Tag Archives: Lamborghini

Anyone stuck in beach traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway this past weekend found themselves in for a treat. Or really just about anyone on the beach or the boardwalk, too, as a fleet of over 200 Lamborghinis makes for quite a rumbling traffic jam that roars hundreds of yards in every direction. 

Welcome to the third annual Bull Run, a series of global rallies that Lamborghini and the charity Movember put on to raise awareness for men’s issues during the month, also known as “No Shave November.” This year, a Bull Run started in a large parking lot below the Santa Monica Pier, then rallied up the coast through the hills of Topanga and Malibu. 

Just in case I wouldn’t hear the echoes from my nearby apartment, Lamborghini kindly offered me a Huracán Tecnica to join the morning’s revelries, so I arrived curious to see what kind of crowd the Bull Run draws—and, of course, how everyone piloting hardcore supercars in a group rally on public roads actually drives.

Welcome to the Bull Run

I arrived about 15 minutes late, figuring the event might run on Italian time. And sure enough, a group of about 30 Lambos already occupied a few spots just off the boardwalk—nowhere near the expected total. I parked the Tecnica and hopped out, noticing the number of mustaches already in attendance, a figure that rose steadily, if not quite as quickly as the number of actual Lamborghinis rolling up in bunches.

Movember’s efforts as an organization center around raising awareness for men’s health issues, with a focus on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health. The charity has invested over $350 million in biomedical research projects, supports interventions, provides guidance for cancer treatments, and reframed discussions of mental health and gender norms. Previous iterations of the Lambo Bull Run have drawn 92 dealers in 22 states, with over 1,500 cars worldwide joining the cause. But as the largest single market for Lamborghinis worldwide, LA’s potential turnout this year attracted enough attention to even entice CEO Stephan Winkelmann out for a weekend on the West Coast.

Setting records with Movember

I almost didn’t recognize Winkelmann in his Saturday casual attire as opposed to his unvarying array of absolutely immaculate suits. He also arrived sporting a beard for the first time since his Bugatti days. Why the beard, I asked him, rather than the Movember mustache gracing so many Lambos around us? He laughed and pointed at my own beard.

“I look older with a mustache, so I said if I were going to do it, then I’d do a beard,” Winkelmann joked before turning serious. “We are doing a thing for a good cause, and to have this as also the biggest gathering in the history of Lamborghini in connection with a movement like Movember is a good thing.”

Winkelmann arrived in the United States fresh off Lamborghini, reporting official sales figures for the first three quarters of 2023. As usual, the US market dominated world deliveries, with 2,342 cars sold. For context, Germany notched second place with 709 units sold. So, as we stood there surrounded by classic and modern Lamborghinis alike, I asked Winkelmann what he thought made customers in America so attracted to the Italian supercars coming out of Sant’Agata Bolognese in recent years.

“People love ‘Made in Italy,’ they love super sports cars,” he replied. “They look at us, and they see that we are consistent with the brand, with the products, with technology, design, and performance. And therefore, it’s a growing curve in terms of awareness, in terms of image, and also in terms of popularity.” 

We watched more cars pulling into the lot, and then perhaps the highlight of the day rumbled past: the so-called “Rambo Lambo” LM002 SUV. Crowds swarmed, pulling out smartphones to record this most beastly of raging bulls in motion. Then the owner hopped out and popped the hood. I stuck with Winkelmann and brought up my surprise at how many brand-new examples of the Sterrato showed up, the Huracán’s off-roading variant that best delivers the modern style of that LM002. In fact, the Sterrato might just be my favorite car of the year. Completely absurd in every way but done right from conception through R&D to production. Winkelmann agreed.

“Lambos are created to be dream cars,” he posited, “To be objects you might dream of since your childhood. And this is something we have to keep alive, and we always have to surprise people. The LM002 back in time was a big surprise for the customers. So is also the Sterrato. This is a car, which is part of our thinking out of the box now; it’s a car, which is very special, and the reception has been incredible. And it’s even more fun on the racetrack than off-road because you can just slide it.”

I declined to share my own tale of sliding a Sterrato enough to wind up fully sideways on a rally course at the official press debut earlier this year but nodded with appreciation for the incredible job that Lambo’s CTO Rouven Mohr manages to do with traction control and ESC programming. This guy drives a Lancer Evo, drifts a Nissan 350Z, and came up with the idea for a Sterrato in the first place. Then he decided that media should off-road the Urus Performante, set up a stage rally day at Chuckwalla for the Sterrato launch, and programmed the 1,000-horsepower Revuelto hybrid’s all-wheel-drive system well enough that I even drifted one at Vallelunga. Not bad, to say the least.

