Continuing the partnership between Lamborghini and LEGO Technic which was established in January 2020, a Lamborghini Sian has been built with LEGO parts and is currently on display (until October 6, 2022) at the Lamborghini Museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese, where the sportscar company’s home in Italy is located.
The model follows the 1:8 scale LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 in 2020 but is full-sized, with virtually identical dimensions as the real supercar. More than 154 different types of LEGO pieces – were used to form the unmistakable outline of the Sian, right down to the very smallest details. With some 400,000 LEGO pieces used, the Sian model weighs 2,200 kgs.
Accurate to tiniest detail
The word ‘Sian’ means ‘lightning’ or ‘thunderbolt’ in Bolognese dialect. The experts from the LEGO Group have emphasised his by making the lights and the stylish thunderbolt that flashes down the bodywork shine like the Y-shaped lights on the real car, while also producing hexagonal tail lights that can really turn on and off.
Extremely precise detailing can be seen inside the car, including a LEGO brick steering wheel decorated with the famous Lamborghini badge and the Italian flag, an instrument panel and racing seats.
Project time of 8,660 hours
It took the project team 8,660 hours to complete the model, of which 3,290 hours were spent on building it. This is the first large-scale model by the LEGO Group to have paint-effect UV colour coating which will help to make the model longer lasting. The colour was applied by the Lamborghini paint shop to ensure that the sportscar had a fitting finish.
“After a wait of more than a year, the LEGO Technic model of the Lamborghini Sian is on show at Museo Automobili Lamborghini. It’s the natural place to display the Lamborghini super sportscars that have always given dreams and feelings concrete forms, thanks to innovation and technology. This 1:1 scale model of the Sian shows that Lamborghini – just like LEGO Group – sees challenges as its lifeblood, technology as a means of creation, and design as a linchpin that can and must take people’s breath away,” said Federico Foschini, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at Automobili Lamborghini.
The Sian, which was unveiled at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, is the fastest Lamborghini of all time, thanks to a unique new hybrid system which focuses on providing the highest power possible via the lightest solution. It has a V12 engine – huge for a hybrid powertrain – and a 48-volt e-motor. The 6.5-litre V12, which incorporates titanium intake valves and is uprated to 785 bhp at 8,500 rpm (the highest output ever from a Lamborghini powerplant) combines with the 34 bhp from the electric motor. Total system output is 819 bhp with a weight-to-power ratio claimed to be better than that of the Aventador SVJ, achieved through extensive use of lightweight materials. The Sian has a claimed a top speed of over 350 km/h so it will be able to keep up with any other Lamborghini model. More significantly, it lays claim to having the fastest acceleration of any production Lamborghini ever – 0 to 100 km/h in less than 2.8 seconds. Like the Aventador SVJ 63 Roadster, Lamborghini will produce and sell only 63 units of the Sian. The number has been chosen to commemorate the founding year of the company – 1963. Each of the 63 customers who have already paid their deposits will spend upwards of US$3.6 million (about RM16.04 million), the final price depending on the degree of customisation.
A hurricane is one of the most destructive forces on the planet. A category one hurricane has wind speeds of between 119km/h to 153km/h, while a category five has sustained wind speeds of above 253km/h.
So when a car maker introduces a car called Huracan (Spanish for hurricane), you know that it means business.
The Lamborghini Huracan is already one of the wildest cars on the planet in terms of design and performance. But it’s not entirely new either, in fact the Huracan has been around since 2014.
Since then, a number of iterations have been introduced, each promising to be faster, meaner and more exotic than the last.
But nothing can be better than a Huracan that is designed to be raced. The Huracan GT3 EVO is one of the most successful race cars in the Lamborghini stable.
It has won the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and even the Blancpain GT Series Asia, among many other race series around the world.
But the problem with the Huracan GT3 is that it is a proper race car, which means regular rich folks can’t buy one to drive on the road.
But Lamborghini is one of the most successful supercar company’s in the history of the automobile, so it wasn’t about to sit around and not allow its customers to experience one of the best race cars it has ever built.
Enter the Lamborghini Huracan STO – the fastest street legal Huracan ever made!
STO stands for Super Trofeo Omologata, which simply means that the STO is a road-legal homologated version of the Huracan Super Trofeo Evo and GT3 Evo race cars.
Simply put, the Huracan STO is a street legal reimagination of the GT3 race car. Lamborghini’s official website says the STO is “a super-sports car created with a singular purpose, the Huracan STO delivers all the feel and technology of a genuine race car in a road-legal model.”
