Revuelto is 1000bhp V12 PHEV

The successor to Lamborghini's Aventador has a new design, tub, engine and tech

- MIKE DUFF

Lamborghini's long-awaited successor to the Aventador has arrived as the Italian marque's first proper foray into the electric age - albeit with the bulk of the Revuelto's 1000bhp being drawn from a new 6.5-litre V12 engine.

The Italian firm's maiden plug-in hybrid, which was code-named LB744, is the most potent supercar in its history. It can therefore deliver some eye-watering numbers: 0-62mph in 2.5sec, 0-124mph in less than 7.0sec and a top speed beyond 217mph.

This is due to the V12 being supplemented by three 147bhp electric motors - one inside the new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and one on each front wheel.

Keeping V12 power was a battle, admitted former chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani, who led the early development of the Revuelto, going against the Volkswagen Group's widespread efforts to downsize and turbocharge. Yet it was a battle that Lamborghini won, thanks to overwhelming support from customers and hybridisation being used to cut emissions.

The new engine, turned 180deg compared with that in the Aventador, is 17kg lighter yet makes more power, delivering 814bhp at a searing 9250rpm, with the limiter not calling time until 250rpm later.

The battery, which sits in what would previously have been considered the transmission tunnel, has a modest capacity of 3.8kWh, which is good for an electric-only range of around six miles.