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Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 is silent but deadly [w/video]

The weirdest thing happened last night. During the annual Volkswagen Group Night festivities, everyone waited in anticipation for the Lamborghini section of the press conference. It's usually a treat for the senses - cool to look at, backed up by a ferocious sound that bellows throughout the venue. But not this time. There was no music, there were no laser lights, and most remarkably, there was no sound. The Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 drove onto stage under fully silent electric power. Audibly, at least, it was perhaps the most anti-climactic Lambo introduction we've ever witnessed.
And that's the big story with this new Lamborghini concept: it's a plug-in hybrid. Of course, it's still a product of the storied Italian supercar maker, so that electric powertrain is mated to a 5.2-liter V10, and total system output is rated at a staggering 910 horsepower. It'll run up to 31 miles on pure electric power at speeds of up to 78 miles per hour, and its 0-62 time is estimated to be three seconds flat. Top speed? 199 mph. In other words, it may be capable of silence, but it still carries a stick, and it's still very much a Lambo.
So will the company actually build something like this? Right now, it doesn't look likely. Back in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Autoblog spoke with Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann about the then-off-the-record Asterion concept, who told us that if the automaker should choose to expand its model range, the bigger priority right now would be the Urus crossover. This is merely just a way to show how Lamborghini might present a gasoline-electric vehicle. And after scoping it out in person here at the Paris Motor Show, we have to say, it's cool. The styling is a bit softer and understated compared to the audacious Aventador or angular Huracán. But it still has quite a presence and it's still very much a Raging Bull.

Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster spied testing undisguised

Lamborghini typically does more versions of its V10 models than it does with its V12s. Just look at how many model variants the Gallardo spun off over its many years of production, compared to the few the Murcielago did. But with both now retired, and the Aventador on the market longer than the Huracan, it's the larger of the two that's beefing up the Raging Bull's product portfolio. We're looking at and referring to the upcoming Aventador SV Roadster. Lambo has already confirmed that the Superveloce Roadster was in the works, and we even saw a heavily camouflaged prototype undergoing testing near the Arctic Circle. But this time it's completely undisguised, without a shred of camouflage to keep it from our prying eyes. It isn't hard to guess at the technical details here, since it combines the best attributes of two existing versions: namely the LP 700-4 Roadster and the LP 750-4 Superveloce. So look for a 6.5-liter V12 channeling 740 horsepower to all four wheels through the company's proprietary seven-speed ISR transmission, just like the SV coupe. It'll be a bit heavier with its removable carbon-fiber roof panel and the requisite extra bracing, but it's doubtful the slight weight penalty will actually translate to any substantial drop in performance. Noticeably absent, however, is the big rear wing that adorns the back of the SV coupe. We'll have to hold tight to find out if the production version will get the spoiler or not, and there's little precedent to go by here since Lambo has never really offered a convertible Superveloce before. With the wing or without, the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce Roadster will likely debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show come September, with production already confirmed to be limited to 500 units – or 100 less than the existing coupe that's already sold out.

Lamborghini spotted filming new Aventador SV completely undisguised

There is a great tradition at Lamborghini in turning its mid-engined V12 supercars into Super Veloce ("High Speed") versions. So after the Aventador hit the scene, we knew it would only be a matter of time before it was to receive the SV treatment. And here it is, spied completely undisguised during a video shoot. Now, we first spotted what we thought was the Aventador SV way back in April, 2013 – the same day, incidentally, that the LP720-4 50° Anniversario edition surfaced. That was a long time ago, however, and what we see here looks like a different beast entirely. It's got a completely reshaped front bumper, bigger air intakes, deeper side sills and a fresh set of steamroller alloys. Out back, there's a massive rear wing and below it, a new rear end with a bigger diffuser and – instead of one central exhaust – four individual pipes to let the big twelve-cylinder engine breath. Speaking of which, you can expect the Aventador SV to come with a big power bump. Just how big, we don't know for sure, but we can extrapolate. When the Miura SV hit the scene in the early 1970s, it only packed 15 more horsepower than the existing model. Though the Countach bred a series of variants over its long lifetime, it never got an SV edition. The Diablo SV arrived five years after its donor with an 18-horse bump, later raised by another 19 hp. But after the Murcielago arrived in 2001 with 572 hp and bumped up to 631 hp in 2006, the SV model came in 2009 with 661 hp. Given that the "standard" Aventador has been out since 2011, we're about on schedule for the Super Veloce, and if precedent proves anything, we could be looking at upwards of 750 horses to come riding around the mountain when they come to the Geneva Motor Show in March. Featured Gallery Lamborghini Aventador SV: Spy Shots View 11 Photos Image Credit: Borja Perez/CarPix Spy Photos Lamborghini Coupe Supercars lamborghini aventador sv