2013 Lamborghini Lp570-4 Superleggera Vf Supercharged on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

Lamborghini agrees to produce Urus in Italy

The Lamborghini Urus is apparently on the way, and it looks like it will be built in Italy. The news comes from Bloomberg, which claims Lambo CEO Stephan Winkelmann and Audi CEO Rupert Stadler will be joined by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Wednesday to announce a series of tax breaks to bring SUV production to Italy. The report cites multiple "people familiar with the matter." The details of the deal include up to 500 new jobs in exchange for $87 million in tax breaks along with "other benefits," according to Bloomberg. Just over a year ago, it was looking like Urus production was headed for Slovakia, where it'd be built alongside its MLB platform-mates, the Audi Q7, Volkswagen Touareg, and Porsche Cayenne. News of Italy's bid surfaced this spring. We'll be sure to keep an eye out for any official news as it becomes available. Related Video:

Lamborghini wants to grow, but it will never become big

Lamborghini had a record year in 2021: it delivered 8,405 cars, an increase of 13% over 2020 and, tellingly, 6,803 units more than in 2011. Almost all of the company's production capacity for 2022 is spoken for, so its popularity doesn't look like it's going to wane anytime soon. Andrea Baldi, the head of the Americas region for Lamborghini, sat down with Autoblog to talk about what this growth means for the future. "We have more than a year-long waiting time for every model. Even for the Huracan, which we launched in 2014. It's not just the STO; it's the all- and rear-wheel-drive variants as well. We pre-sold the Aventador Ultimae in three weeks in July 2021, which was a record," Baldi pointed out. The more family-focused Urus has been hugely popular as well; it's the best-selling Lamborghini with 5,021 deliveries in 2021. Lamborghini plans to continue growing in the coming years, it will notably unveil four new models in 2022, but there's a set limit to how far it can stretch. The executive team's idea is not to rival Audi in terms of size, or even Porsche. "We definitely want to scale up our production a bit. The big chance for us is the jump into hybridization, because it means that we'll get a new generation of cars. We'll start in 2023 with the Aventador's successor, and the entire range will gradually be electrified after that. This gives us an opportunity for the Aventador and Huracan successors to have a production line that can make more cars," Baldi revealed. He stopped short of telling us precisely how many more, but the increase will be relatively small — and maintaining the brand's exclusivity will be of paramount importance. "The idea will always be to have one car less than demand," he noted. "We will always have a waiting time but it should be shorter, so we need a little more production capacity. If you sit in front of your house and watch 10,000 cars go by, one will be a Lamborghini. We're talking about a small-digit percentage increase, but for a luxury brand it will be a big change," Baldi added. Going hybrid unlocks other opportunities, like the ability to reach new buyers while letting the firm stay on the right side of ever-stricter regulations. And yet, many of its customers still associate a super-sports car with a mighty internal combustion engine.