You might think why people that buy a Lamborghini Aventador would care about saving some fuel, but times are changing, and legislation is starting to enforce regulations that required Automobili Lamborghini SpA to look into making their highly successful V12 flagship a bit more suited for the current markets.
Well before any official statements about this are made, the Swedish version of Auto, Motor and Sport published some interesting information about a new 2013 model year edition of the Aventador.
And they came up with a rather nifty solution … think about it, you have 12 cylinders just behind your back, with 700 hp under the accelerator pedal … but do you need all that power all the time? I guess not, and that is exactly what the engineers in Sant’Agata were thinking when they came up with the option of only using 6 cylinders when cruising, they state at 130km/h only 6 cylinders will be used … however when you put your foot down a special capacitor will activate all 12 cylinders within 180 milliseconds.
One thing I was really surprised to read was the fact a start/stop system would also be installed on the first evolution of the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, this means when you are waiting in a traffic jam or at the traffic lights … the engine shuts down, when you press the accelerator the engine will switch back on instantly … this effectively reduced idling on the V12 power plant … and cuts down on emissions and fuel consumption.
Figures talk about saving 1.2 liter/100km of fuel and a CO2 drop from 398 to 370 … it might not look like a massive saving, but every bit counts when you can help the environment right?
And the article talks about some other differences too, the dashboard LCD cluster will feature larger numbers so you can see just how fast you are going, also different switches and more carbon fiber parts will be available for the 2013 MY Aventador.
Add stiffer springs on the suspension and you get an even better driving experience, but Lamborghini has pulled another card out of their sleeve … bigger, optional wheels. They will be offering the Dione wheels in 9×20 inch up front and a massive 13×21 inch at the rear with 255/20ZR20 and 335/25ZR21 respectively … the wheels will be available in either a silver or a black glossy finish or a titanium matt finish, which will look amazing if you ask me.
If we can believe the article from our Swedish friends there will also be a carbon fiber option kit on the outside of the car, parts like the middle spoiler up front, the air intakes at the front and the outlets at the back that are all mat black today can soon be ordered in clear carbon fiber apparently … and an extension to a 5 year warranty is possible too.
Remember the glass engine cover we all like so much … it allows us to admire the V12 engine underneath it … from 2013 on the customer can order additional carbon fiber parts inside the engine bay, in which case the glass engine cover would be a great idea … but you can also order a carbon fiber engine lid in the near future.
At the moment nothing of this has been officially announced by Automobili Lamborghini SpA, so we cannot be sure any of these options and modifications will be used … perhaps we will see an official statement towards the 2012 Paris Motor Show in late September, it would make sense to release a MY2013 specs so late in the year.
One thing I am sure about are the Dione wheels … I saw them personally on the white Aventador in Geneva earlier this year, that car didn’t have the standard wheels, and nothing about optional wheels was mentioned in the press kit, but now I know these are the larger wheels optionally available right from the factory.