-Mr. Maurizio Reggiani of Lamborghini
Sometimes a car manufacturer does not only do motor shows in order to showcase its capabilities and cars. It does other types of trade shows too. Lamborghini is in Paris showcasing its skills and capability in the development and application of carbon fibre at the JEC Composite Show held on the 13th to 15th April 2010. The JEC is and organization dedicated to promoting composites internationally. It supports the development of these materials by fostering knowledge transfer and exchanges between suppliers and users. To date, the JEC network connects more than 250,000 professionals worldwide from 96 different countries. Lamborghini is the Honoured Guest of the Paris JEC Composite Show, where Lamborghini’s Director of Research and Development Mr. Maurizio Reggiani held an opening address.
Lamborghini had taken up a booth displaying the latest composite material technologies that the company has developed and/or used and basically showcased the stealth fighter lookalike Lamborghini Reventón at the show.
More than 1,000 companies from all areas of the composite materials industry (especially the aeronautical/aviation companies) had participated at the JEC Composite Show. And you would know that product marketing is also carried out here, where CEOs of these companies (who basically can afford a Lamborghini) are present. I would be pretty confident that a few side deals of car enquiries would be entertained aside from the actual composite technology discussion going on.
Anyway, Carbon-fibre reinforced (CFRP) composite materials are becoming key factor within the high-performance automobile sector, especially since this material is extremely high stiff and very light weight. These materials allow high-precision lightweight design and construction and results in an improvement in power-to-weight ratio. This in turn delivers increased driving dynamics while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Furthermore, within Lamborghini, the utilization of composite materials enables new solutions in the construction of components and, when used as a visual material, offers an extremely aesthetic look to the items utilizing it. Take a look at the Reventón as a very good example.
Lamborghini first gained experience in the application of carbon-fibre composite materials back in the 1980s with the Countach. And now, the flagship model Murciélago (base model of the Reventón) makes extensive use of CFRP in its bodyshell. The bodyshell of the Murciélago weighs only 303 kilograms. A further example is the new Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera, through the increased application of carbon-fibre, its weight compared with the base model has been reduced by around 70 kilograms. The outcome is improved performance with reduced fuel consumption as well as a CO2 reduction of 20.5 percent compared with its predecessor.
If you have an interest in composites, JEC Composites Show Asia will be held in Singapore on 12-14 October 2010 tentatively at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre. Visitors may be limited to trade visitors (or students) only by the looks of it. And Lamborghini may not be participating in this upcoming show but from the 2009 show in Singapore had some automotive companies, mainly Toyota Auto Body Co Ltd and lots of aeronautical composites based companies (if you’re into aviation that is).
JEC Composite Show, Paris and 4 more...
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