Some companies such as Apple are almost completely media-tight and very little pre-announcement info gets out. Car companies such as Lamborghini though, need to go outside their military-level security compounds to test their products in the real world and hence can fall victim to the auto paparazzi, or now that nearly everyone carries a camera with them at all times, a well-educated enthusiast being in the right place at the right time. Earlier this week the VW-owned Italian supercar maker posted a “teaser image” of what everybody expects to be the Murcielago replacement. Only trouble is, we’ve already seen it – that’s the car itself shot on an autobahn between Chemnitz and Dresden by during testing by Topspeed reader Chris-Audi.
Just how everyone seems to know the specs a month prior to the show is a matter for conjecture, but if you want to read the unconfirmed details of the new direct injection 7.0-litre V12, carbon fiber monster which does zero to 60 in 3.0 seconds, read on.
The Murcielago is heading for a decade old, and has reached the end of its lifespan and the next model has been widely anticipated for some time.
Lamborghini is promising another five “teaser photos” prior to the first public showing the supercar expected to be named the “Jota” when it surfaces at the Paris motor show next month, all of them no doubt showing very little of the car and all of them generating continuing publicity via the internet media.
The rumor mill suggests the new V12 Jota (a reference to an early very limited edition Lamborghini) will go on sale next year and be priced at around US$450k.
It will be powered by a new direct injection 7.0-liter V12 engine delivering between 700-720bhp and producing 700 Nm of torque. This monster engine will deliver its power via a seven-speed, paddle-shift, robotized, manual transmission though there’s also an optional sequential seven-speed unit available.
The use of a carbon fiber tub instead of a tubular chassis will trim more than 300 pounds from the weight of the Murcielago, enabling the car to be one of the fastest accelerating road cars under the sun – when a car approaches a 0 to 60 mph time of just three seconds, it pushes into the very elite class of supercar. Similarly, the Jota’s top speed of 225-230 mph warrants elite supercar status also.
Some other expected exotica to be found standard on the beast include, a heads-up display, a special (though we don’t know why) GPS navigation system, new lightweight 21-inch wheels, better Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes than the Murcielago, and thanks to its German parentage, Audi’s torque vectoring technology will ensure it handles even more sweetly than its predecessor.
The Lamborghini Jota is expected to be priced around EUR 350,000.
