Iconic Lamborghini Engines & Drivetrains

Short Answer

Lamborghini’s most famous engine is its V12, designed by Giotto Bizzarrini in 1963 and developed for six decades up to the hybrid Revuelto. Alongside it came smaller V8 engines from 1973, the V10 of the Gallardo and Huracán, and twin-turbo V8 engines in the Urus and Temerario. Its gearboxes run from early manual units to the ISR robotised gearbox and dual-clutch transmissions, mostly feeding four-wheel drive.

Which engines is Lamborghini known for?

Lamborghini became known for the V12, but it has built four main engine families. The V12 began with the 350 GT in 1964 and continues in the Revuelto. A smaller V8 line started with the Urraco in 1973. The V10 arrived with the Gallardo in 2003 and continued in the Huracán, and twin-turbocharged V8 engines power the Urus and the Temerario. How V, inline and other layouts differ is explained in engine designs explained.

Where did the Lamborghini V12 come from?

The engineer Giotto Bizzarrini designed the V12 in 1963, originally for competition: a 60-degree, 3,497 cc engine with double overhead camshafts fed by six carburettors. It was not well suited to the road, so engineers led by Paolo Stanzani made it more usable at low and medium speeds and easier to produce. In the 350 GT it drove through a ZF five-speed gearbox. For the 400 GT of 1966 it grew to almost four litres and 320 CV and was paired with a new gearbox Lamborghini made itself.

How did the Miura and the Countach place the V12?

The Miura of 1966 mounted the V12 crosswise behind the cockpit to keep the car short, with a single casting joining engine and gearbox; power rose from 350 CV in the P400 to 385 CV in the SV, which also gave the gearbox its own lubrication. The Countach turned the engine lengthways, with the gearbox placed ahead of it, almost between the seats. Its V12 grew from 4 litres to 4.8 litres in the 5000 S and 5.2 litres with four valves per cylinder in the Quattrovalvole, which produced 455 CV.

How did the V12 develop from the Diablo to the Aventador?

The Diablo’s 5.7-litre V12 was derived from the Countach Quattrovalvole but used electronic fuel injection, rising from 492 CV to 575 CV in the 6-litre GT of 1999. The Aventador of 2011 brought a new V12, hand-built in Sant’Agata Bolognese and mounted lengthways behind the cabin: a 60-degree engine with multi-point injection, 6,498 cm³, a 95 mm bore and a 76.4 mm stroke. In the final Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae, titanium intake valves helped it reach 780 CV at 8,500 rpm, the most powerful standard-production naturally aspirated V12 in Lamborghini’s history.

What changed with the Revuelto’s V12?

The Revuelto keeps a naturally aspirated V12, but a new one, working with three electric motors for 1,015 CV. Its compact eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox sits crosswise behind the engine and works with the rear electric motor. In the Revuelto SV the V12 produces 825 CV at 9,250 rpm, a radial-flow electric motor is built into the gearbox and a 7.3 kWh battery stores energy. Driving and hybrid modes combine into 13 settings, from all-electric driving to full performance.

What were Lamborghini’s V8 and V10 engines?

The Urraco of 1973 introduced a compact 2.5-litre V8, later offered as a 3.0-litre and, for Italy, a 2.0-litre; the Jalpa of 1981 used a 3.5-litre V8. The Gallardo’s V10 was developed jointly by Audi and Lamborghini engineers, and its 5.2-litre naturally aspirated form also powered the Audi R8 V10. The Huracán’s 90-degree V10 was the first V10 to combine multi-point injection with direct stratified injection (IDS), and the later Huracán EVO, STO and Tecnica produced 640 CV from 5,204 cm³.

Where do Lamborghini’s turbocharged V8 engines fit?

The Urus brought turbocharging to Lamborghini’s road cars with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 of 650 CV, rising to 666 CV and 850 Nm in the Urus Performante. In the Urus SE a re-engineered version of that V8 works with an electric motor for 800 CV. The Temerario has its own 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, developed in Sant’Agata, with 800 PS and 200 PS per litre; it revs to 10,000 rpm, which Lamborghini calls a unique achievement among road sports cars, and with three electric motors gives 920 PS and 730 Nm.

Which gearboxes has Lamborghini used?

Early cars used manual gearboxes, first from ZF and then Lamborghini’s own, and the Espada offered the first optional automatic on a car built in Sant’Agata, sourced from America. The Aventador used the ISR (Independent Shifting Rods) robotised gearbox, which Lamborghini says is lighter and smaller than a manual; the robotised-manual idea is explained in Otto’s guide to SMG gearboxes. The Huracán introduced the seven-speed LDF dual-clutch transmission, and the Revuelto and Temerario use eight-speed dual-clutch gearboxes, the Temerario’s with wet clutches; how a dual-clutch works is covered in DSG explained. The Urus uses an eight-speed automatic, with a torque converter in the Urus SE.

How does Lamborghini’s four-wheel drive work?

The Diablo VT of 1993 brought four-wheel drive to the V12 flagship, sending up to 28 per cent of the torque to the front through a central viscous coupling, with locking differentials of 25 per cent at the front and 45 per cent at the rear; the Murciélago made it standard in 2001. Aventador-era V12 models use an electronically controlled fourth-generation Haldex system with a mechanical self-locking rear differential. The Urus has permanent four-wheel drive with active rear torque vectoring, a Torsen centre differential in the Performante and an electric torque-vectoring unit in the Urus SE, while the Temerario drives its front axle with two electric motors. Rear-wheel drive survives in versions such as the Gallardo LP 550-2 and in racing cars like the Huracán GT3.

What hybrid systems has Lamborghini used?

Lamborghini’s first hybrid system used a supercapacitor instead of a battery. In the Sián FKP 37, a 48-volt lithium-ion supercapacitor with peak currents up to 600 A feeds an electric motor that sends torque directly to the rear wheels and recharges under braking; the Countach LPI 800-4 uses the same group, with a 34 CV motor weighing 34 kg. The Revuelto and Temerario are full plug-in hybrids: the Temerario combines two electric motors on the front axle, a high-voltage battery, the V8 and a rear electric system. Never touch or work on the orange high-voltage cables or battery of a hybrid Lamborghini; that is work for trained technicians with the right equipment.

What engines has Lamborghini built for racing and boats?

Lamborghini Engineering, led by Mauro Forghieri, built a naturally aspirated 12-cylinder for Formula 1 from 1989 to 1993. Lamborghini engines first went into a boat in 1967 and won 10 world titles in powerboat racing between 1984 and 2007. Squadra Corse’s first own competition engine, in the SC63, is a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 working with an electric motor on the rear axle. The Temerario GT3 keeps the road car’s 4.0-litre V8 without the hybrid system, and the track-only Essenza SCV12 has an 830 CV V12 with dynamic supercharging and a six-speed X-trac sequential gearbox driving the rear wheels.

What should a Lamborghini owner in Oman keep in mind?

These are complex, high-revving powertrains, and on hybrid models they are combined with high-voltage electrical systems. Otto has no manufacturer data on typical faults, so diagnosis should start with an inspection rather than assumptions. Follow the manufacturer’s approved service schedule for your exact model, taking local heat and driving conditions into account. AutoTronix PERFORMANCE provides inspection-led support for Lamborghinis, including performance maintenance, mechanical assessment and its Performance Vehicle Health Report.

Common Questions

• Does the Lamborghini Temerario really rev to 10,000 rpm? Yes, according to Lamborghini: its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 reaches a maximum of 10,000 rpm, which Lamborghini calls a unique achievement among road sports cars.
• Which is the most powerful Lamborghini V12? Lamborghini says the Fenomeno, a Few-Off of 29 cars, has the most powerful Lamborghini V12 ever, combined with three electric motors for 1,080 CV. Among standard-production naturally aspirated engines, the record belongs to the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae, with 780 CV.
• What does LDF stand for on a Lamborghini? LDF stands for Lamborghini Doppia Frizione, Italian for Lamborghini dual clutch: the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission of the Huracán, which preselects the next gear and changes by opening one clutch while closing the other.

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