2012 Lamborghini Gallardo Lp550-2 Coupe. Suzuka Grey. Red Interior. 900 Miles. on 2040-cars

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Lamborghini Sian's supercapacitor hybrid system explained by company's CTO

"We are a game-changer and a provocateur," Lamborghini's CTO, Maurizio Reggiani told Engadget. The automaker has a long history of making waves with traffic-stopping designs and more recently, innovative tech. At last week's Frankfurt Motor Show, the Italian company unveiled its Sian hybrid supercar. But it ditched the traditional battery pack in favor of a supercapacitor to power an electric motor, which is exactly what you would expect from the Italian company. Typically a hybrid uses a lithium-ion battery pack to store energy. Then when needed, it transfers an electrical current to a motor (or motors) to either help the gas-powered engine or take over propulsion entirely. It's a recipe that has successfully improved gas mileage and sold over six million examples of the Toyota Prius, not to mention countless other hybrids. "It's too easy to follow," Reggiani said. "If you want to move for the first time in electrification you must guarantee that the implementation will not destroy the DNA of a car and brand." With that in mind, the automaker went with a supercapacitor instead of a battery. According to Reggiani, the supercapacitor offers up three times the power of a battery pack from the same weight and packaging. Plus, it stores and discharges energy much quicker. The spent power can be fully regenerated very quickly during normal braking. Reggiani explained that this could be particularly useful while cornering. Going into a corner, the driver applies the brakes and replenishes any spent energy. Then, as the driver accelerates out of the corner, all the available power is there for acceleration. Then as the driver brakes for the next curve, the process starts all over again. Plus, the supercapacitor doesn't have to cool down like traditional battery, it's just ready to go at all times -- which is exactly what Lamborghini owners want. The output of the 48-volt motor installed into the gearbox is 34 horsepower which brings the total power output of the V12 Sian to 819 horsepower. While 34 horsepower doesn't seem like much, it means the vehicle can do zero to 62 miles per hour in under 2.8 seconds. That's Tesla Model S Performance and Porsche Taycan levels of fast. But there are other benefits. The electric motor reduces the torque hits of the gears shifting. You know those momentary losses -- then explosions of power -- you feel in the car as it speeds up, that's the vehicle going through its gears.

2012 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn offers a tutorial in cars to come

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is a showcase for some of the world's most exquisite vintage vehicles, but if newer metal is more your speed, the Concept Car Lawn is the place to be.
This year saw models from Bugatti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren and Bentley as well as SRT, Hennessey, Infiniti and Lexus among others. The ultimate sampler platter of exotic and concept vehicles saw the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse mingle with the Lamborghini Urus Concept and the mighty Hennessey Venom GT, though we found ourselves particularly smitten with the BMW Zagato Roadster and the Aston Martin Vanquish.
Not that we could go wrong anywhere we looked. The 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed seemed perfectly content parked on the manicured putting green, as did the McLaren MP4-12C Spider. Get cozy with the full gallery below to see the smattering of metal on the lawn.

Lamborghini's first EV will be a sports car with usable rear seats

Lamborghini's first series-produced electric car will make its debut by the end of the 2020s. We know the EV will arrive as a fourth model line, not as a battery-powered version of an existing car, and the brand revealed some of the areas it's focusing on during the design phase. Company boss Stephan Winkelmann recently confirmed the yet-unnamed EV will arrive as a grand tourer with a 2+2 seating layout, so it will bring Lamborghini back to a segment it left many decades ago. Federico Foschini, the firm's chief marketing and sales officer, revealed that the rear seats won't be merely for show: He told Motor Authority that they'll be "comfortable." Reading between the lines suggests that the EV will fill the gap between Lamborghini's two-seater super-sports cars, such as the new Revuelto flagship, and the family-friendly Urus SUV. Foschini added that two adults will be able to travel in the EV's back seats. This is fairly rare in 2023: most of the 2+2s currently on sale, including the Porsche 911, have rear seats that are best left to small kids. One of the few exceptions is the new, second-generation Maserati GranTurismo, which is surprisingly spacious for its segment. The Bentley Continental GT is also big enough to accommodate four adults. It's too early to provide technical specifications because the EV isn't scheduled to land in showrooms until 2028 at the earliest. Regardless of what the model is powered by, Foschini noted that the development team is shooting for over 300 miles of range. "This is what you need, because it's a full electric vehicle. You have no alternative range," he told Motor Authority. Note that "over 300 miles" is the best-case scenario; the executive clarified that the total number will depend on the driving mode selected, which is also true for combustion engines. More details about Lamborghini's upcoming electric model will emerge in the coming months. In the meantime, the Italian brand is preparing to electrify its entire range by 2024. The first step on this path is the aforementioned Revuelto, which uses a gasoline-electric hybrid system built around a new, 6.5-liter V12 engine. Next is the successor to the Huracan, which will reportedly use plug-in hybrid technology as well.