Every ten years or so a new V12 Lamborghini debuts, and every time one does there’s fear and speculation: “has the Raging Bull been sanitised?” Well, judging by the Revuelto’s debut on the Hill at this year’s Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, there’s nothing safe or sanitised about it. It deployed all of its 1,000PS-plus, revving up to over 9,000rpm, with the kind of aggression and flamboyance you’d expect of a top-end raging Bull, slithering left and right as it launched off the line and took the first couple of corners. With the instant torque of three electric motors, it was also quick to spin up while rolling on the damp Hill surface.
Video: Lamborghini Revuelto debuts at 2023 Festival of Speed
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What about the way it sounds? The successor to the Aventador, the social media generation’s darling supercar, has to have a voice. Happily, it sounds much like one of the most-watched cars on YouTube which, by association, is probably one of the most-revved cars in the world. You do hear flashes of that extra rev range but mostly, it’s the V12 as we know and love it, alive and well.
In terms of design? We reckon it looks fantastic – dare we say better than the Aventador? Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini’s head of design, has grasped the task of styling a flagship Lamborghini by both horns but crucially, not fallen into the trap of ‘more extreme = better’. So as it flies up the Hill in bright orange, we can also imagine one in black, trundling through a sleepy village in e-mode without ruining (or improving) anyone’s day.
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Speaking of e-mode... the powertrain. That 1,015PS (747kW) figure is a combination of efforts from the higher-revving 6.5-litre V12 engine and three electric motors, making it the most powerful Lamborghini yet made. So yes, it’s properly fast, slingshotting from 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds away from the line. It didn't quite have room to hit its limited 217mph top speed before the first corner during it's run up the Hill. but we’d hazard to suggest it would have been comfortably into three figures before the first braking zone, if it could get any grip…
What are your thoughts on the Lamborghini Revuelto? Do you think it’s worthy of being the dream car of a new generation? Let us know your thoughts.
Photography by Joe Harding.