THE GENIUS OF LAMBORGHINI LB744'S NEW TRANSMISSION

SINCE THEY HIT the mainstream in the early 2000s, dual-clutch transmissions (DCTs) have travelled along a curious curve of driver acceptance.

At 193kg, Lamborghini's new eight-speed DCT weighs notably less than the Huracán's seven-speeder. It's faster-shifting, too.

Initial joy that they were so much more compelling than the torque-converter slushers and automated manuals they replaced eventually gave way to a yearning for manuals as the novelty wore off. However, it's hard to imagine Lamborghini's new LB744 plug-in hybrid hypercar being fitted with anything else.

Developed at Sant'Agata but doubtless drawing on the wider Volkswagen Group's huge experience with DCT technology, Lamborghini's eight-speed "double-clutch" transmission (so many different names for the same thing) is completely new and developed especially for the LB744.

Breaking with Lamborghini's tradition of mainly longitudinal engines and forward-facing gearboxes, the LB744 is powered by what might be described as a T-drive, with a longitudinal engine coupled to a transverse gearbox behind it. What would've been the transmission tunnel ahead of the battery is occupied by a small (3.8kWh) drive battery.