The Lamborghini Sian is a V12 Hybrid beacon of hope

[MUSIC] This is the Lamborghini Si��n FKP 37, Lamborghini's first ever hybrid supercar. It's an incredibly exciting step forward for Lamborghini, but it pulls it out. Everything that's made Lamborghini great since 1963. The name fkp 37 is named after Ferdinand Carl Pierre former head of the Volkswagen Group who's responsible really for Lamborghini becoming part of Audi and the Volkswagen Group fkp being his initials. 37 being the year he was born. 63, along the flanks represents the 63 CN's that are going to be made with 19 [UNKNOWN] Coming later. 1963 is the year that Lamborghini was established.>>Under it's skin the CNS based on the event To the SVJ with the same platform, the same suspension and the same naturally aspirated 6.5 liter V12 engine, albeit with the addition of some titanium intake valves and a new exhaust that raises the output of the engine. From 759 to 774 horsepower. The key difference though, is that hybrid system that adds an electric motor inside the gearbox to bring total output to 808 horsepower The design of the car might feel futuristic even compared to other Lamborghini's but look carefully and there are references to older cars like the quintet dotted around from the creases on the bonnet to the triple tail lights or the rear. One of my favourite touches are these vents here. Now whereas in a normal car Vents like this which are designed to lead heat out to the engine bay when it gets too warm, would be connected to a heat sensor which is connected to a computer which when the engine gets too hot sends a signal to send it back to open these flaps. Instead, this ingenious little self-contained contraption is a spring that when it gets too hot expands and allows these flaps to open. And then when the engine cools it contracts and closes it, this is an entirely self-contained system. That technology of a spring expanding when it's hot and contracting when it's cool is as old as mechanical engineering itself, and it sits within a car that looks like it's been teleported here from the future. And it perfectly represents how this car is taking existing traditional automotive technology and marrying it with absolute cutting edge developments to create something new. The interior is slightly understated on the Lamborghini scale but includes the updated infotainment screen we first saw on the hurricane Evo There's a drama about sitting in a car like this that you get to experience before you even press the start button. Just looking at the thing with its lift-up guard resembling a missile key in a fighter jet, that gives a sense of theatre, I sometimes missed from other manufacturers. Lamborghini isn't always at the cutting edge of other technologies. But for once, all of these modern looking twists and touches and details are now married by what makes this car mechanically stand apart from its competitors. [MUSIC] [SOUND] About eight years ago when the likes of Ferrari and Porsche and McLaurin all developed their first hybrid supercars, Lamborghini was notably absent. It didn't seem like they had any interest In investing in hybrid technology at that time now it seems it is the right time and they have leapt ahead with something that no one else has ever done. Instead of a lithium ion battery powering this hybrid system, they use a super capacitor. Courts have always had super capacitors in one form or another most electronics do But this super capacitor isn't a small dinky thing. It's the full width of the car. It lives right behind the driver's seat. Now, it's not a big bulky heavy system. Being a super capacitor, it's a lot lighter than a battery. It's a third of the weight. I can deliver three times the power for the same density as a lithium-ion battery. They only delivers 34 horsepower, but the nature of super capacitor is that it can charge incredibly quick under braking, and then it can discharge equally quickly. So, imagine a traditional battery to be like an air bed, it takes forever to pump it up completely. But then you can remove the stop bar and get a steady stream of air coming out to that thing For quite a while now consider a super capacitor to be like filling a balloon from an air canister. It will inflate like that. And when you get a pin ready, and poppet everything comes out in an instant. That's what the power delivery from the electric motor in this car is. [SOUND] That quick boost of power is automatically deployed when the throttle is pushed giving an extra kick on acceleration. Performance-wise the CN should be able to get up to 62 miles an hour in around 2.8 seconds and top-out near 220 miles an hour. Not massively dissimilar in a straight line compared to the events or SVJ, which holds the production car lap record at the Nurburgring. But that electric motor isn't just there to help the CN off the line. That server capacity can also fail the torque gaps when you're changing gear. The events dress VJ's gear changes were well they were brutal. It's a seven speed Single clutch gearbox. It's the same gearbox that's in this car, and changing gear meant disconnecting over 700 horsepower. I'm putting it back in. That obviously gives you a bit of a punch. Now the super capacitor connected to the electric motor which sits inside the gearbox smooths out those gear changes. Cheers. Meaning that you can go up the gear range really smoothly despite the fact that this doesn't have a joke like system. Some owners of the SPG actually enjoyed those brutal gear changes, but smoothing I think the out gives the CN a more refined driving style and more stability. The CN has all of the same handling characteristics as, VJ, meaning the immense mechanical grip on offer and the rear wheel steering. Gives you immense confidence to take corners at speed, even in the wet conditions I had. The brakes may now also be funneling power to the super capacitor, but they still feel natural and highly effective. When you're driving the car. What strikes you is how invisible that hybrid system feels, leaving that wonderful sensation of driving a naturally aspirated V 12 engine untouched. Lamborghini has no interest in creating a hybrid system to save the planet, to consume less fuel,no. Lamborghini has made a hybrid system, so they can go quicker, they can do it smoother and you can have more fun. The best thing about the Lamborghini CN It is what it means for Lamborghini's future. You see, other manufacturers when they've moved into hybrid systems using lithium ion batteries. It feels like it's a stepping stone towards full electrification and Lamborghini will undoubtedly be planning towards an electrified future. However, when you think about it, Lamborghini used the same V12. All the way from the 60s, through to relatively recently. This V12 is only the second generation V12 the company has ever made, when they invest in the technology of a V12 engine, they want to be able to use that for a long time. And now with governments bringing legislation that are going to put a halt to petrol only cars. Well, they have to look alternatives. By building a hybrid system that technically is a hybrid system allows you to build v 12 agents for that much longer. So the Lamborghini CR is an indication of how long Beginning to use hybrid technology to extend the life of naturally aspirated V 12. Engine for ages to come. So the end result of the Lamborghini Seon is this mash of a completely traditional Some may even say outdated idea of a naturally aspirated V 12 engine married with A hybrid system that's beyond anything anyone else is put in a car. And you get the wonderful combination of past and future to create something that's going to guarantee that we get to enjoy cars, a sound like this for years to come. Between two and $3 million, we won't be seeing many scenes on the road. But it's my hope that this hybrid technology will filter down to more affordable Lamborghini's in future in an age of endless bad news though, the CN heralds hope for the survival of the V 12 for which we can all be grateful.