Electrification hasn’t stripped the beast of its charisma. The naturally aspirated 6.5l engine, on permanent display under a glass cover, revs to a sonically stirring 9 500rpm. The fighting bull after which the car is named was a wild beast said to have jumped into the stands several times during its heyday in 1880s Barcelona. An apt name, therefore, for a car that Lamborghini’s design chief Mitja Borkert describes as “adrenaline made visible”.
The aerospace-inspired design stays true to Lamborghini heritage with a distinctive wedge shape, dramatic geometric details, and large air intakes behind vertically opening scissor doors. Lamborghini describes it as “animalistic muscularity”. Standout styling features include the double hexagonal exhaust and Y-shaped lights at the front and rear that are repeated by interior features, including the centre console and the top of the dashboard.
The cabin is roomier and more hi-tech than that of the Aventador (there’s enough space behind the seats for a golf bag) and infotainment includes a 12.3-inch digital cockpit plus a 9.1-inch display on the passenger side. Amazon Alexa provides voice-controlled access to climate, navigation, and media features. To compensate for the extra weight of the electric motors and battery packs, most of the Revuelto’s body parts and the monocoque chassis are made of lightweight carbon fibre.
Four-wheel steering comes standard to provide improved high-speed stability and a smaller turning circle at slower velocities. Helping to keep the Revuelto pinned to the tar is four-wheel drive and electric torque vectoring, the latter distributing torque optimally to each wheel. Power reaches the wheels via a double-clutch eight-speed gearbox, while carbon ceramic brakes provide fade-free stopping ability. The suite of active aerodynamic aids includes an active rear wing with three settings, which automatically adapts to the driving mode or can be set manually by the driver.
The Revuelto has around 66% more downforce than the Aventador. The driver can select from 13 modes to extract different personalities depending on the road, or track, on which it’s driven. “Revuelto is a unique and innovative car, but at the same time [it’s] faithful to our DNA,” says Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini chairperson and CEO.
“The V12 is an iconic symbol of our super sports heritage and history. Revuelto was born to break the mould, combining a new 12-cylinder engine with hybrid technology, creating the perfect balance between delivering the emotion that our clients want [and fulfilling] the necessity to reduce emissions.”
First units of the Revuelto are scheduled to hit the streets by the end of 2023 at a base price of around R9.5-million, and there’s already a two-year waiting list. Form an orderly queue…
The bull enters a brave new hybrid world
The Revuelto is the most powerful road-legal Lamborghini yet
Image: Supplied
In its 60th anniversary year, Lamborghini has stuck to tradition by naming its latest supercar, the Revuelto, after a Spanish fighting bull — in keeping with the brand’s raging-bull logo. Not so traditional is the move into an electrified future by making the new car a plug-in hybrid, the first from the Italian marque. The successor to the Aventador, which for 11 years reigned as the brand’s flagship, retains Lamborghini’s iconic V12 mechanical heart but pairs it with three electric motors.
In what has been the transmission tunnel since the days of the Countach there is now a lithium-ion battery instead, which powers the electric motors. When charged via a normal wall socket, the battery of the hybrid plug-in HPEV (high performance electrified vehicle) charges from zero to full in 30 minutes. It can also be recharged using both regenerative braking and the combustion engine in around six minutes.
Thanks to its green credentials the new supercar is able to travel up to 10km on electric power and emits 30% less CO2 than the Aventador. That’s great for assuaging planet-friendly consciences, but the numbers most Revuelto owners will be drawn to are 747kW and 725Nm — respectively the power and torque outputs of this latest raging bull, making it the most powerful road-legal Lamborghini yet. The number to rule them all is the claimed 2.5 seconds it takes to go from 0-100km/h. This is 0.3 seconds quicker than the Aventador, and top speed is in excess of 350km/h.
The Lamborghini that made me drive like grandma
Electrification hasn’t stripped the beast of its charisma. The naturally aspirated 6.5l engine, on permanent display under a glass cover, revs to a sonically stirring 9 500rpm. The fighting bull after which the car is named was a wild beast said to have jumped into the stands several times during its heyday in 1880s Barcelona. An apt name, therefore, for a car that Lamborghini’s design chief Mitja Borkert describes as “adrenaline made visible”.
The aerospace-inspired design stays true to Lamborghini heritage with a distinctive wedge shape, dramatic geometric details, and large air intakes behind vertically opening scissor doors. Lamborghini describes it as “animalistic muscularity”. Standout styling features include the double hexagonal exhaust and Y-shaped lights at the front and rear that are repeated by interior features, including the centre console and the top of the dashboard.
The cabin is roomier and more hi-tech than that of the Aventador (there’s enough space behind the seats for a golf bag) and infotainment includes a 12.3-inch digital cockpit plus a 9.1-inch display on the passenger side. Amazon Alexa provides voice-controlled access to climate, navigation, and media features. To compensate for the extra weight of the electric motors and battery packs, most of the Revuelto’s body parts and the monocoque chassis are made of lightweight carbon fibre.
Four-wheel steering comes standard to provide improved high-speed stability and a smaller turning circle at slower velocities. Helping to keep the Revuelto pinned to the tar is four-wheel drive and electric torque vectoring, the latter distributing torque optimally to each wheel. Power reaches the wheels via a double-clutch eight-speed gearbox, while carbon ceramic brakes provide fade-free stopping ability. The suite of active aerodynamic aids includes an active rear wing with three settings, which automatically adapts to the driving mode or can be set manually by the driver.
The Revuelto has around 66% more downforce than the Aventador. The driver can select from 13 modes to extract different personalities depending on the road, or track, on which it’s driven. “Revuelto is a unique and innovative car, but at the same time [it’s] faithful to our DNA,” says Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini chairperson and CEO.
“The V12 is an iconic symbol of our super sports heritage and history. Revuelto was born to break the mould, combining a new 12-cylinder engine with hybrid technology, creating the perfect balance between delivering the emotion that our clients want [and fulfilling] the necessity to reduce emissions.”
First units of the Revuelto are scheduled to hit the streets by the end of 2023 at a base price of around R9.5-million, and there’s already a two-year waiting list. Form an orderly queue…
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• From the May edition of Wanted, 2023.