Subtlety, thy name is not Lamborghini. The Italian master of automotive self-expression has unveiled the Urus SE Performante, the new flagship variant of its high-performance SUV. It supersedes the Urus SE, which in turn superseded the Urus S, which trumped the plain old vanilla Urus, originally released in 2017 and getting steadily wilder and more unhinged with each subsequent incarnation.

That’s not to say that Urus Mk1 was in any way subtle. In the 2010s, Lamborghini realised that it was lagging behind its peers in the race to SUV-ify the essence of its brand. The 2002 Porsche Cayenne, countless AMG, M-spec and S models from Mercedes, BMW and Audi respectively, and the 2015 Bentley Bentayga had been huge sales successes for their respective companies; the 2020 Aston Martin DBX and 2023 Ferrari Purosangue followed inevitably in their wake.

It’s also not without significance that Lamborghini has been part of the VW Group since 1998, giving it access to engineering and manufacturing know-how from a number of other brands. Cleverly, the Urus platform was shared with the original Bentayga, as well as the Audi Q8, Volkswagen Touareg and Cayenne.

The technology has since forked in various different directions, with an all-electric Cayenne making use of the Premium Platform Electric also used in the Audi Q6 e-tron. Like the Q8, Touareg and Bentayga, the Urus SE Performante has a hybrid system, with the ability to drive in pure electric mode. Yet somehow, Lamborghini has managed to make the Urus feel distinct and different, an embodiment of the brand's rebellious, outlier character.

These platform shenanigans are largely invisible to the consumer, such are the levels of customisation and tweaking between each brand, and, of course, the dramatically different design languages used inside and out. In this respect, the Urus takes the cake as the most authentic representation of its brand ethos, all slashes, creases, spoilers, wings and splitters – there’s so much going on that it’s surprising to find an actual family car underneath it all.

With the model getting a little long in the tooth, the SE Performante is a final flourish, dialling the design input up way past 11 in order to tap the howling extroverts that make up the Urus customer base. Described by Lamborghini as the ‘most sportive, the most performant Urus we have ever created’, the SE Performante gave the team at Centro Stile Lamborghini an aesthetic workout, overseen by design director Mitja Borkert.

Lamborghini’s dedicated studio was set up 21 years ago by Walter de Silva, one of the masterplanners of VW’s management of its spread of distinct, individual brands. Acknowledging that design – preferably outlandish – is a key reason why people buy into the Lamborghini brand, Borkert says simply, ‘We are not form follows function – we are form follows adrenaline. We give adrenaline a shape.'

The car makes its media debut accompanied by an AC/DC soundtrack, with the camera rolling fetishistically across the uprated details – a new 'power dome' bonnet, the deeper shark-nosed grille that bleeds into the carbon front splitter, an even wider front and rear, and new 23-inch wheels, topped off by a carbon fibre roof that swoops down to a prominent rear wing.

Inside, the Urus follows the Lamborghini playbook, with moody black Alcantara and red stitching, aviation-inspired control surfaces and the ambience of fighter jet. Or starship. It’s a fantasy environment come to life, something that comes across in the intense CGI imagery accompanying the launch, some of which looks as if it has been lifted straight from a games console.

Interior trim is Nero Cosmos, 'the darkest, blackest black microfibre that we offer', further adding to the Urus’ litany of Spinal Tap-style excesses. Launch colours include Giallo Crius yellow, Bianco Monocerus white, and Verde Hydra Matt green.

Borkert lists out the brand signifiers – 'For me, it's important that a Lamborghini has a pointed front, like a shark' – and the most dramatic components, like the widest rear diffuser ever offered on the Urus, as well as the plethora of carbon fibre – even the steering wheel. That contributes to a modest but handy weight saving of around 32kg.

There’s also a nod to the Lamborghini family history – its wilder side, at least. 'There’s a little bit of Countach influence in the taillights and the hexagon elements,’ Borkert explains, while the ultra-light Huracán STO influenced the red elements in the seats and horizontal lines on the bolsters.