A sense of surprise

And my Tecnica loaner wasn’t bad, either. Compared to other Huracan variants, including the Sterrato but also the aggressively aerodynamicized STO, the Tecnica nails a certain level of stylistic restraint. Call it more in line with Winkelmann’s more typical visage than on a Movember rally, where the Sterrato is the bearded CEO in cargo pants at the beach on a Saturday morning. And this particular Sterrato looks extra svelte in a matte grey, officially called Grigio Acheso, with carbon fiber interior door cards and even racing-inspired pull straps instead of handles. 

Don’t forget the 5.2-liter V10 that revs to 8,500 RPM and puts 640 horsepower through a lightspeed seven-speed DCT to the rear wheels only. Perfect for a road rally, a racetrack, or tooling around town—whether anyone shelling out $300,000 for their daily driver might want to keep the Movember mustache decals on after the rally remained another question entirely.

Huracans made up most of the crowd by the time SM Pier’s lot began to fill up, heartily outnumbering even the Urus, Lambo’s best-selling model that contributed mightily to steadily growing sales stats since debuting for model year 2018. And yet, the Lamborghini crowd that gathers at a rally clearly prefers the company’s supercar persona rather than the do-anything SUV. Not too surprising, I suppose, given how many commuters I regularly see in Uruses (Urii) here in Los Angeles. Maybe the Lanzador could change that in the near future.

Sprinkled between the modern Lambos, a few Diablos, Murcielagos, and Aventadors also arrived to great fanfare. Even a lone Lamborghini Jalpa caught my eye, with an absurd yellow interior unveiled on full display. And it’s not often that anyone on hand can see the details that made these cars so super, from the Rambo Lambo’s wider-than-wide dash and peculiar Pirelli tires to the Jalpa’s gated shifter and three-spoke steering wheel or even the Diablo’s massive rear air intakes. Then, comparing older cars to newer ones, the evolution of aero and design, not to mention materials and craftsmanship under Volkswagen ownership—the whole history of Sant’Agata Bolognese played out in the pier parking lot.

Then came the time to drive after a few words of warning to prevent any shenanigans. Luckily—or not—beach traffic piled up on the PCH immediately, so as I slunk forward at a few miles an hour with the Tecnica set to softest Strada mode and AC blasting, a bunch of Aventadors lurched around at low speeds, automated manuals slapping audibly and 6.5-liter V12 engines revving to prevent stalls. We passed Jerry Seinfeld in a bright orange IROC Porsche, thinking it’s not often that Jerry gets upstaged in the car biz, but it’s pretty hard to beat a line of 200 Lamborghinis in public.

Once past a blinking red traffic light that caused the holdup, speeds increased but never to the point of irresponsibility. Even up Las Flores Canyon, then down Stunt and across Mulholland, the line of Lambos barely cracked the speed limit. And it’s a good thing, too, because the sheriff’s department definitely got the memo, as proven by about 15 cop cars passing in under an hour on mountain roads.

On Las Flores, a bit of water spray contrasted the Tecnica’s matte finish. On the rough road surfaces that took a beating this past winter, I again found myself entirely happy to have drawn the “short” straw with the Tecnica rather than the more “desirable” STO. Sure, on a track, the STO’s stiffer suspension and aero package may allow for better lap times, but here on public roads, the Tecnica’s more approachable setup kept me swaddled in much more comfort. I can admit to wishing for a bit more time actually ripping around, throwing that low-slung weight into corners, and punching the brake pedal to chomp down on massive carbon-ceramic brake discs. Oh well, maybe next time. If I ever get a next time.

Welcome to Calamigos Ranch

The rally ended at Calamigos Ranch, right off Kanan Dume in the heart of Malibu. A popular wedding venue, Calamigos Ranch also rents out to automakers regularly for sneak previews, official launches, and lunches during test drives. In this case, Lambo parked a brand-new Revuelto at the entrance for guests to check out. The bright orange Arancio Apodis launch color certainly caught eyes, though, in my opinion, it only highlights certain unflattering comparisons to the C8 Corvette in photos. Those impressions come through less in person, but the angular body still looks best in dark and matte tones.

