Remember the Lamborghini Essenza SCV12? It now officially boasts the first carbon fibre chassis in the market without a steel roll cage homologated to FIA hypercar safety standards. The full carbon chassis of the track-only hypercar is produced in the autoclaves of Lamborghini’s CFK department in Sant’ Agata Bolognese, where the current Aventador line is made.

The production chassis from which the Essenza SCV12 is derived requires extensive reinforcement at several points to meet the FIA’s stringent homologation tests. The chassis must withstand a whopping 12 tonnes of force without exhibiting a significant deformation to pass the tests.

The tests include both static and dynamic tests. There are over 20 static tests, involving the pedals, belts and fuel tank. As for the dynamic tests, the chassis is subjected to impact speeds of up to 14 metres per second; the chassis must resist intrusion from external elements, while the fuel tank must not leak.

Doing away with the steel roll cage is beneficial not just from the weight’s perspective, but also provides an ample amount of cockpit space. This allows the company’s Squadra Corse technicians to mount the seats lower than the road models. Additionally, there are two side-impact guards made of composite material to protect the driver and passenger. 

The Essenza SCV12 also boasts a 20 per cent higher torsional stiffness than the Huracan GT3 Evo thanks to the location of the cradle in the monocoque’s rear. The engine is housed in the cradle perfectly mounted longitudinally, while the transmission shoulders the load-bearing and structural functions.

The first units were delivered to customers this April, with the track events slated to commence at the end of this month.

Words: Arif Sharif