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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.

Watch this Lamborghini Aventador shoot flames and light itself on fire

The stationary revving of high-horsepower, high-cylinder-count Italian engines may be an adolescent pleasure among the world's wealthy, but it's a mechanical display of machismo we're usually prepared to indulge simply because it sounds so great. And it's a spectacle made all the better when one's exhaust spits flames, right? Well, most of the time. Check out this Lamborghini driver, who gets a bit exuberant with his right foot only to have disaster strike.
The driver's Aventador has no problem shooting long flames, and apparently they're hot enough to catch portions of the supercar's body alight. However, the driver's reaction might be even more unbelievable. Watch the video to see what happens - his response certainly isn't how many people would react to their supercar being on fire, perhaps because he isn't completely comprehending what's going on.
One final note; while the video's title claims that the fire is the result of a design flaw, there's not really enough information here to know if that's actually the case. The Lambo could be running an unsuitably modified exhaust or ECU to help it shoot big flames, or the issue could be as simple as debris caught in the rear vents lighting up.

Lamborghini Urus ST-X will race in on- and off-road series in 2020

The Squadra Corse division at Lamborghini gave birth to fraternal twins over the weekend. First came the customer-commissioned, one-off SC18 Alston, an Aventador-based track-day coupe racier than the Aventador SVJ. Then, at the Vallelunga circuit hosting the 2019 Lamborghini World Finals, the motorsports department revealed the Urus ST-X concept. This monster of Sant'Agata will serve a different kind of customer — namely, those who want to enter an FIA-approved one-make race series in Europe and the Middle East in 2020. Lamborghini has supported various one-make series since it produced the 1996 Diablo SV-R. With changing times come changing ride heights and track surfaces: Lamborghini says the "single-brand championship combines racetrack and off-road track." We don't know yet if that means a single track will include asphalt and dirt, or if the overall series will include both kinds of tracks, but we hope for the former. To make the ST-X — which could stand for Super Trofeo X, based on the automaker's other current series' — ready for racing, Squadra Corse amputated a bunch of weight and bolted on competition bits. The matte Verde Mantis concept gets a steel roll cage, fire suppression system, and FT3 fuel tank. Quick release latches on the hood and modified rear hatch replace traditional locking mechanisms. The front end loses the production car's grille and aero aids, becoming a gaping angular void of mesh. A trim rear wing hovers above the backlight, and center-lock wheels fasten the 21-inch, 10-spoke wheels. The simple rear diffuser omits exhaust outlets, because the pipes have been moved to just in front of the rear wheels. The package weighs 25 percent less than the retail Urus, or about the same as an Aventador. Although the hood gains two intakes, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 remains unchanged, putting out 641 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. The company will put the Urus ST-X on track at some point during the six-race, 2019 Lamborghini World Finals. The mixed-surface series will host arrive-and-drive races, providing "driver-customers maximum flexibility and support during weekend events." If you got it, this seems a fine way to flaunt it. Related Video: