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It is a beginning and an end point at the same time: it brings the thermal tradition of the legendary V12 engines to the highest levels and opens up to the new world of lithium ions. Here is Lamborghini Revuelto, the new supercar from Sant’Agata, the first plug-in hybrid, which anticipates future “electro-Lamborghinis”.
We tested it at the Vallelenga racetrack. Its numbers are impressive: 1,1015 horsepower unleashed by 3 electric motors that help (and not a little) the new incarnation (christened L545) of the legendary Lambo V12 which deploys 6.5 liters, 825 horsepower and 725 Nm of torque and is capable of expressing itself with a “scream” that hits you in the stomach as you sink your foot on the gas. But it’s not over: in their silence the electric motors push the heir to the Aventador towards very high peaks in terms of speed and handling. Revuelto is a missile (it reaches 350 km/h, sprints from 0 to 100 in 2.5 seconds and takes 7 to reach 200 km/h), but is capable of following curves as if driver and car were united by a neurolink. Here there is the merit of the electric all-wheel drive and the torque vectoring generated by the electric motors powered by a 3.8 kWh battery which, inserted in the tunnel, offers 10 km of autonomy: enough to feel green in the restricted traffic zones and get out of the garage without getting feel.
The architecture of the Hpev (High Performance Electrified Vehicle) as the company’s marketing likes to call it, reworking the acronym Phev (Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) includes 2 axial flow electric motors of 110 kW and 350 Nm located at the front and an third, again with 110 kW but with 150 Nm of radial flow, is placed on the double clutch gearbox, 8 gears in rear and transverse position. In total there is over 1,500 Nm of torque put to the ground by the Potenza Sport tyres, developed specifically by Bridgestone. Getting on board this 5 meter long coupé is an emotion that mixes tradition and innovation. The doors (classic scissor doors) open upwards and you enter, without contortions, into a cockpit with a strong technological connotation, with 3 displays (cockpit, infotainment and passenger), while the steering wheel is more “analogue” with controls rationally organized physicists. From here you can manage 13 driving modes (such as the new Recharge, Hybrid and Performance). From the first metres, Revuelto is docile and instills confidence. It is the polar opposite of grumpy and difficult hypercars. On the contrary, it is easy, well manageable and forgiving of many errors. And it brakes very hard. When cornering it is impossible to “lose” it and by maintaining the electronic controls (an excellent job was done here) it remains attached to the asphalt. It is a dynamically sincere hypercar, which expresses performances never achieved before, thanks to cutting-edge aerodynamics and sublime engineering. Revuelto is a quantum leap compared to the Aventador: it gets top marks, with praise, in everything from handling to breathtaking style. However, the connected infotainment but with somewhat cheap screens is not convincing. In exchange for 500 thousand euros (which with customizations goes beyond 650 thousand) we would have expected Oled displays and more refined software. Finally, a curiosity: the production for the next two and a half years is fully booked. We estimate around 4,000 thousand examples and a turnover of around 2.5 billion euros. These are also the numbers of the incredible electrified Lamborghini.