Friday 11 May 2012

2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4


The wait is over ladies and gentlemen: Lamborghini’s next hypercar has made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show, and dare we say what a hypercar it is! The new Bull God will feature an earth shattering 700hp V12 and the highest power to weight ratio of any car in its class. Yes, this is the new, long waited Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4.
Lamborghini is really good at creating sinister super sports cars, but it is equally as talented at naming them. According to the company, "Aventador" was the name of a bull that entered into battle on October 1993 at the Saragossa Arena, earning the "Trofeo de la Peña La Madroñera" for its outstanding courage. Having the courage to go up against a new world of super sports cars will be the name of the game for the new Lamborghini flagship. Today’s world is extremely high-tech and many new players have entered the arena. Lamborghini has been promoting its carbon-fiber monocoque technology and the Aventador’s 2.9 second 0-62mph, but will that be enough?
According to Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. "The Aventador is a jump of two generations in terms of design and technology, it’s the result of an entirely new project, but at the same time it’s a direct and consistent continuation of Lamborghini’s brand values. It is extreme in its design and its performance, uncompromising in its standards and technology, and unmistakably Italian in its style and perfection. Overall, the dynamics and technical excellence of the Aventador LP 700-4 makes it unrivaled in the worldwide super sports car arena."
Exterior


It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the new Aventador LP700-4 follows the same design language as with the latest Reventon and Sesto Elemento concept. The model has been designed at the Centro Stile Lamborghini in Sant’Agata Bolognese and takes its inspiration from modern aeronautics and from the world’s fastest and most agile aircraft.
The supercar is 4.78 meters long, 2.26 meters wide, and only 1.136 meters high. The proportions and body parts have been calculated to improve the car’s aerodynamics as much as possible. All of the aerodynamic elements are integrated into the body shell form, from the front spoiler to the rear diffuser, while the rear spoiler is deployable and controlled electronically. The 4 degree approach angle is optimized for high speed and assists directional stability at the very top end of the spectrum. The 11 degree tilt, on the other hand, delivers considerably greater downforce at mid-range speeds, helping to optimize handling and stability.
Up front the Aventador gets an air guide further emphasized by glossy, black frames, and bi-xenon headlamps. These headlights are more than just a simple bulb behind a casing, they are an exercise in further design. The Y shaped lights spread out from the middle and a different set of LED lights within creates the turn signal. The side of the car have two sweeping strokes – the first emphasizes the front wheel arch; the second is a very sharply drawn line beginning at the front wheel arch. Lamborghini describes it as a tensed muscle running along the entire side of the car and over the rear wheel. Also, two large air intakes behind the upward-opening doors are used for a better cooling engine. Finally the rear gets a lower diffuser and rear LED lights that create the same shape as the ones out front.
In what has become one of the most distinctive features for any Lamborghini, the passenger doors will open upwards towards the sky. This feature has been used on every major Lamborghini supercar since the Countach. Few companies have been able to create a specific design element that they are able to carry through various decades with such poise. The nearest competitor may be Mercedes Benz and the300SL Gullwing of the past and SLS AMG of today.
Customers will have the ability to choose from 13 exterior colors in pastel metallic, pearlescent, or matte. These include the newest shades of Grigio Estoque, Arancio Argos, AD Personam, Nero Nemesis, Bianco Canopus, and Marrone Apus. Automobili Lamborghini has really taken notice of the aftermarket world with their new paint options. Matte paint has become all the rage in high-end cars and can look especially striking on something as svelte as a Lamborghini. Three specific Matte tones will be available from the factory and should increase the curb appeal of these machines even further.

Interior

The Aventador will be offered with ABS, electronic brake distribution, anti-slip control, speed-dependent servo-tronic steering, hill start assist and, of course, ESP stability control. The rear spoiler and the side air intakes are electronically controlled. The Drive Select System enables vehicle characteristics (engine, transmission, differential, stability control, steering) to be set in accordance with individual driver preferences in one of three modes – Strada (road), Sport and Corsa (track).

Performance

Lamborghini has made it clear that a V12 engine will be the only thing to ever power their supercar, but it was time to develop a new and modern version of the legendary V12 of yesteryear. The Aventador will come with a new 6.5-liter V12 engine with an AWD layout that produces 700 HP 8,250 rpm and 509 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm. It is the first all-new Lamborghini developed engine since the Countach. This engine will be able to get from 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds while blasting off a top speed of 217 mph. With a total weight of 1,575 kilograms (3,472 lb) it will deliver a power to weight ratio of 2.25 Kg/hp. These figures are astounding, but not out of this world. Lamborghini has surely created a super car, but until we can get it on a track with its competition we will not know if the Bull can reign King.

Design of the engine was simple in theory. The car needed a powerplant that was lighter than the old one and more powerful. That tends to be the problem with just about every iteration of a new sports car, but Lamborghini was able to develop several new ways of solving it. They made the engine lighter by using an aluminum-silicon alloy to lower the overall weight to just 235kg. Parts that are more readily exposed to high heat were still forged from steel, but the overall engine weight is equal to 3.0hp per kilogram.

Drivetrain

Next to the impressive 700 HP V12 engine, the new supercar will also feature an innovative and highly sophisticated suspension concept. The first details of the concept reveal that the pushrod spring and damper was inspired by Formula 1 and adapted to a high-performance road-going vehicle, allowing it to handle better and be much more responsive. Next to this, the Aventador will also get an aluminum double wishbone suspension and a carbon ceramic brake system. The spring elements are not located on the wheel mounts, but connected inboard to the bodyshell structure. They are transversely positioned: under the windscreen in the front and close to the engine in the rear. Also at the front axle are shock absorbers that come equipped with a hydraulic lifting system enabling the front end of the super sports car to be lifted by 40 millimeters at the touch of a button. When driving a Lamborghini through any parking lot with speed-bumps you will immediately recognize the convenience and need for a system that lifts the front end.
A new and innovative steering wheel system will also make it into the Aventador. The system has the ability to think its way through a bend adhering to the perfect line. This could be similar to the McLaren MP 4-12C brake steer system that will debut this month. It, in conjunction with a dozen computer systems, analyzes how the driver has entered a curve and adjusts steering inputs and braking to help the car maintain a more efficient line.
Competition
If and when the Lamborghini Aventador is released – teaser images have pointed to a 2012 launch date – it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s going to go head-to-head with a number of other new exotics, with the most notable of which being the Ferrari 599 GTO. Numbers aren’t too far from each other with the Aventador’s 700 horsepower, 2.9-second 0-60 mph time, and 217 mph top speed going up against the 599 GTO’s 670 horsepower, 3.3-second 0-60 mph time, and 208 mph top speed time.With the specs of these two Italian thoroughbreds closely similar to each other, it should make for a nice comparison test between the two. Sure, we’re going to have to wait until Lamborghini officially introduces the Aventador for that to happen, but we’re pretty confident that at some point, it’s going to.Lamborghinis and Ferraris will always be interlinked with each other so bragging rights between the 599 GTO and the soon-to-be-released Aventador LP700-4 should still make for a very interesting comparison test. Other companies will be having there chance to take a shot at this raging bull including Pagani and McLaren. Many people know little about these companies, but they produce some of the baddest sports cars on the planet. Their most recent models have pushed the limits of engineering and manufacturing and the newest models will be more than light competition for the Lamborghini. The McLaren already promises similar performance from a smaller and more economical twin-turbo V8 engine. The Pagani will be utilizing an AMG V12 like the past models and have a peak output close to the new Lamborghini. In a perfect world, we would love to see these four new cars on one track at the same time to duel it out for bragging rights.












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