Lamborghini Jota

When someone says "supercar," what image jumps to mind? More often than not, it's a Lamborghini and that legacy appears to be safe from pretenders as our spy photographers have captured what is believed to be the first images of the long-awaited Murcielago successor.

Rumored to be called "Jota," the new top-shelf Lambo will be the company's first all-new car since the departure of head designer Luc Donckerwolke and succession of Manfred Fitzgerald, best known for his work on the Estoque concept and the Reventon. This car has been captured for the first time winter testing at the Volkswagen Auto Group's secret test facility in northern Scandinavia and offers an early preview of the next big-banger Lambo.

There is no mistaking this car for anything but a Lamborghini. While Fitzgerald may take the design in a new direction, he's been careful not to stray far from the silhouette that made Lamborghini famous, one that harkens back not only to the Murcielago but to the Diablo and Countach before it. In fact, Lamborghini aficionados will note that the nose of this prototype bears a striking resemblance to the Murcielago with its massive air intakes, slim headlights and cab-forward design.

Move further back, though, and things start to get interesting. The big air scoops found directly in front of the rear wheels on the Murcielago have moved up and grown even larger and now take the shape of massive scoops that reach far up the doors to gobble as much air as possible to feed the big V-12 out back. Containing the massive engine is a new rear end that appears more upright than the Murcielago's with slimmer taillights and a profile that suggests hints from the Reventon, complete with rear window louvers. In all, our spy photographers say the Jota is roughly the same size as the Murcielago.

More interesting, though, is what lies beneath. According to our sources in Europe, Lamborghini is thinking even bigger when it comes to performance. Rumor has it that the big V-12 engine has been updated with direct fuel injection and now puts out as much as 700 hp. Complementing the increased power is a lighter chassis, with the Murcielago's steel tub frame swapped for an aluminum space frame cloaked almost entirely in carbon-fiber body work save for the aluminum roof and doors. Like nearly all modern Lambos, save the Valentino Balboni Gallardo, the Jota will most likely be all-wheel drive. Rumor has it Lamborghini is now working with Swedish powertrain experts Haldex on a new AWD system.