V12 LAMBORGHINIS

| BY SOMNATH CHATTERJEE

The V12 is coming to an end and bowing out before hybridization kicks in. While Lamborghini is busy readying its Aventador replacement with a hybrid V12, the famous car company is letting this iconic powertrain have one last dance on its own. The Invencible and Auténtica are the last extreme V12 Lamborghinis, desirable one-offs peppered with lots of true-blue Italian supercar DNA. This feature is rather crucial for the carmaker because ever since the Miura, the V12 has been the core essence of Lamborghini, and up until the latest Aventador, it has played a prominent role. While carmakers have shunned larger naturally aspirated engines, the future will inevitably demand some electrical assistance, and hence, the upcoming Lamborghini will get just that.

“The V12 engine is one of the pillars of our histor y and our marque’s success,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and CEO. “As we head towards embracing a new era of hybridization at the heart of our Cor Tauri strategy, this is the Lamborghini way of celebrating the naturally aspirated V12 with two one-off vehicles that perfectly represent our concept of excellence in personalization.”

Design wise, your eyes are in for a shock as it is Lamborghini at its extreme best, with numerous design cues plucked from yesteryear iterations. It is pretty much the best of what this supercar maker can conjure up. The Sesto Elemento, Reventón, and Veneno serve as inspiration while you can clearly see the influenc-es of these cars. Both new vehicles share the same carbon fiber monocoque from the Aventador, pro-duced in Sant’Agata Bolognese, along with full carbon bodywork incorporating design and technologies. The wedge-shaped aerodynamics-inspired design is festooned with various edgy angles, making it unmistakably Lamborghini.

These days, Lamborghini is all about the Hexagon and is clearly smeared over the Invencible and Auténtica— for example, hexagonal LED running lights flank the front and rear light assembly. On the bonnet, the air intakes are reminiscent of those on the Sesto Elemento. The same cues are repeated in the central triple exhaust with Inconel tips, a unique highperformance steel alloy derived from the aerospace industry.

The interior is trimmed in carbon fiber while having a racing car-like ethos with a stripped-out interior. It removes clutter and focuses on the art of driving. Then even here, you get 3D-printed hexagonal air vents. The coupe version gets a more sinister red paint scheme, red flakes, and carbon elements. Even the dashboard features a Lamborghini logo in Rosso Efesto, the same color used for the gearshift paddles on the steering wheel.

Then there are the Lamborghini trademark scissor doors, and the Italian flag is also draped with two hexagonal tri colors.

These two are the very last cars that feature the 12-cylinder 6.5 l engine mounted longitudinally at the rear. As such, they are a fitting tribute to one of the greatest automotive powertrains while also making enthusi-asts teary eyed at how things won’t ever be the same again.