The STO delivers a unique race car like driving experience from the moment you sit inside.
The regular two-point seat belts have been replaced with motorsport derived four-point harnesses that are similar to those used in the GT3 race car.
Since it’s a road-going car, Lamborghini has included creature comforts such as air-conditioning and even an audio system. The interior is covered in lightweight alcantara leather and carbon-fibre adorns everything from the floor to the roof and the door panels. Even the seats are constructed of lightweight material.
Adding to the race car feel is a titanium roll cage that protects the driver and passenger should the worse happen.
But at the heart of it all is a race-derived 5.2-litre, V10 naturally-aspirated engine. This is the same engine that powers the Lamborghini Huracan race cars. Lamborghini says the engine is nearly identical to the race engines and offers a direct pedal-to-throttle feel that is the same as a race car. Even the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox offers quicker gear shifts so that there is no loss of power during acceleration.
Lamborghini is one of the few car makers left that has not adopted forced induction. Naturally-aspirated engines rely on big cylinders or ultra high revs to create power, but these engines are also among the most responsive and provide the best engine note.
As for power, the STO puts out 640PS at 8,000rpm and 565Nm of torque at 6,500rpm. But because 75% of its body is made up of light weight carbon-fibre, the STO is capable of some astonishing performance figures, such as a zero to 200km/h acceleration time of just nine seconds flat! Top speed is rated at 310km/h.
Those in the know will probably think that these figures are not all that much. Cars like the Porsche GT2RS and even the discontinued Ferrari 488 make more power than the STO.
But the STO is not about pure power alone. It is about quick lap times and driving pleasure. For instance, Lamborghini pitted the STO against the Huracan GT3 EVO race car around a race track in America and found that the STO was just under two seconds slower than the race-only GT3 which was on race tyres while the STO was on road tyres. That is the ultimate proof of performance.
It also partly achieves this by using rear-wheel-steering. This turns the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels, giving it incredibly agility in slow and fast corners.
There are also other race derived technologies such as the the width of the car that is wider than the road car to give it better grip, a windscreen that is 20% lighter and suspension that is stiffer for more direct control of the car.
Part of the race experience that the STO offers is phenomenal braking performance. The Huracan STO boasts a new braking technology called CCM-R braking system. The system is provided by renowned braking experts Brembo using materials that is used in Formula One. The discs on the STO are said to provide four times higher thermal conductivity and 60% higher stress resistance. What this ultimately results in is strong braking performance that does not fade even after many laps.
One of the things that supercars tend to suffer from is brake fade, and that ultimate slows lap times because drivers have to brake earlier. But because the brakes on the STO have effectively solved this issue, this means you can drive at the knife’s edge of performance every single time and get the same braking performance.
The Huracan STO is undeniably one of the ultimate driver’s car in the modern world. It does not have that power figures owners can boast about, but it is a car that is appreciated when you drive it. The sound that it creates is one of pure emotion. You don’t only hear it in your ears but you feel it in your heart as well. And that what the STO is about, a pure unadulterated driving experience that overloads your senses and leaves you wanting more each time you drive it. There are very few cars left these days that are able to do that.
The Lamborghini Huracan STO is now available in Malaysia for RM1.48 million before taxes and customisation.
Malaysia must be one of the important markets for Lamborghini if a model launched in April this year makes its debut here just three months after the world came to know about it. This is the Huracan Tecnica, a versatile super sportscar for road as well as track use.
Officially imported, the price of the Tecnica starts from RM1.05 million, which is less than the RM1.48 million pricetag of the Huracan STO which was introduced in Malaysia a month back. Of course, how much a customer actually pays will depend on the level of customisation. To help customers select options, Lamborghini has its Ad Personam department which can personalise each car in almost any way a customer wants.
While recognisably a member of the Huracan family, the Tecnica sports its own sophisticated design with a stronger, predatory stance. The frontal area is inward-facing, with muscular shoulders flanking the lightweight carbonfibre bonnet. A new bumper, featuring the Terzo Millennio’s black Ypsilon design, incorporates an air curtain for the first time in a Huracan.
The profile of the car also sets it apart in the Huracan family. It has an extra 6.1 cm more length than the Huracan EVO and is the same height and width but appears lower and broader, with a silhouette inspired by the daylight opening line from the Essenza SCV12.
