Lamborghini’s Revuelto brings eco-friendly tech to the supercar genre.
By Joe Yogerst
Italian motoring legend Lamborghini is marking its 60th anniversary this year by launching the Revuelto, the world’s first V-12 hybrid plug-in supercar.
Founded by namesake Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963 to compete with Ferrari, Maserati and other top-shelf sports cars, Lamborghini has always been known for its innovative design and impeccable performance. But with Revuelto, the Bologna-based company reaches new heights.
“Revuelto was born to break the mold,” declared Lamborghini chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann when the car was first unveiled in the spring. And it certainly does. A new acronym was even coined to describe its first-of-a-kind status: HPEV (High Performance Electrified Vehicle).
Powered by a new, naturally aspiring 6.5-liter, 12-cylinder combustion engine and three state-of-the-art electric motors powered by a lithium-ion high specific power battery pack, the Revuelto can rev up to 1,001 horsepower, achieve a top speed of around 217 miles per hour and zoom from zero to 60 in less than 2.5 seconds.
“The Revuelto is the pinnacle of the Lamborghini product range with real super sports car performance and looks,” says Pietro Frigerio, dealer principal of Lamborghini Newport Beach. “By combining the brand’s legendary V-12 engine with 60 years of Lamborghini design DNA and the latest hybrid technology, we are able to give our clients here in Southern California a modern vehicle that has already made history as the first HPEV.”
Like a futuristic car from a sci-fi movie, the vehicle boasts a long, low-slung body, vertically opening scissor doors and a distinctive Y-shaped light signature. To keep the weight down, much of the vehicle (including its monofuselage frame) is made from carbon fiber. In fact, Revuelto is the first supercar with a front structure composed entirely of carbon fiber, rendering the front end a full 20% lighter than predecessors like the Lamborghini Aventador.
The Space Age vibe continues in a sleek passenger cabin designed to make drivers feel like they are piloting a jet plane, starting with a start-stop engine button with a bright red cover that resembles the nuclear launch device on some doomsday movie.
Drivers control the mechanical beast via an eight-speed, double-clutch transverse gearbox and 13 drive modes, from Sport or Performance to Hybrid or All-Wheel Drive. Other modes include Citta for regular urban driving and Strada for longer road trips.
The Revuelto made its U.S. West Coast debut in July at Lamborghini Newport Beach, which is marking the company’s milestone birthday with an exclusive exhibit of historic Lamborghini V-12 vehicles.
Frigerio says the revamped showroom “allows us to provide an exceptional customer experience. Our clientele can play with a variety of colors and materials in our Ad Personam customization room and purchase Lamborghini fashion accessories.”
DEALERSHIP INFO
Lamborghini Newport Beach
44 Auto Center Drive, Irvine
888-564-5020; lambonb.com
Revuleto’s carbon fiber FRONT END is distinguished by aerodynamic shark-nose styling, side fins that channel the airflow along the vehicle’s sides and headlamp clusters with Y-SHAPED DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS—part of an overall look that Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini head of design, calls “adrenaline made visible.”
The VERTICALLY OPENING SCISSOR DOORS are another Lamborghini tradition that first appeared on the 1974 Countach. Although backup cameras now fulfill the task, the original scissor doors compensated for poor visibility via the rearview mirror by allowing drivers to lead their upper body out of the opening to assist with reversing or parking.
Complementing the front end, the PASSENGER CABIN flaunts a Y-shaped dashboard and center console as well as a newly created Human Machine Interface system with three digital displays that feature a “swipe” function similar to smartphones. Using that swipe function, the driver can transfer control of the infotainment system to a display on the passenger side of the dash.
Mounted in the rear, Revuelto’s V-12 ENGINE traces its roots to the first Lamborghini, the legendary 350 GTV prototype that dazzled visitors at the 1963 Turin Auto Show and laid the groundwork for the first production Lamborghini the following year. Lamborghini also produces a marine version of the V-12 for offshore powerboat racing.
Photos Courtesy of Automobili Lamborghini
