As Good as it Gets

Welcome to the new chapter in Automobiles.

For years, the automotive industry has used hybrid technology to reduce emissions and dial back the harmful effects that a standard gas combustion engine had on the environment.  But leave it to McLaren to take this idea, flip it on its head and turn the dial up to eleven.  McLaren instead took a electric engine and married it to their already insane engines, and from this insanity the McLaren P1, was born.

The granddaddy of them all, the McLaren P1.

This is British engineering at its absolute best.  The P1 was designed to be a lightweight, all out assault on the race track.

The car was designed to be a light as possible, everything is made out of carbon fiber.  In the inside of the P1 there is no glove box, there's not even carpet.  The glass used in the windows, is only 3 1/2 millimeters thick.  That is 1 1/2 millimeter thinner than the glass in the cars we drive.  There is no lacquer on the exposed carbon fiber trim, because it saves 1 1/2 kilograms.  The monocage tub, were the driver and passage sits, only weights 90 kilograms.  The entire body of the car is only made up of five pieces.  Which mean less glue and bolts to hold it all together, which in return means less weight.  And for what bolts and other metal bits the P1 does have, they are all made of titanium. The whole car altogether only weighs 1490 kilograms.

The car has two engines, the first is the mid-mounted twin-turbo V-8 that makes 727 hp.  The second is the electric motor that makes an additional 176 hp.  The combined total output is 903 hp and 722 lb-ft of torque.  Since the P1 is so light, the car can rocket to 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds.  124 mph clocks in at 6.8 seconds.  The quarter miles comes in at 9.8 seconds, at 152 mph.  the P1 will keep on going to an electronically limited top speed of 218 mph.

The only significant weight comes from the air rushing over the car.  The car's aero dynamics are what keep that car planted to the road.  As the car gains speed the massive rear wing deploys.  The rear wing can produce a peek of 600 kg of downforce.  But after the car reaches 156 mph the rear wing slightly retracts, it does this because the force of the wind is so great that it would destroy the car's suspension.

This car is the absolute future of super cars.  With the emissions problems we have, we can not have screaming V-12's that only get 6 miles to the gallon anymore.  So instead of laying down and dying, the automotive industry does what is always has, innovate.  And the result is one of the most outrageous cars of our time.















Photo Credit: (In order of appearance)

http://image.motortrend.com/f/roadtests/exotic/1403_mclaren_p1_how_i_set_the_motor_trend_production_car_record/63629411/2014-mclaren-p1-front-three-quarters-

02.jpghttp://image.motortrend.com/f/roadtests/exotic/1403_mclaren_p1_how_i_set_the_motor_trend_production_car_record/63629402/2014-mclaren-p1-front-end-in-motion.jpg

http://image.motortrend.com/f/roadtests/exotic/1403_mclaren_p1_how_i_set_the_motor_trend_production_car_record/63629432/2014-mclaren-p1-rear-end.jpg

New Lamborghini Unveiled

Making its debut at the Paris Motor show, and......it's a hybrid......I know I'm surprised too.  But it's true the Lamborghini Asterion concept is in fact, a hybrid.  Yes, the the Toyota Prius, and the new Lamborghini finally have something in common. Both cars produce power from two types of engines, electric and gas.  But that is were the similarities end, thank god. (No offense Prius owners)

Lamborghini is keeping with tradition of naming their cars after bulls.  Asterion is the proper name for minotaur. In greek mythology,  minotaurs are part man, part bull.  The name also plays on the notion of the vehicle being a hybrid, and having two engines, well four kind of.

The four engines combined produce a whopping 897 hp.  The 5.2 liter V-10 engine produces 602 hp by itself.  On top of that, there is an electric motor mounted between the V-10, and the seven speed dual-clutch transmission.  The transmission is located at the back of the car this time around.  There are also two smaller electric motors mounted on the front axil.  The motors send power to each individual front wheel.  All together the electric motors produce 295 hp.  The Asterion has three driving modes, the first is EV. Which, is pure electric mode.  The electric motors in the front two wheels are the only thing driving the car.  The car can run for 31 miles in this mode before it will need to charge its batteries.  The second is Termico, Italian for thermal, in this mode you have the full power of the V-10 engine.  The third and final mode is Ibrido, which is Italian for hybrid.  This Mode gives you all four engines, and the full 897 hp to play with.

This is not the fire breathing super car that we are used to Lamborghini designing.  The Asterion is being built as a luxury hyper gran tour.  The styling of the car, is not the wedge shape of current Lamborghinis.  This car has a taller roof line that allows the seating position to be higher.  The car is built to be comfortable on long trips, and every day driving.  But you have almost 900 hp there if you need it.

Lamborghini has stated that the car is not for sale, and is just a concept.  From experience though, I know that car companies don't usually spend this much effort on concepts unless it's going to production.  We might not see the Asterion on the streets but, I guarantee you that its hybrid technology will make it to one of Lamborghini's future vehicles.

Photo Credit "in order of appearance"

http://image.motortrend.com/f/future/concept_vehicles/1410_lamborghini_asterion_concept_first_look/82380471/lamborghini-asterion-concept-front-three-quarter.jpg

http://image.motortrend.com/f/future/concept_vehicles/1410_lamborghini_asterion_concept_first_look/82380483/lamborghini-asterion-concept-side-profile.jpg

http://image.motortrend.com/f/future/concept_vehicles/1410_lamborghini_asterion_concept_first_look/82380561/lamborghini-asterion-concept-front-three-quarter-07.jpg

http://image.motortrend.com/f/future/concept_vehicles/1410_lamborghini_asterion_concept_first_look/82380573/lamborghini-asterion-concept-rear-end-02.jpg