The reshaped rear end has a new vertical rear glass window for improved visibility as well as a new bumper with an optimized air inlet and new hexagonal exhaust pipes. The fixed wing completes the lines of the Tecnica, its aero design essentially contributing to 35% increase in rear downforce (compared to the Huracan EVO RWD). The added downforce does not create more drag: in fact, drag is reduced by 20%. The Tecnica’s underbody is also optimized with new aero deflectors for improved aerodynamic efficiency.
The Huracan Tecnica uses the next-generation rear-wheel drive 5.2-litre V10, taken from the Huracan STO. This has increase output of 30 ps over the Huracan EVO rear-wheel drive (RWD) and generates 565 Nm at 6,500 rpm. With a dry weight of 1,379 kgs, the Tecnica has a weight-to-power ratio of 2.15 kg/ps which enables it to go from 0-100 km/h in a claimed 3.2 seconds.
At the heart of the Tecnica is the LDVI (Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata) system, which controls every aspect of the car’s dynamic behaviour by integrating vehicle systems and set-up to deliver feed-forward pre-control in virtual real-time, for perfect driving dynamics.
The rear-wheel drive Tecnica incorporates rear-wheel steering with direct steering ratio and torque vectoring, together with a modified Performance Traction Control System (P-TCS) and specific suspension set-up for the Tecnica.
The driver has a choice of three drive modes – STRADA, SPORT or CORSA – which give highly differentiated responses by specific tuning of the engine and transmission, as well as other systems. In the CORSA mode, the Tecnica has optimized track-oriented throttle response and the fastest gearshifts, with maximum precision and agility from all systems via the LDVI, including maximum lateral and longitudinal grip from the torque vectoring and P-TCS respectively.
The interior of the Tecnica is very much a driver-centric environment, with height-adjustable sports seats that immerse the driver pilot in his cockpit. There is a lot of evidence of weight-saving in various areas – like the lightweight door design, and rear arch and wheel bolts in lightweight titanium. Full harness seatbelts are installed for those who may spend time at the track frequently.
The HMI (Human Machine Interface) is new and currently exclusive to the Tecnica. The instrument panel is designed in a new arc ahead of the steering wheel and has reduced colours for better readability. The central console screen, which is accessible by the passenger, shows the LDVI functions in real-time display, and has connectivity with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa. Inspired by the STO, the HMI includes connected telemetry and on-board diaries of destinations and track times, connected to the UNICA app.
Lamborghinis are not a common sight (well, perhaps in some Middle Eastern countries) and it is a rare sight to see many gathered at one spot. But the Lamborghini Owners Malaysia (LOM) club managed to assemble up to 112 of the supercars at a carpark near the KLCC to set a national record. It beat the record of 77 units that had been set in May 2013 at the same location.
For their effort, LOM received a certificate confirming the new record which will now be listed in the Malaysia Book of Records.
“This milestone in our club’s history also marks our ode to the legendary Lamborghini brand, which celebrates beauty and performance, infused by an indomitable spirit,” said Roslan Rosdi, President of LOM.
The record-breaking gathering was not only joined by existing members of LOM but also Lamborghini owners who are keen to be part of the expanding club. The biggest challenge for the attempt was getting all owners, many of whom are busy businessmen, to take time to join the event. “Our members however are more than happy to gather for a good cause,” said Dato’ Rakesh Sachdev, LOM Organising Committee Chairperson.
The models assembled ranged from vintage and rare Lamborghinis such as the Gallardo Malaysia Limited Edition (of which only 20 were ever produced) and Murcielago, along with more modern ones like the Huracan Spyder, Aventador SVJ and Urus SUV.
Following the celebration at the carpark adjacent to the Mandarin Oriental hotel, a convoy of over 100 Lamborghinis left at about 1 pm to head for Bukit Tinggi. It was, unofficially, the longest single line of Lamborghinis in a convoy. On the hilltop resort, the owners and other guests enjoyed the Bulls Ball and a one-night stay at the La Chateau Spa & Wellness Resort.
Since the 1990s, SUVs have grown in popularity phenomenally – to the extent that event at the topmost segment of the market, manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce have had to include such models in their range. And further evidence of the importance of this type of vehicle can be seen in how many carmakers have chosen it to be the first bodystyle for their new electric vehicles.
