Most powerful Lamborghini ever to land at Frankfurt

Just ahead of the reveal at next week’s 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, Lamborghini has released details about the Sián, the Italian supercar maker’s first hybrid. Plebian eyes have yet to hear the razor-edged Sián, but we now know this will be Lamborghini’s most powerful road vehicle ever.

The Sián will not only be the most powerful road-going Lambo to date; it will also be one of the most complex.

The Sián adds a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to Lambo’s 6.5-liter V-12 to punch out a combined 819 horsepower. Though the Sián is based on the Aventador SVJ, it boasts an advantage of roughly 50 hp over the 770 hp SVJ (rounding up from the 566 kW stat). The Sián routes its power to all four wheels via a seven-speed single-clutch semi-automatic transmission, Lamborghini’s electronically controlled AWD system, and a mechanical-locking rear differential.

Unlike most mild-hybrid vehicles, which tack an electric motor onto the combustion engine, the system used in the Sián incorporates the 34-hp motor into the gearbox, making it the first mild hybrid that can directly power the driven wheels with its electric motor. That also allows electric power to be used by itself during low-speed maneuvers and to fill in some torque when needed during regular driving.

Also unlike other hybrids, the Sián uses a supercapacitor, not battery cells, to store electricity. Lamborghini says that the supercap is a third the weight of a conventional lithium-ion battery pack with the same power. Unlike lithium-ion cells, the supercapacitor can also charge and discharge at the same rate, allowing a full recharge every time the regenerative brakes are activated.

As you’d expect from the most powerful Lambo ever, performance is impressive, with a zero-to-62 mph (100 kph) time of less than 2.8 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 217 mph. While those speeds are roughly comparable to the SVJ’s, Lamborghini says that by using the electric motor’s assist, rolling acceleration times have been improved over the SVJ for better real-world performance. We just want the Sián’s trap speed.

As far as styling is concerned, the Sián’s basic lines go back to Marcello Gandini’s Countach, with details inspired by the recent Terzo Millennio concept. The interior is upholstered in leather sourced from Poltrona Frau, with some interior parts 3D-printed, a first for a production Lamborghini.

In case you don’t have a dictionary close to hand, Sián means “flash” or “lightning” in the Bolognese dialect spoken in the region around Lamborghini’s Sant’Agata headquarters. Just 63 Siáns will be built at a base price of $3.6 million, which doesn’t include customization by Lamborghini’s Ad Personam bespoke program. We’re betting each Sián will be a one-off. If you want one, you’ll have to wait to buy one used, as they’ve already all sold out.

In case you are wondering, the number “63” is an homage to the year that Ferruccio Lamborghini started his own exotic car company, 1963, after an imperious Enzo Ferrari treated the tractor manufacturer dismissively over a poorly functioning clutch in his personal Ferrari.