Lamborghini Revuelto In This Episode Of Letter From Europe

By Andrew Frankl
European Bureau Chief
The Auto Channel

My relationship with Lamborghini goes back 50 years. At that time my partner Ian Fraser and I owned CAR magazine, FF Publishing to be precise. There are still people in the United States who still get starry eyed about some of the great writers we had writing for CAR such as the legendary LJK Setright. Always immaculately dressed wearing a three piece suit he would come to the office and deliver his copy in Latin.

Happy days..one day someone by the name of Mel Nichols turned up with a story of a ride from St Agata to Ebury Street in London where our modest offices were. He’d written the story from the passenger seat being driven by legendary test driver Bob Wallace. Having read the story we hired him on the spot. He became synonymous with Lamborghini and in many ways the cult associated with the brand helped CAR magazine to become essential reading for people interested in great journalism and stunning photography.

Fraser and I took a deep breath at the cost of printing 8 color pages on a single story but Mel was right. The readers loved it as did our motoring journalists friends in New York, namely the great David E Davis and Brock Yates. They would come to visit us exchanging anecdotes and go on drives together. As a side note my participation in the 1979 Cannonball Run was thanks to Brock’s invitation. ( We did come last but that is a different matter.) The article from 1973 is probably the one that established Lambo in Britain and CAR as a must read. The Countach LP400 is what I called the Father of what I have been driving of late- the 1001 -yes, you read it right-horsepower Lamborghini Revuelto still with a V`12 engine!

In 1973 the V12 had a 4.liter engine. Mel and Bob were cruising at 6500 rpm which translated to 160 miles per hour or 257 km/h. At that time, before speed limits on the French autoroutes this was normal. These days if you do these sort of speeds you will have your car confiscated and you will never see it again. Getting in and out of the Contact and the Revuelto is exactly the same. You swing the door up, bend down, swing your legs in while keeping your head down.

So what has changed in 50 years at Lamborghini? Everything and nothing. When the 2025 Revuelto arrived complete with 1001 horsepower I cannot pretend that there wasn’t a certain amount of trepidation after all this was 200 horsepower more than anything I’ve ever driven before.

That wasn’t as intimidating as starting the beast. First you had to put into EV mode -something they most definitely not have 50 years ago-to warm up the V12 naturally aspirated engine. Once you have mastered the technique and it isn’t that obvious without a guide book or a video the road is your oyster! The styling is so spectacular that even policemen waved as we drover past the local cop shop on Tiburon Boulevard

Let me be clear. This is not your Toyota or Mazda, you don’t just get in, press a button and drive. You will also have to spend some time to find the indicators. There are knobs and buttons and levers plus a computer to dial in your requirements, something most definitely missing all those years ago. What has not changed is the buzz, the vibe, the excitement and of course the acceleration. 50 years ago Lambos were lighter so reaching very high speeds aided and abetted by the superb aerodynamics was doable.

What has of course changed that after years and years of languishing trying to keep the creditors away from the door these days Lamborghini are part of the huge VW empire and probably the most profitable part of it! In 2024 they’ve sold over 10,000 units world-wide with their US taking the majority of them. Turnover is well over two billion dollars! There is a waiting list of over a year and a half due mainly to the much loved Urus which was developed under the reign of of good friend Stefano Domenicali currently in charge of Grand Prix racing.

But coming to the Revuelto. Is it just pretty or is it actually pretty good? It is folks astonishingly good. First of all it is more roomy so you don’t have to be the size of a jockey to be comfortable. I am 6 ft tall and felt just fine. Clearly in California you have to be rather circumspect because of the speed limits. Luckily I found private road and was able to floor this beast. 0-60 in 2.5 seconds is what you get! Just don’t do it after a large meal as you will definitely see it again!

Some purists disagree but I love the EV mode as it does give peace and quiet to your neighbors First thing in the morning. How does this story fit into a Ferrari magazine? Quite easily. It is a rival, a worthy rival. Having said that would I like to own the Revuelto ? In all honestly not really.

After a while the noise-glorious as it is -will get to you and even though getting in out is relatively easy it isn’t a piece of cake. Parking with the gull wings is also a problem but still, I was very sad to see it go.

Lately I have had a chance to drive a V12 Ferrari 812GTS and I would chose it every time. Easy to get in, easy to get out, easy to start and is supremely comfortable. And silly as it may sound over 100 thousand dollars cheaper! So thank you Lambo, I am delighted you are in good health and giving tons of pleasure to your adoring customers.