Even among supercar manufacturers, demands for SUVs is evident from their customers and an example can be seen in the Lamborghini Urus setting sales records. Labelled by the company as a ‘Super SUV’, the Urus has set the record of being its best-selling model in the shortest time ever. Since its market debut in 2018, 20,000 units have been produced, with the 20,000th unit being delivered to a customer in Azerbaijan.
“From the first moment we presented the Urus concept at Beijing motor show in 2012, to its market debut in 2018 and each year since, the Urus has proved its instant and continued appeal as a true Lamborghini, born from our super sports heritage and the world’s first Super SUV, the LM 002,” said Stephan Winkelman, Automobili Lamborghini Chairman & CEO. “The Urus is a perfect complement to our super sports model ranges, providing a luxurious and high-performance daily drive for those who identify with our authentic Italian brand.”
The overall growth in global sales has been impressive, reaching the record of 8,205 units delivered in 2019 – that was double the volumes achieved in the period before the Urus went on sale. From 2018 to the end of 2021, a total of 16,000 SUVs were delivered worldwide to 5 continents, with 85% of customers being new to the marque.
Catalyst for transformation
The Urus has been the catalyst for doubling company volumes and the size of the factory has gone from 80,000 to 160,000 square metres. To manufacture more efficiently, Lamborghini Manufacturing 4.0 was established as an innovative approach to production technologies to support assemblyline workers. In 2019, the Urus paintshop was inaugurated and since 2020, the Urus supply chain became more sustainable through replacing the Urus bodies’ transportation by truck with train, and the cut of CO2 emissions by 85%.
The environmental initiative followed the announcement of Lamborghini’s ‘Direzione Cor Tauri’ future global program, involving a complete switch to hybrid technologies by 2024 and the vision for a new fully-electric model in the second half of the decade. Cor Tauri starts from a holistic vision of the company’s sustainability strategy: a 360° approach that spans from the products to the entire factory site, from production lines to offices.
Adventures all over the world
Over the past 4 years that the model has been on sale, it is estimated that Urus owners around the world have covered more than 360 million kilometres in total. Where Lamborghinis were once only seen on highways, the Urus gives owners new adventures away from the highways. Besides many private journeys, events organised by Lamborghini have seen the SUV travel along the highest roads to the most extreme off-road environments. To prove that it can ‘Unlock any Road’, the Urus has set a new high-speed record for ice-driving on Russia’s Lake Baikal and going up the world’s highest driveable road (India’s Umling La pass at 5,884 metres).
Soul of a super sportscar, functionality of a SUV
The Urus continues to have a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine delivering 650 ps at 6,000 rpm and 850 Nm of torque at 2,250 rpm. With 162.7 ps/litre, it boasts of one of the highest specific power ratings in its class, as well as the best weight-to-power ratio of 3.38 kgs/ps. This enables it to go from standstill to 100 km/h in a claimed 3.6 seconds and reach 200 km/h in 12.8 seconds, after which it will top out at 305 km/h.
After paying so much for an Urus, it is to be expected that customers will spend a bit more to personalise their SUV. For this, Lamborghini has its Ad Personam services which offer special exterior colours as well as other exclusive options.
In May 2013, a parade of 77 Lamborghini supercars assembled in Kuala Lumpur, setting a record in the Malaysian Book of Records for the largest number of Lamborghinis at an event. Almost a decade later, the Lamborghini Owners Malaysia (LOM) will try to surpass that feat.
Announcing the attempt for this historic achievement, Dato’ Roslan Rosdi, President of LOM, said the timing could not be more appropriate. “Throughout LOM’s history, we have organised many events, be it short day trips or long overnight drives where, on many occasions, they involve a charity element, mostly making donations to orphanages and taking them for a ride in our cars for some excitement,” he said.
“As we can all gather now safely, we wanted to celebrate the joy of a leisurely drive and will be doing so by attempting to break the record set 9 years ago as part of Lamborghini’s legendary 50th anniversary drive,” he added.
The Lamborghinis arriving for the event in 2013 when 77 of the supercars were gathered at one location.
LOM members will gather at the KLCC’s open-air car park in front of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on June 11, near the site where the original record had been set. Not only will this event recapture the excitement from 2013’s event, but the assembly will also mark the eagerness of LOM members to return to travel and navigate the idyllic highways of Malaysia after a period of forced isolation.
“This record-breaking event which includes a drive element is being organised by LOM members for its members. Once we have officially trumped the record, we will then travel to the Chateau, Bukit Tinggi where a gala dinner, dubbed ‘Bulls Ball’, will be held,” said Dato’ Roslan.
