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Maurizio Reggiani talks racing, forced induction, and Lamborghini V12s

Maurizio Reggiani deserves his own chapter in Lamborghini's history. He joined the Italian company in 1995 and rose to the position of chief technical officer in 2006; he notably led the development of some of Lamborghini's greatest modern-day engines, including the 6.5-liter V12 that powers the Aventador. His time as the head of Lamborghini's research and development department ended earlier in 2022 and he now serves as vice president of motorsport. His successor, Rouven Mohr, is tasked with implementing an ambitious and far-reaching electrification strategy called Direzione Cor Tauri and outlined in 2021. As Lamborghini prepares to enter a new era, I sat down with Reggiani for a behind-the-scenes look at nearly 30 years of V12 development. [The following has been edited for clarity.] RG: Lamborghini has made other engines and other companies have made V12s. Why is the V12 so often associated with Lamborghini? MR: In a time when everybody started talking about downsizing and reducing cylinder count, we continued to say that the V12 is the flagship of the super-sports car. We were born with this: Lamborghini has made a V12 during every year of its history. We also did V8s in the time of the Jalpa, for example, but the V12 was every time the main pillar of this company. If you want to be considered the pinnacle of super-sports cars, no other engine can really speak to purists like a naturally-aspirated V12 can. In terms of power, in terms of sound, in terms of emotion, and in terms of, let me say, the coolest engine that's possible in terms of engineering definition. RG: What projects have stood out to you during your time at the head of Lamborghini's R&D department? MR: When I started my career, 40 years ago at Maserati, I worked in engine development. At Bugatti, I was responsible for powertrain, which of course includes the engine. For me, an engine is kind of like a first love, and you remain in love for all of your life. To look at an engine, to look inside, to discuss the components, to have an opinion, and to give a suggestion was my way of working every time. One of the projects that excited me the most was the Diablo GT. For the first time, we decided to put a single throttle per cylinder, and it was a level of sophistication that was more or less never used before by Lamborghini. You take experience from the past and try to apply it to [the present]. This improved a lot the performance, and it was really super exciting.

2021 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Xago is all about the hexagons

Every modern-day hypercar needs to have loads of limited-production special editions. Even the most exclusive cars such as the Bugatti Chiron aren't exclusive enough. And as a result of needing to satiate the demand for special hypercars, there are some odd limited editions. The latest is the 2021 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Xago Edition. It's special because of hexagons. Well, it's not just hexagons. It also celebrates Lamborghini's Ad Personam customization program and the fact that customers can now participate in the program virtually instead of flying out to Italy. As it so happens, this special Aventador can only be ordered through the virtual version of the program. So what's the connection between an online customization program and hexagons? We have no idea. And the connection is more tenuous when you see that Lamborghini says its hexagonal patterns for the car were inspired by the hexagonal clouds on Saturn's north pole. Yes, you read that right. Oh, and the name? We also don't know, but it might just be that they're the middle letters of Lamborghini's design theme called "hexagonita." Among the hexagon details are silver patterns that fade in and out on the paint. The interior upholstery features a hexagonal pattern all the way down, too. Outside of that, the customer gets to pick the paint colors, which will also be reflected by contrast panels on the seats. Otherwise, it's a regular Aventador SVJ, which is still pretty exciting with a blistering Nurburgring lap time and 770 horsepower. Only 10 of these hexagonal Aventadors will be built, and that leaves us a bit vexed. Shouldn't Lamborghini build a number of these cars divisible by six? A very mild hex upon the person that missed the opportunity to sextuple down on the hexagon theme. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.      

'Born of a Blue Sky' brings the Amelia Island Concours to you

The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance has more clout every year and is getting a reputation as Pebble Beach minus the madness. Held in March this year, it celebrated Ducati and the 50-year anniversaries of Lamborghini, the Corvette Sting Ray, Porsche 911 and the Ford GT40.
Justin Lapriore was there, and seemingly everywhere, getting footage of the various wares on display on the lawns and the sand and the runway. The resulting video, Born of a Blue Sky, is a 16-minute survey of some of the finer sights and plenty of engine sounds. Check it out below.