'I like always to talk about the mission of a project,’ Borkert explains. ‘When we start a new Lamborghini, we define the mission with the interior, exterior and UX team. I told them this was the sportiest version, like in the racecars of the 1970s with the black front bonnet, less reflection – it looks cool – that's why the bonnet looks that way. It's the same for the interior – it is more […] like a deep, driver-orientated cabin where you take away all distraction.’

Appropriately enough, the Urus SE Performante is being billed as the fastest Super SUV in the world, with 0-100 km/h (62mph) taking just 3.3 seconds, and 200 km/h coming up in 10.8 seconds. The top speed is 312 km/h (193mph). All important figures for the typical Lamborghini customer.

Despite all this visual, aural and mechanical drama, the SE Performante will have to be as simple to use day to day as any other Urus – it is, after all, a family car, despite its mighty V8 and track-focused Corsa driving mode. Whether a contemporary SUV is focused on off- or on-road performance, they’re usually driven as symbols of potential, not practicality. The new SE Performante is no different.

Lamborghini Urus SE Performante, price tbc, Lamborghini.com, @Lamborghini

We’re just a few days away from one of the most iconic luxury brands on the planet taking a bold step into the unknown. The full unveiling of the Ferrari Luce – only the interior control surfaces and seats have been revealed at time of writing – will truly set the cat amongst the pigeons as the progenitor of the luxury sports car sector ventures into pure electric propulsion for the very first time.

When even the unveiling of the Luce’s dashboard – usually not a subject to trigger controversy and provocation – spawned endless amounts of comment and opinion, it became clear that the combination of electrification and deviation from a pre-conceived norm could not fail to be anything but rage bait.

Wallpaper* can confidently predict the rage-bait churn will get another hearty stir – not because of any aesthetic shortcomings, but because sports cars have been sucked into the culture wars. We’re pretty sure that wasn’t Ferrari’s intention when it signed up LoveFrom and its car-mad directors, Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson, to steward the aesthetic of Ferrari’s first EV, working closely with Maranello’s engineering team to create the ultimate expression of luxury electric mobility.

You might well ask why a car maker going electric is even remotely controversial in 2026. To answer that, one must strap in to experience a perfect storm of misplaced idealism, a layer of wishy-washy governance, a vociferous fandom who have become vocal gatekeepers, and the endless but near mythical search for the true soul of a machine.

Thirty years ago, the latter Grail Quest would have been considered fully done and dusted, with the glorious mechanical symphony that is the V12 engine placed upon a pedestal in the eternal temple and henceforth worshipped forevermore.

To the fury of the temple gatekeepers, that’s not what happened. The inconvenient truth of mobility’s fossil fuel addiction was no longer possible to ignore, except to the most steadfast denialists and exceptionalists. Unfortunately, it’s this contingent who rule the roost in the small but high-profile world of luxury sports automotive.

So what’s the true status of electrified performance? One of the side effects of electrification has been that hitherto unattainable levels of performance are now handed on a plate to drivers of ‘everyday’ machinery; in its most powerful form, the humble Volvo EX30 will hit 62mph in 3.6 seconds. That’s quicker than the limited production 1995 Ferrari F50, now comfortably commanding upwards of £3.5m.

In divorcing the thrill of out-and-out performance from the exclusivity of extortionate prices, the luxury performance market is having to push the boundaries of design, materiality and technology to retain its edge. The new inclusivity of electrification effectively divorces the emotive qualities of performance. And perhaps more than any other carmaker, Ferrari once considered itself the be-all and end-all of emotional machinery.

That’s why the Luce is not a two-seater, but a grand tourer, perhaps the last bastion of romance on four-wheels. But even this sanctified typology – with its evocation of great journeys, open roads and a life of leisure – hasn’t quite cracked the apparently tainted image of electric luxury.

