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Lamborghini's new supercar isn't legal to drive on public roads

By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN Business

Updated 9:10 AM ET, Wed July 29, 2020


(CNN Business)Lamborghini has just unveiled a new supercar, known as the Essenza SCV12, that owners won't be able to legally drive on public roads. That's why, if you buy one, Lamborghini recommends you let the company keep it for you in a special garage at the company's headquarters in Italy.

Owners will have access to a secure web cam feed so they can look at the car whenever they want. If they want to drive the car, Lamborghini will arrange for it to be transported to almost any racetrack in the world and the owner will be able to drive it there. Lamborghini will also provide a professional racecar driver to provide coaching in how to get the most speed and enjoyment from their V12-powered supercar. The company will host a few special events throughout the year to let Essenza SCV12 owners get together and enjoy their cars as a group.

Only 40 of the cars will be produced. Customers have already signed contracts for most of them but a few remain available, Lamborghini's chief engineer Maurizio Reggiani said. Lamborghini did not give a price for the Essenza SCV12 but Reggiani said it will be priced similarly to the company's other limited-edition models such as the Lamborghini Centenario and Sián, which sold for $1.9 million and upwards of $2 million, respectively.
"This car is like a special passport to the most exclusive world of Lamborghini," said Reggiani.

The Essenza SCV12 has the most powerful V12 the company has ever produced, according to Lamborghini. The 6.3-liter engine is "naturally aspirated," meaning it does not have turbochargers or a supercharger, mechanical devices that force air into the engine to boost power. Even so, it will produce over 818 horsepower, the company said. Reggiani claimed that mechanical air compressors like these wouldn't have provided the sort of sound and performance customers expect from Lamborghini.

The SCV12 does have an air scoop that, at high speeds, produces an effect like a supercharger. The forward-facing scoop feeds air directly to the engine so, as the car goes faster, air is pushed into the engine at higher and higher pressure allowing for more power.

The Essenza SCV12 is rear-wheel-drive unlike most Lamborghinis, which are all-wheel-drive. It has a new six-speed transmission with steering wheel paddle shifters of a type that will be used in other future Lamborghini cars. In order to make the car as light and compact as possible, the transmission is integrated into the structure of the car with the SCV12's rear suspension being mounted directly to the gearbox.

The SCV12 wasn't engineered to comply with road safety rules around the world, but it was designed to comply with FIA regulations. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile oversees various auto races globally, including Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship which culminates in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Like a true racecar, the SCV12 is designed so that any of the three major sections that make up the body can be quickly replaced during a pit stop. While the car can be painted any color the customer wants, Lamborghini is making it available in a special racing inspired paint scheme including sponsor logos. The car's rectangular steering wheel with a built-in display screen is modeled on the steering wheels of Formula 1 cars.

The "SC" in "SCV12" stands for Squadra Corse, or "racing team" in Italian, which is also the name of Lamborghini's motorsports department, founded in 2014. Ferruccio Lamborghini, who founded the company in 1963, famously did not want his company involved in racing, preferring that Lamborghini concentrate on making cars exclusively for road use, unlike its neighbor Ferrari. Ferrucio Lamborghini sold his namesake company in 1972, and, under Volkswagen's ownership today, Lamborghini cars compete in various sports car races, including at Le Mans, and in Super Trofeo, a racing series just for Lamborghini Huracáns.

Lamborghini's Squadra Corse will take care of the cars and handle their transportation to tracks and help owners learn how to drive them. Essentially, SCV12 owners will be treated as if they are professional racing drivers, except they will not be competing, Lamborghini will schedule five track events a year during the first three years for SCV12 owners, one of which will come at no extra charge. Owners will be charged for any of the other four events as well as any additional track visits they'd like to arrange.

This new Lamborghini ownership experience is similar to Ferrari's Corse Cliente XX program. In Ferrari's program, which began with the limited edition Ferrari FXX in 2005, owners of special track-only cars can participate in driving and testing sessions with Ferrari engineers. These cars are also used to test technologies that might appear in more accessible Ferrari models in the future as with Lamborghini's new transmission.