How function defined Lamborghini’s latest ‘super veloce’

Lamborghini has been busy refreshing its existing product line, most recently with the Urus SE Performante, and now the Revuelto SV. Those two letters are steeped lore and signal increased performance for what is already a very rapid piece of sculpture indeed.

Ahead of the car’s official reveal this week, Car Design News spoke with Alessandro Farmeschi, the Revuelto’s product line director, whose role spans a gamut of divisions – including working with design.

Visually the SV is as expected: added flare, aggressive bodywork and lashings of carbon fibre. Like the new Urus there is a dark arrowhead on the bonnet, flanked either side by body colour arrows that taper from the corners of the A-pillar and lower diffuser before meeting the headlamp. There are various other separations between bare carbon and paint, each defined by a thin orange line between them. That line can be seen above the sill, on the mirrors, the boot spoiler and looping across the roof.

It is difficult to miss the fixed boot spoiler that towers over the rear in comparison to the standard Revuelto, and it does disrupt the car’s handsome proportions somewhat. Previously the emphasis was on the hips and musculature but the eye now wanders upwards to architecture of the fixed wing.

It's a continuous loop until you find an equilibrium for the overall packaging of the car

Onlookers might be forgiven for assuming all this is a styling exercise, an effort to give the appearance of a race car. But Farmeschi tells Car Design News it is all very much functional and design director Mitja Borkert worked closely with the in-house aerodynamics experts to eke out genuine gains. In simple terms, the SV model boasts about 80% more downforce at the rear, while the front balance is twice as good.

“This is the result of a continuous development done together with Mitja and the engineers from the aerodynamic team, because one thing is clear: everything that is shaped by Mita has a functional effect, it's not just styling,” explains Farmeschi.

“For instance, at the rear of the car there are two little flaps – which look very cool – that have the effect of downforce,” he continues. “They sit above an outlet that creates the necessary pressure to suck the air from the radiators and improve the cooling of the car. So it's a continuous loop where the aerodynamics team checks what is feasible and what has to be improved again and again until you find an equilibrium for the overall packaging of the car.”

But with a Super Veloce (“super fast” in Italian”) there must be a hierarchy – even if unspoken – where function naturally takes precedent over form? Farmeschi is coy in his answer and underlines again that there is a continuous back-and-forth between design and engineering until both sides are happy. Borkert himself has spoken about seeking a balance too, noting how Lamborghini design can on occasion look “crazy but never chaotic.”

The Revuelto joins a long line of SV variants that began with the coveted Miura SV in 1971 and extended to the Diablo, Murcielago and Aventador. The recipe has become far more extroverted over time – a trend that kicked off in earnest with the Murcielago, to our eyes. The Diablo and Miura were subtly sportier, whereas later models have made more of a song and dance.

The V12 naturally aspirated engine is a consistent part of the experience

There are certain details that will delight only upon closer inspection, including the special locking centre caps on the wheels which apparently require a herculean 650Nm of torque to tighten properly. We know this as the team has gone to the effort of writing that out on the cap itself (imagine if all components had that to eliminate guesswork? We digress).

Then there are the carbon intake manifolds that are on full display through the engine cover – functional to their core yet absolute works of art nonetheless. Away from design slightly and on more of an emotional level, CDN asked Farmeschi how it feels to be one of the few players still championing a raw V12 powerplant. 

"The naturally aspirated engine, and above all the V12, has been part of our history since the very foundation of the company — our goal is to keep it as long as we can," he says. "It's a trademark. With the Revuelto, you speak about not a PHEV, but an HPEV because it's a high-performing electrified vehicle. The intention is not to give priority to the electric part, but to keep the soul of the V12 naturally aspirated engine that is a consistent part of the experience. You have that feeling as soon as you start the engine, it's a symphony."

Elsewhere, there is a wonderful perspective of the rear three quarter where a jagged series of angles from the roof, shoulder, door and sill form in the shape of an ‘S’. It is perhaps our favourite 'compound design' element of the car. 

The Revuelto SV ultimately has plenty of character and that combination of form and function coalesces as one would expect. Those in the market for a Revuelto are no shrinking violets and the visual volume of the SV treatment will no doubt be very much welcomed.