Will the Luce change this? It’ll certainly help shift the dial. This year also sees the release of Jaguar’s new Type 01, the production iteration of the car revealed as the no-less controversial Type 00 Concept. The first all-electric Bentley is also on the way, previewed by the EXP 15 Concept last year, while Rolls-Royce has been quietly operating in this electric realm for several years, first with the Spectre and more recently with the coachbuilt Project Nightingale.

So are all these companies doubling down on an unchangeable course they might conceivably come to regret? That’s certainly the takeaway from the more performance-focused slice of the luxury market. Porsche, Maserati and Lotus have all performed screeching U-turns on their pure EV strategies.

Maserati scrapped a near-completed electric variant of the MC20 supercar, while Porsche has delayed its Boxster replacement, despite engineering a fully electric variant, in order to accommodate ICE power as well – not on the original spec sheet. Meanwhile, Lotus has just announced the Type 135, a hybridised V8 supercar that’s a world away from the electric-only Evija hypercar and Theory 1 concept, reversing plans to make the brand electric only.

Meanwhile, Lamborghini, McLaren and Aston Martin are blocking their ears and pretending their customers have a perfect right to carry on polluting and they have a perfect right to carry on allowing them to do so. The reason? There’s no demand for EVs amongst buyers who favour V8s and V12s, the pop of unburnt fuel crackling in the exhaust pipe and the roar of mechanical combustion.

Despite technical agreements (McLaren with Nio, Aston Martin with Lucid and Lamborghini as part of the VW Group), the fruits of these labours are still shrouded in their respective design studios, waiting for positive customer clinics and enthusiasm from dealers. The 2023 Lamborghini Lanzador concept now looks like a dead end.

Like so many manufacturing and technology sectors, the luxury car industry is in danger of being left behind by China. Right now, the only thing the country doesn’t have is the lustre and leverage of a heritage automotive brand. Otherwise, Chinese EVs are attaining new levels of luxury and performance. The extraordinary 300mph Yangwang U9 Xtreme (parented by BYD) is just a foretaste of what’s to come. The country’s fleet of luxury EV GTs is even stronger, from the Xpeng P7+ to the Zeekr 001 FR and Ferrari-aping Denza Z9 GT.

So is the customer always right, or can they be swayed by new brands without the accumulated centuries of heritage that still shapes our understanding and perception of cars? Companies might cry that ‘our customers don't want an EV!’ but the viability of ICE is increasingly running counter to social norms. No one would welcome fumes in a smoke-free space just because the smoker could afford a pricey cigar. So why would an expensive but outlandishly noisy exhaust be a socially acceptable thing to inflict on a city?

Perhaps it’s the beginning of the end for the traditional supercar and hypercar, their unfeasible abilities hamstrung by social norms and legal restrictions. Genuine enthusiasts know that power isn’t everything, let alone price, and that the best driving thrills don’t necessarily even need speed. A beautifully balanced small sports car will always triumph over a bloated, oversized performance machine.

There are signs that EVs are starting to head in this direction. Consider the return of the ‘hot hatchback’, once a mainstay of affordable ICE performance, now reborn for the electric era. There’s a veritable stable of smallish, sporty electric cars either here or on the way, from the Alpine A290 to the Hyundai Ioniq 5N, as well as the Vauxhall Corsa GSE, Peugeot e-208 GTi, Cupra Raval VZ, and the Volkswagen Polo GTI, even the supercar-baiting Renault 5 Turbo 3E. These run the gamut from affordable to outrageous, but all pack a dynamic punch that more than matches up to ICE equivalents. Zero emissions, more space, less sound and more reliability are all added bonuses.

Those with more patience might want to hold out for the Caterham Project V, due to be revealed in 2027 (when there might also be an electrified successor to the Audi TT to talk about), while fellow small manufacturer Morgan has also dabbled in electric concepts (including the riotous XP-1) and could still be a contender in this defiantly niche market.

