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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.

Lamborghini sends off the Aventador with a stunning grand finale

Lamborghini created a 770-horsepower swan song to celebrate the end of the Aventador's production run. Known as the LP 780-4 Ultimae, the final evolution of the firm's flagship will arrive as a limited-edition model offered as a coupe and as a roadster. It's also presented as Lamborghini's last non-electrified V12-powered supercar. The roaring, naturally-aspirated V12 engine has played a significant role in shaping Lamborghini's image since the brand's inception in 1963. It's not completely going away, and it's certainly not about to adopt forced induction, but staying on the legal side of looming emissions regulations requires adding an electrified component. In the future, the V12 will be part of a hybrid system that hasn't been detailed yet. In the meantime, it carries on as a high-octane masterpiece with 6.5 liters of displacement and an output bumped to 770 horsepower at a screaming 8,500 rpm and 531 pound-feet of torque at 6,750 rpm. For context, the same basic engine develops 730 and 759 horsepower in the Aventador S and the Aventador SVJ, respectively. It still spins the four wheels via a seven-speed Independent Shift Rod (ISR) automatic transmission linked to a pair of shift paddles and a Haldex-type four-wheel-drive system. Lamborghini quotes a 0-to-62-mph time of 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 220 mph. With more power comes less weight: The Aventador lost 55 pounds in its transition from the S to the Ultimae. Like its predecessor, it offers enthusiasts a trick four-wheel steering system, huge carbon ceramic brakes, and four different driving profiles. 2022 Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae View 15 Photos Stylists and engineers worked together to update the Aventador's exterior design. Up front, the changes are relatively subtle and made largely to optimize aerodynamic efficiency. Out back, the tweaks are more noticeable. The two round exhaust outlets notably move up to echo the design seen on the aforementioned SVJ and on the smaller Huracan Evo. Buyers can choose from a palette of 18 paint colors, and they can customize accents like the red accents on the diffuser. Alternatively, a 300-color palette is offered by Lamborghini's Ad Personam division. Lamborghini will present the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae to the public for the first time during the 2021 edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed opening tomorrow, July 8. Production will be limited to 350 coupes and 250 roadsters, and each one will wear a numbered plaque on dashboard.

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 revealed, basically a retro Sian

Update: We've added some additional information from an interview with Lamborghini's Chief Technology Officer. Yes, the Lamborghini Countach really has returned, though only for a seriously limited run. Not only that, it's more of a retro Sian than its own unique model. But that also means it packs Lamborghini's most technologically advanced powertrain yet. According to Lamborghini's Chief Technology Officer Maurizio Reggiani, the car is meant as more of a "celebration" or tribute to the car that set the pattern for future Lamborghinis, rather than a revival or reintroduction of the model. Lamborghini really leaned into the retro cues on this new Countach, too. It's mainly based on the original prototype and production models. The prototype design cues come in with the louvred vents behind the side windows, the horizontal slit of a front grille and the way the rear window and engine cover blend together. Then there's a dash of the early production models with the enormous interpretation of the side NACA ducts. The wheels have a nod to later Countach models with circular openings between the spokes like past phone-dial wheels. And the rectangular headlights and trapezoidal wheel arches are just universal Countach touchstones. The car also features quad exhaust tips, which is unique among Aventador-derived Lamborghinis. The interior on the other hand is pretty much modern Lamborghini, though the seats get similar stitching to older models. Powering the Countach is the Sian's mild-hybrid 6.5-liter V12. It makes 803 horsepower in total, with most of it coming from the engine. In fact, 769 of those ponies come from the V12, while 34 come from the 48-volt electric motor. It gets its electrons from a lightweight and fast charging and discharging supercapacitor, though. The engine winds up to 8,700 rpm, and it's in the same longitudinal layout as Lamborghinis stretching back to, well, the original Countach. It's connected to a seven-speed automated manual transmission and powers all four wheels. Apparently, the powertrain was retuned for smoother shifting. But the company didn't sacrifice any performance, as Lamborghini claims a 0-62 mph time of 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 221 mph. It also features pushrod suspension with magnetorheological adjustable shocks, and carbon ceramic brakes with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers. Only 112 Countachs will be built. The number comes from the protoype's designation LP 112.