Then, another orange Lambo absolutely stole my gaze: a sparkling Miura that guarded the entrance to the main field where lunch trucks, picnic tables, cornhole, and a Ferris wheel all dotted the lawn packed with more Lamborghinis, of course. Here, I got to check out more Diablos and Murcielagos that I must have missed earlier in the rush to chat with Winkelmann and grab a cup of coffee before the rally started. The crowd grew steadily, some dealers wearing official garb, plenty of father-son duos out for a Saturday cruise, solo owners, and more Lambo executives. I grabbed a Mediterranean salad with shaved ribeye, chugged another coffee, then moseyed over to take a closer look at sweet rims, quilted leather, and even more sparkling paint jobs.

And to think, all this for a good cause in an era when Cars and Coffee meets often devolve into donuts and drifting, prompting police shutdowns and ticketing. By contrast, the Bull Run stayed surprisingly classy. We all know the stereotypes, but the Mustang and Hellcat hooligans stayed away on this day of fundraising. Each dealership involved contributes to Movember’s purse, the final tallies of which will be announced at the end of the full month’s efforts. 

But in the meantime, I spent the rest of the afternoon ripping my Tecnica home through the tight curves of Latigo Canyon Road, simply one of the best 10 miles of asphalt the world over for driving one of the best supercars ever. Suffice it to say, it’s a great way to give my own mental health a boost with a healthy dose of automotive therapy.

The 2028 Lamborghini Lanzador concept tells no new story. At least not new to us. It seems once in a generation, a famed marque embarks on yet another cash-grab quest to line their pockets with fresh moolah to fund their next generation of sports cars, and that’s exactly what Lamborghini must have planned for this all-electric, four-seat leviathan. Behold their latest vision and enter a new age for the artisans at Sant’Agata Bolognese as they ford new waters and enter the EV arena.

Weight? I don’t know. Range? Good Question. Okay, performance? Beats me. But it’ll surely be as quick as a Lamborghini and certainly look like one too.

Little hard facts are known about the Lanzador, and even less is known about what production model will spawn from it. But knowing Lamborghini’s trend with concept cars over the past decade or so, it’s safe to say this will be a clear look at what’s their take on a mass-market, all-electric Lambo, with swagger and speed to match. 

Lamborghini Lanzador price & specs

There’s so much up in the air for the Lanzador, a concept still in gestation that isn’t due until 2028. But one thing is certain: It will be a ferociously quick luxury charm, with asphalt-tearing, rear-end-puckering speed and acceleration.

Price	TBA: $200,000 – $300,000 USD est.
Battery Capacity	TBA: 80 kWh – 100 kWh est.
Electric range	TBA: 300 – 400 miles est.
0-60 acceleration	TBA: quick enough
Horsepower	TBA: 1,340 horsepower (concept)

The concept car presented during this year’s Monterey Car Week boasts 1,340 horsepower. For anyone coming from our EVs Explained corner of the house, that’s 1,000 kW or one whole-ass megawatt. That far exceeds the output of the Lucid Air Sapphire, Porsche Taycan Turbo S, or Tesla Model S Plaid, and matches the Koenigsegg Agera One:1.

Being of that maniacal breed of mega EV, it wouldn’t be delusional to believe the production Lazandor can easily clock a 300-mile range, minimum. Maybe 400 with a special long-range model while managing zero-to-sixty times of three seconds or below. Also, expect MPGe to be fairly average given its expected size and weight but charging rates to be rapid like other premium Volkswagen Group electric vehicles.

If Lamborghini’s current money-maker, the Urus SUV, is anything to go by, expect a production Lanzador to hover between $230,000 and $300,000, depending on trim and motor/battery configuration. Lamborghini’s exuberant collection of option packages will easily add tens of thousands of dollars on top of that.

Lamborghini Lanzador interior and tech

We know little about the tech Lamborghini will implement, but we can easily speculate what sort of ultra-fast, ultra-luxurious electro barge will come.

“With the fourth model concept, we are opening a new car segment: the Ultra GT. This will offer customers a new, unparalleled Lamborghini driving experience thanks to pioneering technologies,” claims CEO and Chairman, Stephan Winkelmann.

Expect the production Lanzador to be as opulent and well-appointed as any Lamborghini. The concept appears a bit ergonomically questionable, but what concept car isn’t? Think heated and vented bucket seats with multi-function steering wheels and digital displays galore. There will likely be a push-button starter with a red fighter jet-style flip cover, a digital gauge cluster, and a suite of simple safety goodies, from parking sensors to adaptive cruise and semi-autonomous driving. 

The concept bears no centralized touch screen like the Huracan, Aventador, Urus, or all-new Revuelto. But expect the production version to follow suit and incorporate some sort of interface into the Lanzadaor’s interior design language. Given the relatively cavernous interior layout, something that will easily carry over could be the concept’s passenger display screen and the multi-color ambient lighting that turns the Lanzador from a sports sedan to a VIP nightclub. 