The pressure on the traditional sports car is technological, cultural and economic, threatening to squeeze this once highly desirable form factor into obsolescence, afforded only by a tiny coterie of confused collectors unsure as to what they’re even signifying. As it stands, China has almost all the cards when comes to the premium electrified GT (despite Porsche and Audi’s valiant resistance). Will Ferrari’s top-tier competitors respond to the boldness of the Luce, or will they simply wait and see how it all pans out?

Lest we forget, the very first EV of the modern era, the Tesla Roadster, was a sports car (engineered by Lotus, no less). It was a simpler machine from a simpler age but still retains some charm. Nearly 20 years later, a true successor is nowhere to be found. Whoever can convincingly splice electrification with true driver engagement could still come up with a winner.

A long-lost painting may be worth millions of pounds but how is it authenticated? Art consultants use technical analysis, historical documents and expert judgement to determine the truth. The same dedication to the provenance of a portrait is now employed by luxury carmakers too. With an F1 Mercedes driven by Juan Fangio and Sir Stirling Moss this year fetching a grand prix record of £42.75 million, no wonder owners want an official stamp of approval.

Ferrari, Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin all offer an authentication service – Lamborghini’s in-house heritage division is celebrating its ten-year anniversary this summer. Dedicated to the ‘preservation and integrity of Lamborghini’s history and vehicles’, Polo Storico is based at the Raging Bull’s Sant’Agata factory, in Italy.

Inside a pristine garage that more closely resembles a forensic laboratory than an oily workshop, a small team of specialists is poring over a Lamborghini Countach – perhaps the most iconic supercar of all time. And this is no ordinary example either. The silver 25th Anniversary model was the very last V12 mid-engine, rear-wheel drive Countach to roll off the production line in July 1990, a fact proven by chassis number 12085.

Despite numerous requests from eager buyers, Lamborghini keeps this final evolution of designer Marcello Gandini’s masterpiece safely under lock and key. As you might expect, the car is packed with provenance but not every example presented to Polo Storico is so fortunate.

Lamborghini’s aftersales director, Alessandro Farmeschi, runs Polo Storico – which translates to ‘historical hub’. Over the last ten years, his team has certified over 200 customer cars but another 20 or so Lamborghini’s have been rejected because of ‘certain issues’. ‘It is a difficult conversation for us to have with the owner because they have bought a Lamborghini and they love it,’ says Farmeschi, ‘When I phone them and then say there is a problem and we cannot provide certification, it can be hard to accept.’

Among the most obvious failures was a naturally-aspirated V12 Countach, retrofitted with a turbocharger. ‘We received a request to look at this nice car but as soon as you add a modification like that, it’s not a Lamborghini anymore,’ he says, ‘Sometimes the chassis, gearbox and body are original, but the engine has to be too. Sure, we could restore the car back to its original, authentic state but perhaps in this case it is not the correct thing to do.’

Farmeschi says that over the course of the decades, many Lamborghinis have received factory-fitted replacement engines or even resprayed. However, they remain authentic because the work was completed by Lamborghini using genuine parts.

Unlike a turbocharger, other modifications are less obvious and require more sleuthing. ‘Recently we had a car with an engine that matched the car,’ explains Farmeschi. ‘However, because of records from years ago, we knew that engine had later been fitted in another car, so the V12 we were looking at had been stamped with a false number. It was a puzzle we were able to solve.’

Some 30,000 car documents have now been digitalised for future reference and, with more Lamborghinis being built than ever before, demand for the services of Polo Storico is only likely to increase in the future.

For more information on Lamborghini Polo Storico visit Lamborghini.com

Driven by a mission to save lives, Lamborghini has been supplying the Italian State Police with vehicles for more than 20 years. The publicity benefits are also a welcome side effect. Police forces need fast, reliable, and versatile vehicles, cars that can quickly reach top speeds to respond swiftly to emergencies.

