Lamborghini Revuelto: 1001-Horsepower Electric Hybrid Ensures Another Generation Of Big Italian V12s

Lamborghini’s recently unveiled V12 gas-electric hybrid, the Revuelto, may look like yet another “final variant” of the now-gone Aventador. Considering there’s little more than a few millimeters difference in any measure of Aventador’s and Revuelto’s bodywork, cynical first opinions found in comments sections can be excused. But every major and minor system in Revuelto is either significantly reengineered “in the tube” or is a 100-percent clean-sheet design.

One can quibble that the 6.5-liter V12 is an in-the-tube evolution of the Aventador’s V12 with far better breathing and thus more power. Why throw out institutional knowledge of a fantastic engine? Lamborghini’s signature V12 now revs well past 9000 rpm and turns out 813 horsepower, 43 more than the Aventador Super Veloce Jota, the last Aventador I have driven, the one with the wild active-aero wing out back. In a world increasingly dominated by 4-liter twin-turbo V8s, a naturally aspirated big-block V12 is a rare and beautiful commodity.

To get the most out of that V12, there’s a new 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which is likely half the reason for the dramatic leap in sprinting ability. Revuelto is nearly a half-second quicker to 60 mph than any Aventador. The outgoing single-plate gearbox was simpler and worked well on the hunt with a heavy boot in the throttle, but in the hands of the unskilled could prove balky in low-speed traffic, limiting curbside appeal. It also had shift times not much better than an old-fashioned manual gearbox—you could quickly count one-two as a new gear slipped into place.

To ensure Revuelto isn’t a half-foot longer than Aventador, the gearbox sits side-saddle, transversely, tucked up tight behind the V12. This is the same solution used by Pagani in its new Utopia, and it concentrates as much weight as possible ahead of the rear axle, improving balance. Flawless millisecond shifts typical of any dual-clutch in the VW and Porsche Groups should be the result.

Reverse is accomplished with the two front electric motors, simplifying the gearbox, though in snowy conditions the rear electric motor can put its oar in the water and help back the car up with low-speed 4-wheel drive.

And then the other half of the equation that leads to a 0-60 mph sprint of no more than 2.5 seconds, maybe slightly less in the right hands: three electric motors, two up front, left and right, each powering a single front wheel, and another electric motor riding piggyback on the gearbox, spooling instant-on electric torque straight into the gearset and onward to the rear wheels. Though placement, engineering and performance philosophy differ, of course, this is the same basic concept seen in the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.

These three motors draw power from a diminutive lithium-ion battery pack mounted just below the driver’s elbow. The little battery recharges rapidly under regenerative braking. The battery can feed just enough to three hungry motors to deliver a standstill sprint to triple digits palpably, demonstrably quicker than in Aventador. Adrenal glands everywhere will approve.

Aventador’s chassis could not package the hybrid powertrain and has been replaced with an all-new carbon-fiber “fuselage” with alloy spars out back to carry the V12 and rear suspension mountings. It’s likely that a variation on this “fuselage” will serve as backbone of a Huracán replacement.

In the VW Group, Lamborghini has the assigned specialty of advancing carbon-fiber and composite materials. Revuelto is constructed with forged carbon-fiber in the forward section, which is impressive because that’s the most difficult crash structure to engineer. The rest is more conventional autoclaved (baked) carbon-fiber, with alloy spars to carry the V12, gearbox, and rear suspension.

No matter the carbon-fiber, Revuelto tips in at 3906 pounds dry, 434 pounds more than Aventador SVJ. With its dry sump oil system filled and a full tank of gas, Revuelto will weigh over 4000 pounds. By the standards of the 21st Century that weight is not bad for a vehicle that not only has a dual-clutch gearbox and massive V12, but also three electric motors, cabling, and a battery pack.

Lamborghini adopted this gas-electric mild-hybrid format for several reasons. First, to dramatically improve standing-start acceleration—mission accomplished. And second, to placate the Eco-Totalitarians who would gladly eliminate gloriously musical engines like Revuelto’s. Don’t think of the electric hybrid system and new gearbox as a few hundred extra pounds. No, it’s a well-placed thumb in Greta Thunberg’s eye, it’s a solid kick from the bull to Extinction Generation and the other lunatics. Long may big Italian V12s reign.

In Città mode, Revuelto can be driven as a front-drive battery-electric car for short periods of time, allowing it to commute into European city centers that discriminate against internal combustion vehicles. Power in Città is a maximum of 177 horsepower, electric. If needed, the V12 can recharge the battery while on the go, taking only six minutes, a measure of just how small the battery is.

Strada mode, the civilized calibration for longer highway flogs or dealing with brutal road surfaces in my native Los Angeles, delivers 873 horsepower, more than enough to get the jump on other cars in a late-night roll-on acceleration contest. Sport mode bumps power to 894, and of course firms up the suspension further.

Only in Corsa mode can one access the full 1001 horsepower. I look forward to someday hearing this engine at full throttle in any of the tunnels in Los Angeles.

How will Revuelto drive? Eventually test cars will enter the fleet, but for now we can guess. The combination of the electric motor’s instant-on torque and the new dual-clutch gearbox with its attendant traction/launch control software is responsible for the dramatic jump in performance.

Revuelto achieves parity with the most significant bolides of our time, rivalling sprinting times of the Bugatti Chiron (2.4 seconds) and Porsche Taycan Turbo S electric hyper-sedan (2.6 seconds).

With numbers like that, Lamborghini’s CEO Stephan Winkelmann has already sold out the first two years of production. He’s among the very best CEOs in the luxury/high-performance business, and arguably the best car salesman on the planet. Welcome back to the fight, Lamborghini.