Buyers of high-end exotic cars can dress up their new rides in several ways. Got to have your air vent surrounds the same color as your Porsche? Done. Want the tread plates made out of aluminum? No problem. Manufacturers will even allow you to splash carbon fiber accents all over your vehicle’s interior. But Lamborghini has gone a step further: forged composite trim for its Aventador and Huracan personalization programs. It will be available in the form of front and rear spoilers, air intake edges, door sills, and instrument binnacle and infotainment frames.
You’re probably asking, “What the hell is forged composite?!”
It might just be the wave of the future.
Traditional carbon fiber is a layered tapestry of thin fibers held together by a resin. It’s then baked and pressurized in an autoclave. While stronger and lighter than steel, CF is very expensive and labor-intensive, and can be surprisingly fragile if hit along a weak load path.
The Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory at the University of Washington, which formed beneficial partnerships with Lamborghini’s Advanced Composite Research Center and Callaway Golf in 2009, has devised a significantly quicker, less costly method of creating lightweight components. Forged composites are a mix of fiber chips mashed together, molded and cooked into various shapes. For instance, the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento used forged composites for its chassis, front and rear structures, and interior and exterior parts, such as control arms. The Aventador’s badges are made out of the material, too.
While forged composites do offer advantages over carbon fiber, they lack CF’s overall strength. Engineers have tested them for their responses to extreme temperatures and corrosion, and for their long-term durability.
If we see another raging bull with structural forged composites any time soon, it will probably use them for bolt-ons, such as suspension links and crash structures.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
