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Of all the GT3-shaming, ultra-limited edition track specials of late, none have a powertrain quite like the new Lamborghini SCV12 Essenza. The McLaren Senna GTR a a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 tuned to 814 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, the Brabham BT62 a 700-horsepower naturally aspirated 5.4-liter V8, and the Ferrari comes close with its 1050-horsepower LaFerrari-based FXX K Evo with a 6.3-liter naturally aspirated Tipo F140 V12 with hybrid and HY-KERS system onboard. Lastly, Gordon Murray’s T.50s and its 12,100rpm V12 tuned to 730 horsepower are a few years away, meaning that the Lamborghini Squadra Corse’s 830-hp 6.5-liter V12 is currently the ultimate in pure 12-cylinder fury.
The Sant’Agata factory is bound to continue with a fully electrified lineup as well, yet for now, with its ram-air intake and 57-year experience in building powerful V12s, the SCV12 is like an FIA-spec future cousin of Ferrari’s naturally aspirated FXX from 2005. And while it sounds just as excellent from the outside, what only a few will ever experience is wheeling this thing around a place as magical as Monza.
While testing the prototype SCV12 Essenza’s brakes and handling characteristics, Lamborghini driver Raffaele Giammaria made sure to use all the revs before pulling the paddles of X-trac’s sequential six-speed transmission. This way, we can get a better idea of what’s it like to enjoy Lamborghini’s most powerful V12 to date, which is jammed into the brand’s new-generation carbon fiber monocoque with an aero package that’s more efficient than what the FIA currently allows for in GT3 racing.
Lamborghini will only build 40 SCV12s, and what’s perhaps surprising is that having looked at the sound levels of his recording, Youtuber 19Bozzy92 asked both Raffaele Giammaria and Emanuele Pirro about the experience, only for both drivers to describe the SCV12 as relative quiet on the inside.
In a well-isolated helmet, that is.
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