Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

How Seattle is shaping the future of Lamborghini's performance cars

Ronan Glon
By

Lamborghini Centenario
Ronan Glon/Digital Trends
Lamborghini is setting up shop in Seattle, Washington. The Italian supercar manufacturer has just opened up a research facility called Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory (ACSL) that aims to make breakthroughs in carbon-fiber technology.

Seattle is a long way from Sant’Agata Bolognese, the company’s home town in Italy, but it’s strategically located just a stone’s throw from Boeing’s headquarters. The two partners joined forces a couple of years ago to develop carbon-fiber components for Boeing jetliners and Lamborghini supercars.

Recommended Videos

Companies from all over the automotive spectrum are turning to carbon fiber in a bid to make their cars lighter, faster, and more efficient. However, Lamborghini has been dabbling in composite materials for the past three decades.

Related

“Carbon fiber is a material that Lamborghini has a long history with. Starting with the Countach Quattrovalvole and continuing today, it is one of the most important keys to the success of our cars in the past, present, and future,” affirmed company boss Stefano Domenicali in a statement.

Lamborghini showcased its carbon fiber know-how in 2010 when it introduced its patented Forged Composite technology, which drastically shortens the time it takes to form components. The first car to benefit from the technology was the limited-edition Sesto Elemento. Enthusiasts also got a taste of what’s to come earlier this year at the Geneva Auto Show when Lamborghini debuted the limited-edition Centenario (pictured) with a body made entirely out of carbon fiber.

Read more: After decades in the factory, ex-employees help Lamborghini’s Polo Storico restore cars

The future is promising, but Lamborghini is keeping its lips sealed about precisely which projects the ACSL is working on right now. However, it’s safe to bet that the company’s future models — including the Urus SUV that’s set to launch in 2018 — will incorporate an increasing amount of carbon fiber.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon
Contributor
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
‘The cars are the stars.’ How automakers are electrifying the racetrack
The number 60 Acura ARX-06 GTP race car at the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Racing is the soul of the auto industry. It’s the purest expression of the engineering that makes cars possible, and the thing they were engineered to do in the first place — be driven. While it can be full of arcane rules that make government regulations and customer clinics seem like child’s play, racing is where cars are built to be cars, and where drivers are just drivers. And like the rest of the industry, the racing world is now grappling with the need for electrification.

Many automakers have built their reputations on the track, and some are hoping to sprinkle a bit of that motorsports magic dust on their plans to curb internal-combustion engines. Acura, BMW, Cadillac, and Porsche just debuted hybrid race cars in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, a 24-hour race held at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway that’s one of the biggest events on the racing calendar.

Read more
How to charge your electric car at home
Close up of the Hybrid car electric charger station with power supply plugged into an electric car being charged.

One of the biggest perks to owning an electric car is charging it in the comfort of your own home, rather than requiring stops at a gas station every week or so. That means that if you stay on top of charging, and don’t take super long trips, you’ll never really have to worry about when and where to "fill up."

But there are a number of ways to charge up at home, and they’re not all for everyone. In fact, some options are far better than others — and getting the right charging gear for your needs is definitely worth doing.

Read more
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
Charging port on the 2022 Audi e-tron GT

One of the major promises of the electric car is the fact that it'll save you money, at least when it comes to fuel costs. That's true more than ever with the rise of gasoline prices in recent times, making it pretty easy to spend $100 or more on a tank, depending on your car model. But perhaps one of the major misconceptions with electric cars is the fact that they're not free. That's right, you'll still have to pay to charge your car.

But how much, exactly? Well, it varies radically. Things like the location of your charger, the car you're driving, and more can all impact how much it costs to charge a car.

Read more