Members of the public will be able to view the supercars assembled at a site near KLCC.
According to said Dato’ Rakesh Sachdev, LOM Organising Committee Chairperson, the biggest challenge for the attempt is aligning the timing of Lamborghini owners who are all captains in the industry. “Our members however are more than happy to gather for a good cause,” he said, adding that the goal is to raise a minimum of RM40,000 from members and partners for 4 charities.
The public can view the cars gathered which are expected to include rare versions as well as the latest models such as the Gallardo MLE, Huracan Spyder, Urus and Aventador SVJ.
With the new FIA technical regulations coming into force this year, Lamborghini Squadra Corse has developed a new Huracan GT3 EVO2 which is an entirely new project. Compared to the Huracan GT3 EVO, which was homologated in 2019 and based on the Huracan EVO road car, the GT3 EVO2 is based on the Huracan STO and features all-new aerodynamic solutions and intake system.
It shares key design elements and rear-wheel drive only with the Huracan STO, and also the naturally aspirated V10 engine which, in the road version, delivers 640 bhp.
Huracan STOHuracan GT3 EVO
The two strong design elements – the hexagonal airscoop design and the rear fin – are derived from Huracan STO, contributing to a more efficient intake system and better car balance. The airscoop is connected to a snorkel, replacing the side air intakes, which optimally channels the airflow directly into the engine, resulting in greater responsiveness to the driver’s demands.
The introduction of 10 electronically actuated throttle bodies increases the efficiency of the V10 with titanium valves; the entire system, designed in-house by Lamborghini Squadra Corse, is fixed to the engine by just 4 screws, a solution introduced for the first time on the Essenza SCV12, to facilitate maintenance work.
The fully carbonfibre bodywork has a muscular design created in collaboration with Lamborghini’s Centro Stile. The new splitters, diffuser and underbody enhance aerodynamic efficiency. The carbonfibre floor, coated with high-strength Zylon fibre, together with the new diffuser, provides greater downforce than the current generation GT3 EVO.
Other innovations include the rear wing, which is mounted on aluminium alloy pillars inspired by those of the STO. The new supports allow for greater precision in adjusting the wing compared to those of the EVO model.
The redesigned roll cage, with the introduction of two rear pillars, and the new carbon-Kevlar honeycomb side panels, already tested on the Essenza SCV12, increases safety in the event of impact on the doors in compliance with the FIA 2022 regulations. The plexiglas side windows are now fixed to the carbonfibre door panel by means of a ring of screws for greater structural rigidity and reliability.
Stopping power has also been optimised as the brake system has been updated with new calipers and pads designed by Squadra Corse for both endurance and sprint races. These solutions, combined with dedicated traction control and ABS, have been developed to make the car easy to control in low-grip conditions. The car is delivered to customers equipped with PZero tyres (325/680-18 at the front; 325/705-18 at the rear) from Pirelli.
“The new Huracan GT3 EVO2 is not simply an evolution of the current car. It’s a new project that reinforces the technological transfer between Lamborghini’s motorsport division and the company and inherits two difficult tasks: to prove as successful as the previous generations of Huracan GT3, which have won more than 40 international titles in 6 seasons, and to match its commercial success by helping to reach the target of 500 Huracán racing cars since 2015,” said Giorgio Sanna, Lamborghini Head of Motorsport.
The first customers will get their cars from the second half of 2022, with the track debut to be at the 2023 Daytona 24 Hours. Those who are running the previous Huracan GT3 EVO model can upgrade it to the GT3 EVO2 specifications via an evolution kit.
Lamborghini began delivering cars to its first customers in 1968 and until 2002, annual sales volumes were in 3-digit numbers. Last year, it delivered a record-breaking 8,405 units of supercars and super SUVs and this year, with the first quarter of 2022 completed, it has already delivered 2,539 vehicles delivered globally. That’s slightly more than the same period in 2021 and a record number for quarterly sales.
Contributing to the rising numbers over the past 8 years has been the Huracan, with the 20,000th unit recently delivered to a customer in Monaco. The model was a Huracan STO, one of 12 roadgoing models and 3 racing versions.
Since 2014, 71% of customers have chosen the coupe versions and 29% ordered the open-air derivatives. The biggest market for the model has been the USA, where more than 32% of all Huracans have been delivered. Other major markets have been the UK and Greater China.
