What a time to be a supercar enthusiast, as we are bearing witness to only the sixth new V12 Lamborghini in the past six decades. This is the replacement for the Aventador, this is the new flagship car for the raging bull, and it is the first full hybrid from Sant’Agata Bolognese, but it is a far cry from your mom’s Prius.
Yes, you read that right: V12. Lamborghini took a look at all the other manufacturers shrinking their engines and adding turbos to make them more efficient and friendlier to the environment, and simply went “… nah.” It is a massaged version of the V12 from the Aventador, so you still get the same big 6.5L chunk of metal behind your seats, but there are a few important differences.
The first is that those 12 angry bulls rampaging around behind you are backwards, as the engine has been spun 180 degrees around. This is so that the new, dual-clutch, hybrid-boosted 8 speed transaxle can sit in line with the rear wheels. It also frees up the space in front, where the transmission used to be, for the Revuelto’s hybrid battery to sit low and centered.
The second is that the V12 is now chucking out just about 814 HP and 535 lbs-ft of torque all on its own, making it the most powerful road-going engine from Lamborghini to date. It is much more powerful than the version in the Aventador Ultimae, which only managed a meager 780 HP.
That engine is accompanied by a trio of electric motors, two of which sit on the centerline of the car at the front and drive a wheel each, with the third top-mounted but integrated in with the transaxle at the rear. Each of these motors can provide 148 HP worth of grunt, and as the V12 is only hooked up to the rear wheels, the Revuelto’s AWD is provided by the hybrid motors up front and the big angry shouty thing in the middle.
The transaxle mounted motor is there to torque fill during shifts, as well as serve as a generator to charge the battery back up. The two front motors are independent, which allows for torque vectoring to help the car turn on a dime and nail every apex it approaches.
When running combined in Corsa mode, the V12 and trio of hybrids will provide 1,001 HP, in that just oh-so-Italian way. “No, we cannot have one thousand! We need one thousand and one!” You can also run the car in “City” mode, which is full EV and only 178 HP from the front two hybrid motors.
Speaking of that shouty thing, it’s on full display. No engine cover here, thank you!
There is a ton of under- and over-body active aerodynamics, which is the reason that Lamborghini have moved the exhausts up to sit just below the dynamic wing. That allows for the massive diffuser to take up all the space it needs, while also not interfering with the pop-up wing.
For now, let’s just say that we’re happy that despite having sensible German parents that are all about efficiency and electrification, Lamborghini is still running around in circles banging pots and pans together. You can read more about their particular form of insanity in-depth here.
