Lamborghini design director Mitja Borkert on the Temerario

At Goodwood Festival of Speed, Lamborghini’s design boss and compulsive sketcher Mitja Borkert gave Car Design News a sneak preview of the Temerario, which recently launched at Monterey Car Week. Billed as a replacement for the Huracan, the new model will follow in the same compact footsteps of its predecessor.

Despite the fact that the V10 engine is being replaced by a V8 twin-turbo hybrid, the new model still feels wedded to the combustion engine era. CDN spoke to Borkert about the continuing evolution of the Lambo design language, the influence of MotoGP and his obsession with sketching (the designer sketched throughout our conversation. Brilliantly).

Car Design News: You have described embarking on new car projects as being like a mission. What was the mission for the Temerario?

Mijta Borkert: Since the Huracan is a very compact car, we wanted to do the utmost to keep the successor compact and agile. In fact, it is even more compact looking. Our new design language, iconic and essential, means that we have even more differentiation between the models. All super sharp: we want every millimetre of our cars to say they are maximum fun to drive.

We started last year with the Revuelto and continued with the Urus. You can always recognise a Lamborghini by its spaceship silhouette. Only Lamborghini can have that architecture. At the end of the day, we are always designing around the powertrain. With the Temerario, we have a V8 hybrid and the wheelbase is just 40mm longer than the current model.

You can see the language is softer, more human. There are still sharp lines – you can sketch this car with just a few lines, from the shark nose into the body side. And we wanted to have a bold hexagon in the same way as we used the Y-shape on the Revuelto. The hexagon has been a graphical element of Lamborghini since the 1960s and here we have used it as the DRL in the front and rear and the exhaust pipe. And also in the air intakes.

CDN: It looks a little taller than the current car?

MB: Yes, but we still wanted the lowest proportion in the segment – so it is lower than its competitors and slightly wider. The proportions are best in class with a pure shape on top, which is defined by this sharp line running across the car, very slim headlights and a 3D feel thanks to the S-duct. When you get closer, you discover the three dimensionality with the hexagon popping out. The rear diffuser is influenced by my passion for MotoGP and superbikes, too, so you have a clean upper part and clean shoulder which is super large. Nothing is disturbing the surfaces.

The hexagon tail lights are positioned within the radiator and are part of the aerodynamic concept, incorporating an air tunnel. We have super exposed tires, and when the car was camouflaged it almost looked like a dragster.

CDN: Is it a celebration of combustion engines, despite being a hybrid?

MB: I was asked the same question when we did the Revuelto. When I moved to Lamborghini, I was fully convinced I was going to design an electric car. And we did the Lanzador, which is indeed a 100% electric Lamborghini. But in the same moment, we started the first ideas on Revuelto and then of course later on for this car. And I thought, is it still cool in 2024 to celebrate the engine and the exhaust pipe? I was a little bit in doubt myself, but then I decided, no, let’s do it. Because it is honest. So therefore it is a celebration.

The Temerario will also come with a lightweight package. Track-oriented but not pure track. The engine bonnet will be in carbon fibre, as will the front splitter and rocker panel. There will be aero devices creating more downforce and the rear wing will be steeper. So it’s also a choice for the customer. You can stay puristic or you can go a little bit more, let’s say expert.

CDN: Lighting seems to play a big role in the design for Lamborghini in terms of differentiating models. Tell me a little bit about that.

MB: I’m convinced of one thing: we are not following the light bar trend. That would just not be us. I find it much more interesting to create super cool three-dimensional front and tail lights and DRLs where you say, wow, this is a Lambo.

CDN: Why is sketching so important to you, Mitja?

MB: Let me answer like this. When you are a teenager, you want to be a designer. Now I’m a designer. The higher you climb the ladder, I always heard that you lose sketching because with more responsibility, there’s less time, more management and so on. But I was always convinced that I don’t want to lose this skill. I think all my life I will study design. I don’t want people to say, he’s just a boss, he’s not able to sketch anymore.

CDN: Do you feel it gives you an edge as a designer?

MB: Let’s take Karl Lagerfeld. Of course I’m not Karl Lagerfeld, I will never be, but I was always fascinated by how he described where he lived. There are these films and he’s sketching his house and his mum. I love that.

Of course, our role is highly professional and we have to explain to our board where we want to go in the future. But, at the end of the day, the ability to sketch, that’s why we are designers.

For example, I was fascinated by the Y-shape on the Revuelto. I had been sketching these two Upsilons on the front of a car. It was instantly recognisable. Sketching is a way of understanding when something is working or not. I cannot stop, it is like automatic writing.