Audi 2015 Annual Report Download - page 113

Performance starts for a Lamborghini where it ends for most
other cars. Above the  kilometers per hour mark the notion
of “top speed” therefore ceases to have any meaning. It is all
about defi ning new boundaries.
The Sesto Elemento together with the V engine and perma-
nent all-wheel drive weighs just  kilograms. A vehicle
that scales new heights. Extreme, minimalist, form follows
function in its purest guise. In just . seconds it catapults
from  to  km/h. Its secret lies in the outstanding power-
to-weight ratio of . kilograms per horsepower. A statement
of consistent lightweight construction and a paradigm shift.
“The supercar of the future is no longer defi ned solely by the top
speed,” explains Research and Development Director Maur izio
Reggiani. “What counts is power-to-weight ratio, handling and
performance.” The calculation is simple : Lightweight con struc-
tion plus high performance equals extreme driving pleasure.
Carbon is what guarantees the radical diet’s success. For many
years, the extremely solid, sti and yet lightweight material
was the preserve of racing cars. More than  years ago, proto-
types for the chassis of the Lamborghini Countach were made
of carbon-fi ber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). “Anyone can use
carbon. Using it intelligently is what makes the di erence,”
Reggiani says.
Forged Composite® is one such intelligent solution from
the Lamborghini in-house development laboratory for carbon.
Stronger than titanium, more economical than conventional
CFRP – such properties make Forged Composite® a unique
material for the future of car manufacturing. It was used for
the monocoque on the Sesto Elemento. Tried and tested in the
concept car, the engineers from Sant’Agata Bolognese will
also be using this technology for volume-production components.
“The Sesto Elemento is the prelude to a new era of lightweight
construction,” explains Reggiani. “Every future Lamborghini will
breathe the spirit of this concept car.”
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