LP-610-4 – the first coupe
The first Huracan coupe, the LP 610-4, debuted at the 2014 Geneva Motorshow. It has 4-wheel drive, 610 bhp, acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 3.2 secs and a top speed of 325 km/h. As with other Lamborghinis, it had a host of innovations such as Lamborghini ANIMA drive mode selection, on-board gyroscope LPI system, and dual fuel injection. A Spyder variant followed a year later, also powered by the same 5.2-litre V10.
Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4
LP 580-2 with 2-wheel drive
For the purists who prefer just rear-wheel drive, Lamborghini came out with the LP-580-2. Thanks to the absence of 4-wheel drive, there was a weight saving of 33 kgs compared to the Huracan coupe, which meant that the same V10 engine could have a lower output of 580 bhp/533 Nm, with a top speed just 5 km/h less. A Spyder RWD variant was unveiled in Los Angeles in 2016, along with a limited edition (250 units) Avio model which celebrated the aviation and aeronautic inspiration in supercar’s styling.
Lamborghini Huracan LP 580-2
2016 – the Nurburgring lap record
The 640 bhp Huracan Performante was launched in 2016 and, with Lamborghini’s patented ALA active aerodynamic innovations, it set a lap record for production cars at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. In 2018, Lamborghini added the Huracan Performante Spyder to the range as well.
The Italian police also have Huracans for their highway patrol. Besides normal police operations, the car is used for urgent transport of blood and organs.
Next generation V10 super sportscar
In 2019, the Huracan EVO ‘evolution’ arrived and with it came a distinctive design defined the aerodynamic superiority and enhanced driving dynamics. Its performance was enhanced from the Performante with advancements such as rear-wheel steering, torque vectoring and LDVI with predictive logic.
The EVO Spyder adopted the next-generation vehicle dynamic control and aerodynamics developed for the coupe, with the 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine uprated for a higher power output and incorporating titanium intake valves.
Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder
Though the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted business activities, Lamborghini was able to still unveil the Huracan EVO Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) which could go from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds. In the same year, Lamborghini was the first automotive brand to use Augmented Reality for a virtual launch. This was for the Huracan EVO RWD Spyder and it was at a time when direct interactions were not possible, so the company brought its new model directly to customers and fans worldwide.
The Huracan STO
The Huracan STO (Super Trofeo Omologata) was launched in 2021 and brought to customers Lamborghini’s motorsport experience and know-how in a fully legal roadcar. It was inspired by the Huracan EVO Super Trofeo developed by Squadra Corse for Lamborghini’s own race series, as well as the Huracan EVO GT3.
Lamborghini Huracan STO
The Huracan Tecnica
The latest member in the Huracan family was unveiled earlier this month – the Huracan Tecnica. This has the next-generation rear-wheel drive V10, developed for both road and track. The new looks reflect improved aerodynamics for increased performance, stability and ease of use, particularly on a circuit.
Lamborghini Huracan TecnicaLamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO
The racing Huracans
The Huracan and its EVO successor have also had notable track records. Almost 500 racing versions have been produced in Super Trofeo and GT3 guise, including a limited Squadra Corse edition celebrating 10 years of Super Trofeo in 2019. Huracan GT3s have taken over than 40 championship titles and 117 victories in more than 12 series worldwide.
Connectivity and e-sports
In 2021, Lamborghini became the first automaker to incorporate complete vehicle system control by Amazon Alexa in the Huracan EVO, and also first to adopt the what:three:words function for accurate navigation anywhere in the world.
Lamborghini fans can also enjoy the Huracan virtually in many videogames and e-sports competitions including FORZA Horizon and Gran Turismo, Rocket League and Assetto Corsa Competizione.
“Every iteration of the Huracan has stayed true to that Lamborghini philosophy, while in motorsport the Huracán is not only the protagonist of the Lamborghini one-make Super Trofeo series but has proved its dominance in GT3 series throughout the world,” said Automobili Lamborghini Chairman & CEO Stephan Winkelmann.
“The Huracan has delivered an evolution of design, technological know-how, driving adventures, track records and sales records since its launch. It was designed as a car to provide super sports emotion in every environment, from daily driving to thrilling performance on track.”
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic kept people in their homes and racing activities came to a standstill, Lamborghini started a one-make championship online. Not surprisingly, the event known as ‘The Real Race’ was a success as driving enthusiasts took to racing virtually. More than 2,500 drivers from 109 countries participated in the first edition of the Lamborghini eSports championship.
