Composite Motors history

The Stout 46 developed by Owens Corning and William Stout in 1945 is acknowledged as the world’s first composite prototype car, with a fiberglass body shell and air suspension.

Introduced in 1953, General Motors’ (GM, Detroit, MI, US) Chevrolet Corvette has continuously used composites in its body panels.

1983: Lamborghini launches the development and use of carbon fiber for the first time.

Launched in 1984, with production eventually exceeding 100,000 cars/yr, it was GM’s first vehicle to use non-loadbearing plastic body panels attached to a steel space frame.

Starting production in 1990, GM’s Saturn vehicles followed on from the Fiero, also using a steel space frame and injection molding, but replacing polyurethane with PC/ABS for doors and PC/PBT for the front fenders.

By 2000, Ford was using 50,000 MT of SMC per year in hoods, fenders and decklids, making it the largest consumer in North America.

By 2005, Corvette began using carbon fiber in its C6 and C7 models.

By 2006, the Automotive Composites Alliance reported 123,000 MT of SMC used in North American cars and heavy trucks, while DSM Composite Resins (now Aliancys AG, Schauffhausen, Switzerland) tallied European consumption at 100,000 MT.

2007: a close partnership with the University of Washington (UW) is established; an important milestone in the history of composites at Lamborghini.

2008: the first collaboration agreement is signed with Boeing to study the crash behavior of composite materials and the Aventador monocoque.

2010: as a result of its collaboration with Boeing and Callaway – the golf club manufacturer – Lamborghini develops Forged Composites® technology, a specific patent leading to the Sesto Elemento supercar concept in the space of just a few days.

2011: debut of the new Aventador LP 700-4, equipped with an innovative carbon fiber monocoque designed and manufactured entirely in Sant’Agata Bolognese.

2014: Automobili Lamborghini becomes the first automotive firm in the world to obtain TÜV certification for its carbon fiber car repair service.

2015: creation of Carbonskin®. Automobili Lamborghini extends its activities in the field of flexible materials and, after years of research and development, designs a new carbon fiber material with flexible matrix, suitable for applications in car interiors.