It seems like things are going very bullish for Lamborghini right now, with volume up 10%, turnover up 22% and order books looking healthy, out to 2026 – so demand is as strong as ever. This is all well and good, but the reason we were gathered together at the Lambo showroom in Auckland was to talk about PHEVs and V12s – and that of course meant the Revuelto.
Now about that Revuelto. Fun fact, Revuelto is the Spanish word for mixed up, however, as many of you will know, Lambo’s are named after ‘significant’ fighting bulls and this tradition carries on with the Revuelto. Revuelto fought on the 1st August 1800 and is famous for jumping into the grandstand eight times during his career, and tried another three times, but for ‘poetic licence’, I’m going to say that in total it was twelve times which is a perfect segue into the V!2.
12 cylinders have really defined Lamborghini’s identity, the ability to be as docile as a lamb or as rampant as a raging bull. The customers love the V12 and having a naturally aspirated V12 was the starting point for the new flagship Revuelto.
A lot of manufacturers have given up on the V12 but Lamborghini have not only stuck with it, they’ve electrified it too. It’s fair to say that environmental-impact now has a big say in the automotive world and although the heritage of a V12 is still key to the Lambo brand, they are also out to evolve too.
The Revuelto is a new turning point for the brand, and the first step towards the future of the super sports car range. It’s the first feature V12 high performance electrified vehicle, offering incredible power combined with ultimate responsiveness, and predictable race handling. It’s the best performing Lamborghini road car ever, but still comfortable and smooth for daily use that can transform into a playful machine as Lamborghini’s should. Its overall ability and usability being showcased as it is the first time breaking track records with the stability control turned ON.
Now bare with me as I explain what’s under the bonnet, and believe me, none of these are typos. The V12 remains in the same historical position, in line with the rear electric motor and the 3.7 kilowatt hour battery lives in what used to be called the transmission tunnel, this all means that most of the mass is confined to the middle of the vehicle and as low down as possible.
It’s not a traditional plug in hybrid car. Due to the electrification and the reworked engine, the power is up 30% but the co2 emissions are better (than the Aventador). Drum roll please, the Revuelto produced over 1000 horsepower, or 746kW in real money, 0-100km/h takes just 2.5 seconds and should you find a straight road, 350km/h+ top speed.
The power is controlled by new predictive LDPR 2.0 (Lamborghini Dynamic Vehicle Integration) system and manages the most complete and advanced car ever made by Lamborghini.
The new 8-speed dual clutch transmission offers fast and smoother gear changes, it’s more compact and makes the car more responsive, more agile. The electric motor is integrated into the gearbox to support the reversing and starting of the V12, but its main job is to assist the power delivery as well, filling in the gaps where necessary.
The cabin has been given a spaceship philosophy, Lamborghini wants you to feel like a pilot when you’re in the car, with alien shapes and brand DNA all being connected and hexagons being a given.
Driver and copilot are centre stage and thanks to the latest connected services ‘gesture control’ will put the data in the hands of the passenger – how cool is that! There’s more headroom throughout and it’s practical (ahem) too with cupholders and stowage areas. Albeit for small items.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to drive this new $1M bull, so unable to experience the brutal acceleration, all-wheel steering handling or jealous looks from the public, but they did spark it up in an ear-shattering fashion (your neighbours will be pleased that it can be started in EV only mode and driven in silence up to 12km).
Revuelto may be named after a crazy bull but the Spanish translation of ‘mixed up’ probably defines this beast more aptly. It is the perfect way to describe the interaction between tradition and innovation, thermic and electrification – a PHEV Lamborghini.
All the specs and ‘everything else’ is here
