LAMBORGHINI MINOTAURO EXPLORING SOFT SHAPES FOR AN ELECTRIC LAMBORGHINI
PROJECT GOAL:
1. Aesthetic goal: Explore soft shapes for a new Lamborghini design language
The hard edge, faceted design seems to have peaked with the Lamborghini Reventon. To imagine a continuation in this origami style while keeping the purity specific to the Italian brand is almost impossible. Could a Sant’Agata pure-bred keep its identity while displaying soft, voluptuous shapes? This was the main question searching for an answer in this design experiment.
2. Technical goal: Redefine the Lamborghini supercar as an electric vehicle
Can we accept a supercar without a big V12 roaring in the back? Is the electrification of the cars killing all the fun or is it opening new possibilities for the motoring aficionado? How can we turn a “buzzing” gearless power train into a future automotive icon?
3. Functional goal: Integrate the new vehicle in the reality of the year 2020
Lamborghinis were never simple means of transportation; what more will they have to offer in the next decade? How will an electric Lamborghini be perceived ten years from now? What functions and requirements will it have to meet?
Minotauro (Italian for “minotaur”) was in the Greek mythology a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man. It was chosen as a name for the car after a brainstorming that identified one distinctive feature of the Lamborghini cars. That they are beasts you fight and let you live to tell the tale.
Other keywords taken into consideration when developing this project were: Italian, Extreme, Unexpected, Purity, Ornaments and embellishments free, Physically addictive experience, Pure automotive extravagance, Technological marvel.
The electric Lamborghini is equipped with 4 asynchronous motors that divide power 70% to the rear and 30% to the front axle. Electricity is supplied by a Li-Tec flatcell battery pack located in the rear doubled by a KERS system in the front.
The absence of a big V12 engine in the rear creates enough room for a third passenger in a central position. In the exterior, this unusual layout is communicated by the use of the narrow rear window that is shaped in order to improve interior lighting and head room for the rear occupant.
On the driver side the car has a normal door, while on the passenger side there is a longer “Lambo door” that also offers access for the rear passenger.
The triangle shaped air extakes in the rear serve for battery cooling and visually replace the traditional exhausts, which play such an important role in a traditional supercar. They also act like the tubes of a subwoofer, channelling the sound of the electric motors, placed behind them.
In 2020, with the acquisition of the new Minotauro, the Lamborghini owner will also get involved in a brand new experience called REAL LIFE ONLINE GAMING. In this scenario the Lamborghini driver can race his car on a real racetrack (like the Nurburgring). The GPS data of his racing lap is uploaded into the Playstation game network as a ghost. PS players from all over the world can race in virtual reality against the Lamborghini owner and try to beat his best lap. This is the car enthusiasts’ social networking for the next decade.
