept, and rolled out for prime time in the LB48H. It's hard to see supercapacitors alone serving the next flagship, though, because company CEO Stefano Domenicali has said that "we need to respect legislation. In certain places, you will need electrification to go into the city." Supercapacitors can boost the kind of fast-acting peak performance buyers expect of a V12 Lamborghini. But their specific energy is roughly one-tenth that of a lithium-ion battery, or less; to provide the kind of range needed for all-electric trips into a city, the flagship would need a trailer hitch to haul a Urus carrying the supercapacitor array. Lamborghini has already said the best-case scenario for the Aventador successor is a 330- to 440-pound weight gain because of the hybrid system.

Get a load of these crazy European Nimrods

I've been attending the Geneva Motor Show for the better part of a decade, and it's become my favorite stop on the entire show circuit, in large part because of all the exotic automakers, coachbuilders and green startups. I also love the Palexpo's consistently mind-bending displays of tuners, who typically work exclusively on six-figure automobiles. Some offer subtle improvements and personalization programs, but most seem hellbent on being more outlandish and bizarre than the next, a room full of millionaire class clowns. More often than not, I spy something and think to myself "What kind of Nimrod would do that to a perfectly good ____ ?" This year, that rhetorical question is in fact a self-answering one.
The jokes, they write themselves.
But seriously, if you're wondering who would take a perfectly lovely Ferrari 458 Italia or a Lamborghini Aventador and affix a wild body kit of dubious aerodynamic and aesthetic merit at great extra cost (both to the car's MSRP and to its assuredly grenaded resale value), the answer could very well be Nimrod Elite Tuning, a newer high-end restyling house out of Slovakia. That last locational tidbit might also explain the company's unusual name, which is likely a nod to a mighty Biblical hunter (descendant of Ham and a king of Shinar, Nimrod is mentioned in Genesis and Chronicles) and not meant to be taken as a synonym for "idiot" or "moron."

2024 Lamborghini Revuelto First Drive: Wildly different, still wild

ROME – While some companies make comprehensive updates to an older model and market it as a new car, Lamborghini detoured this avenue when it began developing a successor to the Aventador. New from the ground up, the Revuelto stands out both as the brandÂ’s flagship and as its first series-produced plug-in hybrid. It has a lot to live up to – its predecessors notably include the Miura and the Countach – and it has a lot to prove because its drivetrain opens a path that the entire range will take in the coming years. From a visual perspective, the Revuelto looks like a logical evolution of the Aventador. ItÂ’s about 3 inches longer but its overall proportions havenÂ’t significantly changed; itÂ’s instantly recognizable as a Lamborghini. ThereÂ’s a lot more going on than initially meets the eye. Mitja Borkert, the brandÂ’s head of design, told me that the inspiration for the recessed headlights came from the world of motorcycles. The high-mounted dual exhaust tips migrated from two-wheeler planet as well (Borkert is an avid rider), while the carbon fiber engine cover is open to show off the V12. The bodyÂ’s lines also arenÂ’t as straight-cut as the AventadorÂ’s. Nothing about the design screams “this is a hybrid!” — that was intentional. “For me, it doesnÂ’t make sense to design a combustion car, a diesel car, or an [electric] car in a different way,” Borkert explained. At the end of the day, the Revuelto is a hybrid car but weÂ’re not emphasizing the hybrid part of it. WeÂ’re emphasizing the engine, which represents the full powertrain,” he added. From a technical perspective, however, the Revuelto is pegged lightyears away from the supercars you had posters of on your bedroom wall if you grew up in the 1990s. Even the Aventador, which entered production in 2011, is comparatively simple: Remove the body and youÂ’ll find a big, naturally-aspirated V12 engine, a transmission located in the tunnel named after it, and a great deal of carbon fiber bits. Going hybrid forced Lamborghini to make several significant changes. Power comes from a new, dry-sump 6.5-liter V12 that remains naturally-aspirated, which is remarkable in an era when enthusiasts are being force-fed a stew of downsizing and forced induction. Using anything else was ruled out.