With just a couple of days to go before the the Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini is firing up the heat again. We have seen spyshots, information about the power train, suspension and some additional details have been released, we even saw a video of the interior and heard rumours about paint problems.
Today the manufacturer from Sant’ Agata Bolognese unveiled the rolling chassis of the Lamborghini LP700-4 Aventador. This chassis is entirely made out of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), a technology in which Lamborghini excels. The Italian super car manufacturer is the only automaker to have fully mastered the extensive CFRP process across a range of technologies in-house – through design, simulation, engineering, prototyping, testing, validation and production, using state-of-the-art industrial processes to the very highest quality standards. Therefore a completely new 5400 square meter production facility has been built in Sant’Agata to develop and produce the innovative monocoque and the complete body-in-white of the Murciélago successor.
The monocoque of the Lamborghini LP700-4 Aventador is one single physical component, entirely made out of CFRP. This ensures extreme rigidity and performance on the road, as well as a high level of passive safety for the driver and the passenger. It is interesting to notice that the entire monocoque weighs only 147,5kg. The whole body-in-white of the car weighs only 229.5 kilograms which according to Lamborghini the ‘best-in-class for a super sports car with a stunning power output of 700hp’.
To meet the increasing environmental demands and to improve the driving pleasure Lamborghini is focusing on the intensive application of carbon-fiber materials. These will help to reduce weight. Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini says in the press release:
Lamborghini stands for extreme and uncompromising super sports cars in the best Italian tradition. For Lamborghini, however, innovation has always been part of that tradition. The time has come for us to redefine the future of our super sports cars.
Obviously, the focus is on our customers’ two most important purchasing criteria – design and performance. Design has always been the number one reason for wanting to own a Lamborghini – and that’s not going to change. We will ensure that a Lamborghini will always remain unique and clearly recognizable.
Performance, on the other hand, is something that will be extensively redefined. Just a few years ago, the most important aspects were top speed, acceleration and handling – in that order of priority. However, things have changed since then.
Together with design, handling and acceleration have become increasingly important. Top speed is no longer as decisive, because all super sports cars can manage more than 300km/h – a speed that can barely be attained on the race track, and that is out of the question on the public roads of most countries on earth. Nowadays, the issues of handling and acceleration are far more crucial to consistent driving fun.
The power-to-weight ratio is the key factor in the improvement of both and in the experience of more direct driving fun. This means that increased power is no longer the focal point – because we no longer need to achieve higher top speeds, and because CO2 emissions are relevant for super sports cars, too.
It is clear that not only the Lamborghini LP700-4 Aventador will debut at the Geneva Motor Show, but also that the Italians will unveil the supercar of the future.
