Just when you think that you have the auto industry all figured out, it still finds a way to make you question what you know. Very few automakers are as good at doing that as Lamborghini, and after bearing witness to the madness that is the Terzo Millennia Concept, I might as well just throw my hands up and admit defeat. I don’t know enough to know what Lamborghini knows because, if I did, I would’ve seen the Terzo Millennio Concept coming a while ago. But nothing prepares you for this kind of presentation, especially when the Italian automaker is involved. You just sit back, be amazed, and try not to piss yourself in the process.

The narrative surrounding the Terzo Millennio Concept is a pretty straightforward one. The concept is a joint creation by Lamborghini and some smart folks from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was created to showcase the future of the Raging Bull, or rather, the possibilities of what can happen in automotive design and engineering when smart people work together for a common purpose. History hasn’t always been kind to this innovative bullishness, but if there’s one automaker that has proven to be adept at bringing state-of-the-art tech to life, no matter how ridiculous they may be, it’s Lamborghini. All that is why the Terzo Millennio Concept is so intriguing beyond the fact that it proudly wears the iconic Sant’Agata Bull badge. The concept may be defined by tech offerings that don’t exist yet, but that’s not to say they can’t happen, especially when Lamborghini’s involved.

Continue after the jump to read more about the Lamborghini Terzo Millenio Concept.

Exterior

Where do I even begin? I suppose the obvious place to start is the “Terzo Millennio” name, which basically means “Third Millennium.” It’s no accident that Lamborghini opted for that monicker since CEO Stefano Domenicali himself referred to the concept as “the future of the super sports car for the third millennium."

One look at the Terzo Millennio, and it’s easy to see the reference. The concept is outlandish in so many ways, yet it’s no accident that it looks the way it does. There’s a purpose behind every aerodynamic detail to the car, from the massive LMP1-style wheel arches, the short hood, the expansive windshield, to all the carbon fiber panels that seemingly protrude on all sections of the concept from just about every direction.

The front section has hints of Lamborghini’s styling DNA, but there are some new aspects to it too. For one, I haven’t seen a Lamborghini with that kind lighting configuration before. The shortened hood is another new approach, and it is a little jarring to see the windshield extend all the way to the same level as the headlights. It’s also worth noting how close to the ground the concept is. At least that’s one feature that you can expect to remain in concept form.

Move to the side, and you’ll see one of the defining design traits of the Terzo Milennio. Panels deemed unnecessary have been stripped out in the name of making the concept as light as possible. You’ll see in a few angles that the traditional intakes in front of the rear wheels have been taken out completely. The result is a completely exposed section that gives the wind another area to blast through unimpeded. The concept also features two gills on each side - another nod to the unbridled focus on aerodynamics. It’s a similar story in the rear of the concept, though if I may be granted an opinion, this is my favorite section of the Terzo MIllenio. The stance alone is perfect. It’s brutish and elegant at the same time, kind of like how you’d describe a massive bull with muscles bulging from every body part but still moves with the grace that we humans can only dream of. It’s beautiful. It’s spectacular. It’s a work of art.

Here’s the really interesting part about the Terzo Millenio. I’ve rambled on about its design attributes, but I’ve yet to get to the defining element of the concept. Those body panels that make up the body of the concept aren’t just standard carbon fiber panels. They also store the concept’s power source. Yes, you read that right. The body panels themselves contain the batteries, specifically carbon fiber nanotubes that are malleable enough to to be shaped in such a way that they can be thin enough to be sandwiched in layers of carbon fiber, thus preventing the possibility of future Lambo owners getting electrocuted.

And, you thought the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio was your typical run-of-the-mill concept? Well, guess again.

Interior

There's not much to talk as far as the interior is concerned. What we do know at this point is that the concept only comes with two seats since, you know, weight savings. Other than that, there's plenty to speculate on what kind of cabin the concept has. Knowing Lamborghini, I imagine something of a never-seen-before set-up that relies on some kind of advanced AI interface with enough futuristic mumbo-jumbo to make George Jetson proud.

Drivetrain

If you're dreaming about numbers, then continue to dream because neither Lamborghini nor MIT have any concrete power figures attached to the Terzo Millennio. Not that it matters because horsepower should be the least of our concern anyway. What's important is the tech that comes with the concept, and as I mentioned earlier, it's a doozy.

There are still elements about the drivetrain that speak to our language. One is the use of four electric motors, housed at each of the four wheels. Another is the use of advanced supercapacitors, something that Lamborghini has already fiddled with in the current Aventador.

But it wouldn’t be a Lamborghini concept without the inclusion of mind-blowing technology. This is where those body panels come into the equation. The idea is that instead of installing a clunky battery pack in the car - that’s added weight, among other perceived nuisances - the energy storage are built into the body panels of the car through that carbon fiber sandwiching process I alluded to earlier. Having this energy source in the body of the car not only helps in generating high amounts of power for the car, but also assists it through fast recharging, effective regeneration of kinetic energy, and slow degradation of the battery pack itself.

The technology itself is a definite shot into the future, but it isn’t without its real-world issues, one of which is the physical integrity of the carbon fiber. As durable as it is, it’s no vibranium, so there is a possibility that the material cracks or even breaks, especially when it’s subjected to a good amount of electricity literally flowing inside of it. To address that, Lambo and MIT are looking at a tech feature that essentially lets the carbon fiber material heal by itself.

I won’t blame any of you if your eyebrows start trending upwards, but this is still a concept so the thin line between reality is fantasy is understandably a lot more blurred than it should be. In any event, Lamborghini says that the concept will be able to monitor its carbon fiber structure - there’s that AI technology I’m predicting - and detect if there are any issues to any of its panels, be it cracked, or completely broken. In these instances, the Italian automaker literally said that “micro-channels filled with healing chemistries” will do the repairs by themselves. I don’t know what micro-channels are, and I’m pretty sure that the phrase “healing chemistries” is a good source of chuckles, but the possibilities are pretty fascinating, provided that you open your imagination.

In other words, when the world’s greatest minds collaborate on a concept like the Lamborghini Terzo Millenio, we’re going to need to give them some latitude on some of the crazy stuff.

Conclusion

There’s a lot to like about the Lamborghini Terzo Millennia, but as with most concept vehicles like this, it’s hard to really gauge its effectiveness. Most of what Lamborghini and MIT created speak to an automotive future that doesn’t exist yet or, at best, is at least still in its embryonic stage. It’s hard to tell if these features will ever come to pass, let alone turn into something meaningful in the future. These are discussions for another time, though credit should still go to Lamborghini for already looking into future automotive technology.

As far as how the concept looks, well, just look at it. It’s the embodiment of what it means to take pride in the Lamborghini name. Fearsome, brutish, and classy all at the same time. That’s the kind of concept we expect from the Italian automaker. Safe to say that it’s reassuring to know that the company hasn’t lost its touch in this regard.