Strap in for some astonishing findings about this 1001bhp supercar
This is surely Autocar’s most anticipated test of 2024 when it comes to raw performance and unapologetic excess, but there is more to the intimidating, monolithic new Lamborghini Revuelto supercar than numbers.The Revuelto is Lamborghini’s opening play in the PHEV arena in which supercar makers now find themselves, willingly or not. As such, it breaks significant new ground for the Italian company.As a replacement for the rough-edged but lovable Aventador, it will also serve as the Lamborghini flagship for the next decade or so, anchoring broader approaches to design and technology for the coming decade.Last but not least, from a dynamic perspective, out on real-world roads, the Revuelto promises (and absolutely needs) to redefine the way big V12 Lamborghinis with four-wheel drive handle themselves, because while the Aventador was exciting, its robust ISR gearbox and at times uncooperative manner caused it to slip off the pace long before sales ended in 2022 with the Ultimae LP780-4.There is plenty riding on this car, then, and one has to assume that the gestation has also been a challenge. The early stages of development were led by superstar-engineer Maurizio Reggiani, though he was shortly moved on to oversee the LMDh hypercar programme. When it was time to bring the project to a head and present the Revuelto to the world, Rouven Mohr had become CTO, returning from Audi for his second stint in Sant’Agata.Further down the ranks, the Revuelto, with its three electric motors, has also required Lamborghini to hire and integrate plenty of new engineers into the company’s R&D set-up. Then there was the development of an entirely new eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox for the Revuelto.Lamborghini does, of course, have the backing of the Volkswagen Group via parent firm Audi. Being a contributor to and beneficiary of the group’s vast engineering IP – be it in dual-clutch gearbox design or CFRP technology – makes a project as ambitious as the Revuelto possible.Not that the association makes things uniformly simpler, mind: some at the very top would rather have seen a twin-turbo V8 used (that is, an even fightier version of the motor in the upcoming Temerario), rather than have tens of millions spent designing a new V12.Fortunately the doubters were won over about the importance of having a 12-cylinder USP in a Lamborghini flagship model. The decision was validated when last year the company sold 10,000 cars for the very first time, with Revuelto build slots now spoken for until the end of 2026. Note also that, even at a shade over £450,000 before options, the Revuelto is now the least expensive way to have V12 power in your fresh-off-the-line supercar. The next stop is the realm of Paganis and wares from Gordon Murray.While the V12 respects history, in most other regards the Revuelto is a watershed moment for its maker. We now put the car under the road test microscope, as we have done for each and every one of its predecessors, starting with the Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole (Autocar, 7 September 1988, price as tested £65,900).
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