We took an 818bhp ride up the famed Goodwood hill in a very special Lamborghini

The 100+ year reign of the combustion engine may be entering its final chapter in the pages of history, with alternative propulsion looking set to take up the mantle in the very near future. Lamborghini knows this and is already hard at work on its next generation of cars that will have to redefine the Italian marque in the coming decade. Until then, the Raging Bull has one last assignment for its fabled naturally aspirated V12. Meet the Lamborghini Essenza SCV12.

Cutting an aggressive silhouette into the paddock at 2021’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Essenza SCV12 is set to be Lamborghini’s very last ‘pure’ V12 car. Future models will still sport 12 cylinders, but expect them to feature some form of hybrid assistance. This track-only hyper car is £1.9 million of fire and fury to celebrate the passing of a huge character in the world of performance engines.

A maximum of 40 SCV12s will be built, each designed with the new Le Mans hyper car rules in the minds if its creators. Lamborghini’s are no strangers to dramatic design, but this car is pure theatre with aggressive splitters, fins, scoops, ducts and spines manipulate the airflow around it. In fact, this machine is capable of generating over 1,200kg of downforce, highlighting the seriousness of this motorsport machine.

This particular SCV12 is the development prototype, meaning it’s deliciously rough around the edges. Every bit if tape, each small scuff, all telling the story of its evolution. The otherwise spartan carbon-clad cabin features some sculptural elements that host neat switchgear in true Italian fashion.

Better than just ogling this celebration of 12 unadulterated cylinders, we strapped ourselves into its carbon tub via an intricate six-point racing harness in preparation for one of the fastest taxi rides on four wheels. Piloting the SCV12 up the famed Goodwood hillclimb was a race suit-wrapped pro whose grip on the rather stylish wheel indicated that he wasn’t in the mood to dawdle.

Sat on the start line at Goodwood, the Lamborghini SCV12 erupted into life with a bellowing roar as it cleared its throat. A rumbling idle took hold as the 818bhp V12 engine echoed through two large exhaust exits. A twitch of the starting marshal’s hand and the Raging Bull began its charge. Furiously tearing at the Tarmac to put down its 795Nm of mechanical muscle, the visceral sensation of this big beast at work is sensory overload. Accelerating towards the first corner, you are pinned to the seat, as the car angrily shouts at the rapidly shrinking world around it.

The first bend was swiftly disposed of with a brush of the carbon brakes and a flick to the right – this car showing no hesitation, cornering totally flat. Raw acceleration up the main straight highlighted the unrelenting pull of that high-capacity engine and its naturally aspirated responsiveness. Each snatch of the wheel-mounted paddles provoking a kick from that sequential gearbox and the next chapter of glorious V12 symphony.

The SCV12’s poise and agility were certainly surprising for such a large car, but then Lamborghini have been learning many a lesson from exploits in GT3 for many years now. As momentum built, downforce increased and the car bit harder into the Tarmac. Even from the passenger seat, you can tell that this is far from an Aventador with an enormous wing – it feels purebred for motorsport.

Crossing the line to the whoops and hollers of its adoring crowd, the now rather warm cockpit of the SCV12 served as an echo chamber for the engine’s lower notes as the car once again came to rest. Those with the capacity to buy this mean machine can entirely take possession of their SCV12, or Lamborghini can store it for you in readiness for exclusive one-make events as well as your own track adventures. Lucky people indeed.

There’s a real sense that every time this car is driven in anger that it is raging against the forces that will see the end of its species. Like seeing a carnivorous dinosaur howling as a fated asteroid hurtles towards its Earth, you can’t help but feel a mix of emotions. Sadness that this really is the end of an era, but also total admiration that Lamborghini closes the book with such a crescendo.

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