Lamborghini Breaks Barriers With The 1,015hp Revuelto

In just a few very tumultuous years the entire super- and hypercar industry has been shaken to its core. Where for years peple wouldn’t dare to dream of building environmentally-friendly poster cars, nowadays its very comon to see electrification in and around just about every new car that’s presented. The rise of hyper-exclusive and extremely powerful cars such as the Pininfarina Battista, Lotus Evija and Rimac Nevera seems unstoppable though. So much so, that even established advocates of petrol power are buckling to the change and going down the electrification route. Brands like Porsche, Ferrari and now Lamborghini have embraced it, or are starting to do so, to keep up with the fierce competition in the field of exclusive and very fast cars. And its Lamborghini who has just pulled back the cover of its new flagship poster-boy, set to replace the Aventador. It’s called the Revuelto, and has a 1,015 horsepower hybrid V12 in the back!

But is it any good? Well, that’s impossible for me to judge as I have not seen it live nor have I been able to take it for a spin (good people of Lamborghini, I’d love to give it a try so hit me up!). The one thing I do know though, is that Lamborghinis used to be all about drama, excitement, and a bit daft at times. It was Richard Hammond who once said that a Lamborghini “should be mad and stupid and have rockets coming out of their exhaust!” after all, which perfectly sums it up how the brand and its cars was perceived for many years. But ever since Lamborghini is under Audi’s wings, the Italian carmaker has been getting more and more sensible, at least when creature comfort, reliability and safety are concerned. With every generation it seems like the cars have gotten a bit more, down-to-earth. You no longer have to be built like a Rugby player to handle the clutch and gearbox, you no longer have to be built like the Hamster to even fit in one. Lamborghini had gotten soft!

Revuelto’s Bloodline

The lineage of the new Revuelto starts with the Miura, widely considered the first ever supercar, with a V12 in the back. The 350GT and 400GT that came before it also had a V12, but mounted in the front. The Miura was followed by the edgy Countach which grew into the ultimate anti-Ferrari postercar, especially in the 5000QV configuration with that crazy wing on the back. The Diablo that followed was a true devil of a car, without a disguise by the way. Then came the Murcielago, which toned the exuberant styling of its predecessors. Next in line was the Aventador, a fire-breathing monster with a gentle side as well. And now, after 12 years of active duty, that is being replaced by this Revuelto. Again, is it any good? By the looks of it, Lamborghini has at least upped the drama in terms of styling! And on paper, any 1,000+ horsepower car is absolute madness, so surely this will be a bone-chilling ride when pushed to the limit, right?

Well, it’s too early to tell really but it looks to have all the atributes to push Lamborghini into the future. Technically it is not the first Lamborghini with a bit electric power underneath its sharply cut suite. That honour goes to the Sián, an extremely limited production car based on the Aventador with just a 6.5 litre V12 mated to a 34hp electric motor and supercapacitor. It might not sound like much, but the clever idea of Lamborghini was to use the electric power to counteract the effect of deceleration during gearchanges and provide a power boost up to 130kph. Lamborghini built just 63 coupes and 29 roadsters, at a price north of USD 2,500,000 (mind you, before taxes!).

The New Raging Bull

The name comes from a fighting bull that fought in Barcelona in 1880, but it means “to mix-up” in Spanish, which makes perfect sense given the new direction it introduces for the brand. But before we get to the technical bit, let’s go over the exterior of the car first. The styling isn’t radically new, but rather an evolution of the design of the Aventador, mixed with bits of the Sián. The body has tons of creases, edges, ducts and ridges and looks menacing, even when standing still. An active rear wing reacts to the selected driving mode and offers additional downforce when needed. Up front, Y-shaped headlights give it a very mean look, while at the back the exhausts are placed right underneath the rear wing and in between yet more Y-shaped light units. The third brakelight, a requirement by law, runs acorss the top edge of the roof section, just above the exposed engine.

The entire body is grafted from carbon fibre, with aluminum doors and thermoplastic front and rear bumpers. If you would peel it back you would uncover a carbon fibre monocoque, just as in the most advanced race cars. This is attached to a forged composite front structure. Double wishbones fitted with Lamborghini MagneRide technology ensure the car is planted to the ground. Stopping is done with massive carbon ceramic brakes (410mm in the front, 390mm in the rear) with 10 pistons in the front and 4 in the rear. To keep you safe, the Revuelto comes with ABS braking, Traction Control, power steering and no less than 13 driving modes, from gently cruising to all-out “going nuts”. The wheels are 20 and 21 inch with tyres that are 265/35 in the front and a massive 345/30 in the back.

The interior is a genuine cockpit that seems to come straigth from a fighter yet, but with a rather conventional looking steering wheel. The presentation car shows black and orange leather and Alcantara, mixed with carbon fibre elements from corner to corner. Three large screens provide the necassary information for the driver and passenger, with the start-button hidden under the bright red flip-up cover. There’s no traditional gear stick, as the Revuelto comes as an automatic only. Instead, you get a small selector lever to put in drive, park or neutral, and the option to go full-auto or use the flippers behind the steering wheel. A pair of bucker seats, again wrapped in leather and Alcantara keep your butt firmly in place when you give the Revuelto the beans.

one-thousand-and-fifteen horsepower

So now that’s out the way, let’s focus on that bonkers powertrain. The V12 has always been the preferred choice for the flagship models in Lamborghini’s arsenal and it can be traced back to the 350 GT introduced in 1963. It has been updated regularly with new technology and materials to keep it up to date with emission regulations of course, the increased demand of power. After 50 years of service, Lamborghini introduced an all-new 6.5-litre V12 for the Aventador, which serves as the base for the one on in the new Revuelto. For once I am very glad Lamborghini hasn’t ditched its beloved V12 beast in favour of pure electric drive, but opted for hybrid power instead. It just wouldn’t be a true Lamborghini if it would wizz away, instead of screaming at the top of its lungs as you work through the gears.

Engine capacity started with “just” 3.5 litres in 1963 but has increased to 6.5 litres over time. The V12 has always remained a normally aspirated engine, but now gets additional electric “oomph”. Three electric motors are fitted to the drivetrain of the Revuelto, two on the front axle driving a wheel each and the third integrated with the new twin-clutch eight-speed gearbox. On its own, the V12 engine makes 825 horsepower, but combined with the electric components, this jumps to as ludicrous 1,015 horsepower! That makes it the most powerful production-Lamborghini, by miles! The result is a zero-to-100kph time of an acclaimed 2.5 seconds, zero-to-200kph in 7 seconds and a top speed in excess of 350kph. That certainly sounds like Lamborghini-madness!

And speaking of sound, the redline of the V12 engine is at 9,250rpm, so it will undoubtedly give you chills up and down your spine as it howls away behind you. But if you want a bit of peace and quiet, the Revuelto can run up to 10km on pure electric drive alone. As mentioned, the V12 engine is now fully exposed, just as the engine in the Bugatti Veyron, which adds to the drama even more. The doors open upwards of course, which is the party piece for the top-of-the-line-Lambo ever since the Countach came out.

All in all, it seems like Lamborghini has rekindled its bonkers spirit again and has created, on paper at least, a radical new performance machine! It looks amazing, and now all we have to do is be patient for the first real-life roadtests to appear. There’s no word on the price of the new Raging Bull though, but given the fact the Aventador had a starting price of around half a million US dollars, this one will be quite an expensive machine for sure!

For more information, please visit Lamborghini.com

Editorial Note: The images portrayed in this article are sourced from Lamborghini’s Media Center.