We’ve seen and heard so much about Lamborghini’s upcoming replacement for its Murcielago supercar, the LP700-4, or Aventador as it’s expected to be known. We know all the details about its brand new 6.5-liter V-12 engine and ISR automated manual gearbox, even seen a leaked ordering guide and estimated pricetag for the car.

However, there’s still plenty of info to be divulged before the car makes its official debut at March’s 2011 Geneva Motor Show and the latest tidbits comes from none other than Lamborghini R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani.

Speaking with Automotive News on the eve of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, Reggiani revealed that the LP700-4 will feature a full carbon fiber chassis and body. This was made possible thanks to research conducted at the recently established Automobili Lamborghini Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory (ACSL) in the University of Washington.

Together with the research lab’s help, as well as some additional help from aviation giant Boeing, Lamborghini has built its new supercar around a carbon fiber tub and body that boasts stiffness calculated as 35,000 Newton-meters per degree of deflection. In comparison, the outgoing Murcielago only measured in at 20,000 Nm, while the Koenigsegg CCR comes in at 28,100 Nm.

We also know that the LP700-4 will develop 700 metric horsepower, or about 690 traditional horses, along with 509 pound-feet of torque. This is around 30 horsepower more than the most powerful Murcielago model but as Reggiani explains, it will produce about 20 percent fewer CO2 emissions.

As mentioned, the car will feature a new automated manual gearbox dubbed ISR. Lamborghini claims the automated manual is competitive with dual clutch transmissions thanks to Independent Shifting Rod technology--hence the name, ISR. Instead of taking place in series, as with a conventional gearbox, shifting can occur virtually in parallel. While one shifting rod is moving out of one gear, the second shifting rod can already engage the next. Moreover, the transmission weighs only 174 pounds--a distinct benefit, even against comparable dual clutch units, which are considerably heavier.

This new gearbox is being sourced from current Lamborghini supplier Graziano Trasmissioni Group, according to Reggiani. It will also have a special “Corsa” mode that will allow shifts to be accomplished in 50 milliseconds. In comparison, a typical F1 race car shifts gears in about 40 ms.

To read up on the rest of the details surrounding the new Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 supercar, click here.

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