An interior fit for the badge

The Lanzador Concept is poised as a “2+2 Gran Turismo” and the brand’s “Ultra GT,” with two massive doors and four thin but elegantly styled buckets. While I expect the four seats to remain, if not replace the rears with a three-across arrangement, the final product will most likely be a sedan, much like the now-15-year-old Estoque concept car of 2008. 

The concept sports copious trunk space and a decent frunk. All of that grocery-getting capability will be afforded by a typical skateboard-type battery pack comprising the Lanzador’s floor. This design seems to have worked, as you can now store, uh, not one but two Lamborghini-branded designer luggage sets in the ass end. Can’t say that about the Revuelto.

If this formula sounds familiar, well, that’s because it is. Lamborghini is ready to join the pantheon of luxury EVs, hoping that affluent commuters will fund their future projects. As such, it’s unsurprising that the Lanzador Concept follows this now-common practice, albeit a new frontier for the brand itself. However, it can still differentiate itself from its peers by capitalizing on the tricks Lamborghini knows best.

One. Whole. Megawatt.

Tricks like speed! Power! Rage!

However, is this level of performance really that surprising in an age where Rimac exists? Perhaps not, but the fact you can let your kids experience black-out g-forces on the way to school is still one hell of a flex and the kind of batshittery that will undoubtedly be expected of the production Lanzador. Chances are that kind of speed won’t be that old in 2028.

The concept has been snatching headlines for its still-impressive 1,340 horsepower, which equates to one megawatt of power, a feat matched or beaten by few cars. Trims will also vary in performance for the production car, but we all know Lambo doesn’t know slow. Expect base models to push 500 or even 600 horsepower, with neck-snapping torque to match. All models will certainly have some degree of ultra-high-performance pretense, so expect dual motors as standard with tri or quad-motor setups in the highest tiers.

Leave it to Italy to build a driver’s EV

Further differentiating the Lanzador will be proper handling chops, at least for its size and weight, which we expect will be on the portlier side, perhaps rivaling or exceeding the Urus. It shouldn’t be a difficult feat for the brand, given their experience with magnetic suspension and active aero, which the Lanzador will certainly receive, as well as the battery’s low center of gravity and the electric motors’ infinitely adjustable torque vectoring.

One thing Lamborghini seeks to pride itself on will be the immense amount of sensors and actuators going into the Lanzador. They seek to make this tremendous level of hardware and tuning capable of delivering a more precise driving experience, broaden the range of characteristics between drive mode presets and individual modes, and improve driver feedback.

With beauty and grace (sort of)

Secondly, you can’t put off that punch-in-the-face Lamborghini styling. Visual swagger and all that’s dapper is the Raging Bull’s signature.

Well, you know. Naturally aspirated screamers would be the other, but strip that away from the Lazandor, and you must take the other half of the brand’s soul and run away with it. Whether you love or hate the concept, it’s certainly worth talking about. 

The two-door design will likely give way to a four-door sedan, but the concept certainly radiates lifted Koenigsegg Gemera vibes. Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lamborghini kept it and sought to emulate such a design with Italian flair. As with the interior, the exterior is a wonderful blend of extroverted excess, straddling the line between gaudy and really gaudy. The 23-inch wheels are a bit much, but they contribute to the raised height, elevating this EV’s appeal on battered highways, steep driveways, and dirt roads near the winter cabin. 

The overall design is a hodgepodge of Lamborghini and (insert miscellaneous EVs). The ride height and black cladding are plucked straight from the Huracán Sterrato and vaguely remind me of a Polestar 2. The profile resembles a concept sketch of the offspring between a Huracán and a Cybertruck with a bed cap. And the taillights are definite callouts to the Sian and Aventador.

Is the Lanzador actually coming?

Yes. The Lanzador will soon grace the garages of rich people, even if it bears a new name or face. This concept is very much a serious announcement of the direction Lamborghini will take for electrifying the lineup, culminating in a mass-produced production car in 2028. 

By then, the Revuelto will likely be due for a mid-cycle refresh, and we’ll have had the Huracán successor for a few years. And the purists can cry all they want, but they’d be missing the point.

While the supercars carry the torch for high-revving tomfoolery, it will be the Lanzador EV and the Urus – if it’s still around – that will draw maximum profits and fuel development for potential hybrid powertrains to keep their naturally aspirated engines on life support. Even if you disagree with its existence, the Lanzador will contribute heavily to ensuring a future for Lamborghini supercars as we know them and for the company as a whole.