Audi 2010 Annual Report Download - page 121

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The light 12-cylinder engine is joined
by a high-tech transmission featuring
a completely new construction for
supercars. This weighs a mere 79
kilograms. The Lamborghini ISR is an
automated manual transmission that
combines minimal shifting times with
the convenience needed for everyday
use. Gear changes are almost twice as
fast as with its predecessors.
Setting technology trends rather than
merely following them – a standard
that every Lamborghini must fulfi ll. But
a car with the bull on the hood also has
to embody a tradition, and the number
of cylinders is just one parameter.
The Aventador* links with the past
primarily through its design, just like
its predecessor, the Murciélago. It does
so by continuing to develop and update
the extreme stylistic elements and the
aerodynamics. The design elements
that the Murciélago drew from its three
predecessors – the Miura, Countach
and Diablo – are also refl ected in the
Aventador. These include the rear
louvers which make the Murciélago
reminiscent of the legendary Miura, an
automotive cornerstone in the history
of carmaking and one of the fi rst
designs by the still-young company
established by Ferruccio Lamborghini
in 1963. The Miura was produced from
1966 to 1973. It ensured the continued
existence of the carmaker, enabled the
development of new models, and was
a technical sensation in itself. Up to
that point, mid-engines transversely
mounted directly behind the seats
were known only in racing. Named
after Eduardo Miura, a breeder of
Spanish fi ghting bulls, the sports
car with the pop-up headlights also
infl uenced the naming of all of its
successors. It became the tradition to
select names for the models from the
fi eld of bullfi ghting. The Espada of
1968 was named after the sword of
the toreros, and the Gallardo of 2003
was named for a race of fi ghting bulls.
But most of the names selected for
the cars can be traced to the names
of famous fi ghting bulls – the Islero,
the Reventón, and now the Aventador,
whose namesake thrilled audiences
in Zaragoza in 1993. And of course
there was also the Murciélago, with
which Lamborghini honored a
legendary animal that was granted
clemency in 1879 after a fi ght in the
arena of Córdoba, due to the courage
it displayed.
With its wedge profi le, which is also
a distinguishing element of the
Aventador, the Murciélago recalls the
angular shape of the Countach, built
from 1974 to 1990. That car, with its
speeds of up to 330 km/h, was the
fl agship model at the time for the
Lamborghini brand. Often equipped
with a truly massive rear wing, it was
naturally also powered by a V12 engine.
Lamborghini employees at the plant in Sant’Agata Bolognese pull the camoufl age fi lm from the Aventador, a completely new development
(left). Its 515 kW (700 hp) 12-cylinder engine is located behind the sports seats – following the tradition at Lamborghini.
The engineers have been able to squeeze out
nearly three horsepower from each kilogram
of engine weight.