The Last Petrol Supercar

“This will be the last big V12 Lambo will be able to sell”

We’ve heard that line a lot, but yet, what did Lamborghini launch this year, in 2021? A 6.5L V12. Sure it has a ‘hybrid’ system, but it only offers 34 hp and doesn’t actually have a battery instead opting for a tiny capacity supercapacitor. Sure, you could argue it’s an indication of what’s to come, but what’s to come is clearly still a stonking great petrol engine. You might make the argument that BMW went from a 5L V10 to a 4.4L V8 in the M5, but that’s not solely because of emissions regulations. The 4.4L V8 produces 600 PS and 750 Nm of torque, although can be stage 1 remapped to 710 PS which is insane. And yes, you get better fuel economy too, but offering 100 hp more at stock, or 200 more after a tune, well I know I won’t be complaining.

This argument was articulated over and over again with the launch of the new Porsche 911 GT3. Chris Harris said “I’m gonna miss these when you can’t buy them anymore” more times than he said “double wishbone suspension”, but it seems a bit odd we are creating this nostalgia for something that’s very much still available, and not going away overly quickly. The UK Government has decreed it intends to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine cars in 2030 – with a caveat for plug in hybrid vehicles which can still be sold new until 2035.

Now I should make it clear I actually fully support this plan – or the intent anyway. We as a nation, and the world, should be doing everything we can to reduce our emissions so we don’t end up with an uninhabitable wasteland in a generation or two’s time. With that said, this move seems a little rushed. While many car manufacturers do offer battery electric vehicles, most only offer one model which is either an insanely expensive luxury or sports model, or small yet still expensive city car. While technologies are improving, costs are reducing, and infrastructure is growing, I’m not sure we are at the point where everyone in the UK could asked to buy an EV tomorrow and everything would be fine.

I fully expect some amount of pushback on this decision, especially when we get closer to 2030. I also expect there will be further caveats added so manufacturers will be allowed to offer ‘special editions’ or ‘halo products’, like the 911 GT3, or whatever V12 Lambo brings out in the next few years, so for the lucky few with hundreds of thousands of pounds in the bank going spare you want to splash on a new GT3 or Aventador, I’m sure you will be catered for.

But remember, that ban isn’t set to take place until 2030. That’s currently a full 9 years away. We are closer in time to the launch of the Lamborghini Huracán than we are to the ban, by 3 full years. There will be more revisions of the GT3, there will be more petrol Lambos, and even hot hatches like the new Golf R and Audi S3 & RS3’s. It’s a long way off yet.

And even if it wasn’t, that ban only applies to brand new cars, so the 996 GT3 you’ve been lusting after on Autotrader – yeah that’ll still be legal for you to go and buy. You love the sound of the screaming V10 in the M5? Great, go buy it! They will still be around.

But Andrew, car makers have already announced they are stopping development of new internal combustion engines so isn’t that the end for cars as we know it? Well sure, VW has. But VW is trying to reinvent their image after dieselgate, BMW said they have no plans to stop ICE development, and Daimler, Mercedes Benz’s parent company, said while they won’t design new engines, they won’t be stopping the development of existing ones, so you’ll still be able to buy an A45s for a good few years yet.

Overall, I feel the pining for a future that’s almost a decade away is misplaced. Yes, when internal combustion engines are no longer common place I’ll miss the sound of a roaring V8, and even the DSG farts of my V6, but it’s going to be decades before everyone has an electric car, and decades more before even owning a weekend car with a combustion engine is wholly impractical. They won’t go away, they won’t be outlawed, much in the same way horses still exist and people still ride around on them on the roads. It’s just something more practical is coming and eventually we will all be using electric cars, but the few of us that care can still own our old faithfuls. And all of this discounts the enjoyment you’ll get from an electric car, namely the instant torque and the ability to beat almost anyone off the line.

I’m excited for our electric future, but I’m not worried about our fossil juice machines vanishing overnight, and I don’t think you should be either.