Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Lamborghini Reventón

The Lamborghini Reventón is a supercar that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show.It will be the most powerful and expensive Lamborghini to date, costing one million euros.The official press release states that only 20 will be built, but it was later reported that the total number would be 100. The exterior styling was inspired by the F-22 Raptor. Although the exterior is partially new, almost the entire mechanics (including the engine) are taken directly from the Murciélago LP640.Initial reports suggest that the 6.5 litre V12 may receive a power boost of approximately 15 kilowatts (20 horsepower), bringing the new ouput close to 490 kW (660 horsepower). In spite of this, and the car's carbon fibre components, the Reventón accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in the same time as the Murciélago LP640 (3.4 seconds).The instrument panel in the Reventón comprises of three TFT liquid crystal displays (LCDs) with two different display modes. The instruments are housed in a structure milled from a solid aluminum block, protected by a carbon fiber casing. The G-Force-Meter is completely new and it is one of the talking points of the Reventón. It displays the dynamic drive forces, longitudinal acceleration during acceleration and braking, as well as transversal acceleration around bends. These forces are represented by the movement of an indicator on a graduated 3D grid depending on the direction and intensity of the acceleration. Formula One teams also use a similar device to analyse dynamic forces.


Manufacturer : Lamborghini
Parent company : Audi AG
Production : 2008-
Assembly : Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy
Class : Supercar
Body style(s) : 2-door coupé
Layout : Mid-engine, four-wheel drive
Engine(s) : 6.5 L V12
Transmission(s) : 6-speed e-gear
Wheelbase : 2665 mm (104.92 in)
Length : 4700 mm (185.04 in)
Width : 2058 mm (81.02 in)
Height : 1135 mm (44.69 in)

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Lamborghini Countach

The Countach made its public debut at the 1971 Geneva motor show. The design of the ultra low two seater sports car took the world by surprise. Its most captivating parts were of course the scissor doors, swinging up and forward. Over the years these famous doors have become Lamborghini’s trade mark right up to the latest Murcièlago.The projected 5.0 litre V12 would be longitudinally positioned at the rear. This engine lay-out by the way was reflected in the prototype’s designation: LP 500 or Longitudinale Posteriore five litre. To improve weight distribution, the five-speed gearbox would be rather unconventionally mounted ahead of the engine, virtually between the seats. This meant that the driveshaft had to go all the way underneath the engine to the final drive. The proposed solution was to let it run in its own tunnel right through the engine’s sump. This in turn raised the engine position (and with it the centre of gravity) forcing the carburettors to be repositioned horizontally to fit under the bonnet. Fuel would be stored in two fuel tanks.Another unique feature of the Lamborghini Countach development story is the fact that it had been designed around the then new Pirelli P7 tyre. Development of the latter got however behind and the new tyres would not appear before 1978. That is why the prototype and the first generation of road cars stood on rather modest 7.5x14 and 9.5x14 cast magnesium Campagnolo wheels shod with Michelin 205/70 and 215/70 respectively.The 5.0 litre V12 project was abandoned after the engine exploded during tests. Instead Lamborghini reverted to a more reliable 4.0 litre version based on the Miura power plant. Still with four camshafts and six horizontal two barrel carburettors, the V12 delivered 375 bhp at an incredibly high 8,000 rpm and 368 lb ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. The prototype’s futuristic but very un-Lambo interior was done away with and replaced with a more traditionally styled leather-clad dashboard and seats.

price $118 000 USD
engine V12 valvetrain DOHC 2 Valves / Cyl
displacement 4754 cc / 290.1 cu in
bore 85.5 mm / 3.37 in stroke 69.0 mm / 2.72 in
compression 9.2:1
power 279.6 kw / 374.9 bhp @ 7000 rpm
hp per litre 78.86
bhp per litre bhp/weight
torque 409.5 nm / 302.0 ft lbs @ 4500 rpm
drive wheels Mid Engine / RWD
body / frame Aluminum
width 2000 mm / 78.7 in
height 1070 mm / 42.1 in
transmission 5-Speed Manual
top speed 300.0 kph / 186.4 mph
0 - 60 mph 5.6 seconds