Huracan GT3 EVO for all participants
The immersive competition had the Huracan GT3 EVO for use by all participants. Each car had exclusive race livery created by Centro Stile, Lamborghini’s in-house design department. Participants could customize the looks in 12 different versions, with each car displaying the trademark logos of long-standing Lamborghini Squadra Corse partners – Pertamina, Pirelli and Roger Dubuis.
The competition returned in 2021 with 10 races and a new and upgraded regional format. The new format had a more global approach as racers competed both in traditional Grand Prix and in three Endurance races to earn points within their regional tournaments in Europe, America and Asia. As in 2020, they all drove a Huracan GT3 EVO in Assetto Corsa Competizione, the advanced racing simulation game.
Assetto Corsa Competizione was developed alongside car manufacturers and provides a dynamic platform for Lamborghini’s latest racing series. It has photorealistic weather conditions and graphics, night races, motion capture animations, reaching a new standard in terms of driving realism and immersion. The game is also used by official Lamborghini Squadra Corse test and race drivers in their real-world preparations.
The winners of the 6-month long championship enjoyed a track experience with the Lamborghini Squadra Corse and a VIP experience at Lamborghini Headquarters. Additionally, the top-ranked player of each regional series would be invited to become a Lamborghini Official Sim driver.
Creation of a ‘factory team’
Lamborghini decided to create its own official team – a ‘factory team’, just as in real life competition – to build on the valuable experience gained with The Real Race. The eSports Team represents a further opportunity to expand the brand’s presence in a sector that is constantly developing, highly competitive, and also strengthen its commitment to the eSports scene.
The three sim drivers chosen to represent the brand in the major international eSports competitions are Jordan Sherratt, Gianfranco Giglioli and Giorgio Simonini. Sherratt (South African, 23) and Giglioli (Italian-Venezuelan, 24) will compete together in the GT World Challenge Esports Sprint Series Europe, and Simonini (Italian, 22) will join the pair to form the crew for the 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Endurance Championship.
The Sprint calendar consists of 5 races and started last weekend with the Misano race. The last round is set for August 3, with the grand finale scheduled in the virtual version of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
The Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports series starts next weekend (April 16) with the 12 Hours of Bathurst, the famous Australian endurance race. Here too, there are 5 rounds on the calendar, with the competition concluding on August 27 with the 9 Hours of Kyalami at the famous circuit in South Africa.
Support from Squadra Corse
The three sim racers have been training hard, sharing important information on driving and set-up. They will be supported during the season by the Squadra Corse staff who are dedicating a team principal, driver coach and engineers to offer their expertise in the development and analysis of telemetry data, from the track to the virtual simulation.
“Sim racing is an important platform in today’s motorsport scene. Videogames were born to allow those who didn’t have opportunities for real-life racing to be like the professional drivers. Now, after several decades of development in the industry, sim racing is getting closer and closer to its real-life counterpart. Moreover, sim racing is an additional tool for us to develop some of the fundamental aspects of real racing, such as car set-ups and software applications that will play an important role in the future of our brand,” said Automobili Lamborghini’s Head of Motorsport, Giorgio Sanna.
For decades, car designers have been inspired by fighter jets, with American designers being so infatuated with the tailfins and jet engines that they put them on cars of the 1950s. In the decades that followed and even up till today, the inspiration from flying machines remains and it’s not only with the exotic and sleek supercars. This was evident when, back in 2005, a young Proton designer said that the Savvy’s design also had some inspiration from the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter.
At Lamborghini, the designers would of course have been much influenced by jet fighters and the highly aerodynamic shapes make this obvious. The Reventon, which was unveiled 15 years ago, was a clear example of such influence and Lamborghini even mentioned the aircraft that was the source of inspiration: the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. Many also saw elements of the F-117 with the sharp and angular form, especially with the dark finish.
20 units for sale
The Reventon, displayed at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, appeared like a one-off concept with an extreme design but it was to be an exclusive model built for sale to 20 customers. The ex-factory price then was quoted as 1 million euros, which made it the most expensive Lamborghini up till that time.
The supercar was based on the Murcielago LP640 and had similar proportions as the Gallardo as well. It was not so obvious then but much of the design language used for the car would later appear in the Aventador as well.
“The Reventon is the most extreme of all, a true automotive superlative. Our designers at the Lamborghini Style Centre took the technical base of the Murcielago LP640 and compressed and intensified its DNA, its genetic code,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President & CEO of Lamborghini then (and still in the same position today).
Lamborghini’s naming tradition
Keeping to Lamborghini tradition, the name was that of a fighting bull, owned by the Don Rodriguez family. It is included in the list of the most famous bulls ever and is known for killing the famed bullfighter Felix Guzman in 1943.
Like today’s Lamborghini models, the edges of the body are sharp, with precise lines and clean surfaces – these are ingredients of a style reduced to the essential. Each element is created exactly according to its function; ornaments and decorations are totally foreign to a Lamborghini.
With the Reventon, the Centro Stile designers developed this philosophy with an extremely precise, technically striking style that mimicked the fastest fighter jets. The bodyshell was made of a composite carbonfibre material (CFC) and steel, with the exterior components glued and fixed on.
The front was characterized by the acute angle of the central ‘arrow’ and by the powerful forward-facing air intakes. Although they did not supply air directly to the turbine like an airplane, an abundant volume of air was still necessary to cool the carbon brake disks and the 6-cylinder calipers.
From the time of the legendary Countach, Lamborghini’s V12 models have had ‘scissors doors’ which open upwards. With their asymmetric configuration on the Reventon, the large air intakes below the doors provided an example of the extreme coherence with which a Lamborghini fulfils its function. On the driver’s side, it was large to increase the flow of oil to the radiator. On the passenger’s side, the air intake was flat because, in this case, it only had to ensure the flow below the floor.
The aerodynamically optimised flat floor structure terminated at the rear with a diffuser featuring an accentuated shape. This guaranteed superior road grip and stability even at the 340 km/h the car was capable of. Because of such a high speed, aerodynamics had to be optimized. The airflow and the section of the variable geometry air intakes of the engine and the rear spoiler (adjustable) were specially shaped and designed after lengthy wind tunnel studies.
The engine was the classic 12-cylinder unit with a 6.5-litre displacement and tuned to produce 650 bhp/660 Nm. For super-fast and precise shifting, there was a robotised e.gear system with a permanent Viscous Traction 4-wheel drive system to get all that power to the road.
The engine cover was made of glass laminate with open ventilation slits that offered a glimpse of the 12 cylinders within. The glass also featured the marked arrow angle that characterized the design from the front to the rear spoiler.
The Lamborghini designers’ love for detail was illustrated by the fuel tank lid: a small mechanical work of art, achieved by milling a solid aluminium block. The combination lights transformed the incisiveness of the design into light, with the front having LEDs alongside Bi-Xenon headlights. Seven LEDs served as Daytime Running Lights while another nine diodes were used for the indicator and hazard lights. Because of the high temperature in the rear lower section of the car, special heatproof LEDs were used for the indicator and hazard lights, brake lights and rear lights with a triple arrow optical effect.
Aircraft display for driver
The cockpit of the Reventon certainly had a lot of aircraft inspiration, with the instrument panel housing three TFT liquid crystal displays. The instruments were housed in a structure milled from a solid aluminium block, protected by a carbonfibre casing. At the touch of a button, the driver could choose from two vehicle information display modes. Today, with fully graphic and digital displays, a driver can customize the instrumentation even more.
An interesting feature was the g-force meter, something which was novel then but would later appear in some high-performance models. This display showed the dynamic drive forces, longitudinal acceleration during acceleration and braking, as well as transversal acceleration around bends. The forces were represented by the movement of an indicator on a graduated 3D grid depending on the direction and intensity of the acceleration. A similar instrument can be found in aircraft and Formula
It took less than a year for the Reventon project to progress from the first ideas to the finished car. Centro Stile, which was just a few years old then, was able to carry out the entire design process at Lamborghini for the first time without any external collaboration with design studios like Bertone.
2009 Reventon Roadster.
The Reventon Roadster
Two years after unveiling the Reventon coupe, Lamborghini showed a roadster version at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. It had a slightly more powerful engine but the top speed was 10 km/h less. Lamborghini offered it for 1.1 million euros but never revealed just how many were sold, although it said that there would be less than 20 units.
The original Reventon production was done between 2007 and 2009 and besides the 20 units that were sold, one more unit was built and is displayed at the Lamborghini Museum of Technologies. Half of the cars made are known to have gone to the USA and the rest went to other countries. The Reventon was one of the first ‘few-offs’ from the brand and remains as one its most iconic models too.