To date, Lamborghini has supplied six high-performance vehicles to the Italian police force, with their primary role being in high-speed organ transplant: over 200 organ transports have used the fleet. 'Our supercars can significantly support the police in critical situations,’ says chief marketing and sales officer at Lamborghini, Federico Foschini. ‘We have a strong corporate and social responsibility towards our country, our people, and the wider community.’

This collaboration began in 2004, when Lamborghini provided the Italian Police with the stylish Gallardo 510-4. The V10-powered two-seater was equipped like a conventional police car, with licence plate recognition technology and the ability to transmit images and data in real time. In 2005, a second vehicle was introduced, in Bologna, that featured a refrigerated compartment for organs to be transported in the front.

A Gallardo LP 560-4 replaced the original two cars in 2008, offering enhanced performance with a 5.2-litre V10 engine, all-wheel drive, and a top speed of 325 km/h. Boasting a refrigerated compartment for organ transport in the front boot and a defibrillator for emergency operations, this vehicle was mainly used on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway, highly visible at all times.

‘Lamborghini is always at the forefront of innovation,’ notes Foschini. In 2014, Lamborghini delivered a Huracán LP 610-4 to the Italian State Police, followed by a second in 2017. The successor to the Gallardo, the vehicle featured a 5.2-litre V10 engine, a top speed of 325 km/h, and optimised lights for visibility. In February 2023, the Huracán was used to transport a kidney from a hospital in L’Aquila to Turin, saving a 57-year-old woman's life.

The most recent vehicle delivered to the police was the Urus Performante, in 2023. Designed at Lamborghini’s studio in Sant’Agata Bolognese, it sees the Italian Police force’s classic white and tricolour stripes cleverly integrated with the Urus’ faceted bodywork. The twin-turbo V8 engine SUV is equipped with a secure weapon drawer, a defibrillator, and a collapsible message panel.

Like its predecessors, the Urus Performante includes a refrigerator for organ transport, along with an advanced display and data logger that continuously monitors the temperature. Just as ‘each new Lamborghini model pushes the boundaries on performance and technological innovation’, according to Foschini, the company’s special patrol vehicles integrate new technology as and when it becomes available.

After two decades, Lamborghini remains dedicated to providing police with new state-of-the-art vehicles. Over the years, this partnership has allowed the car manufacturer to use its cutting-edge technology and engineering to support law enforcement efforts. ‘We are extremely proud to celebrate 20 years of collaboration with the Italian State Police, an institution we deeply respect for its daily work protecting citizens,’ says chairman and CEO of Lamborghini, Stephan Winkelmann.

Lamborghini.com, @Lamborghini

Lamborghini chose Monterey Car Week to reveal the successor to its crucial Huracán model – ‘the greatest-selling super sports car’ in the brand’s history. Introduced in 2014, the mid-engined Huracán was ripe for replacement, and given how much the world has moved on in the past decade, its replacement looked likely to incorporate new technologies and approaches.

The new Lamborghini Temerario continues what the company calls its High Performance Electrified Vehicle strategy (HPEV), following the flagship Revuelto plug-in hybrid model. The company now has a fully hybridised line-up, if you take into account the new Urus SE as well, putting it a step ahead of many of its close competitors.

The new car retains the mid-engined layout that has defined every sporting Lamborghini since the Miura. In addition to a twin turbo-charged V8, there’s also a powerful hybrid system which creates enough power for a 0-62mph time of 2.7 seconds and a class-leading top speed of 210mph. As noted by Lamborghini’s Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann, ‘every new Lamborghini must surpass its forerunners in performance terms,’ a formidable engineering and technical challenge.

As part of this relentless quest for more power, Lamborghini claims the Temerario is the ‘first and only production super sports car engine able to reach 10,000 rpm’. If the residents of Monterey found Lamborghini’s fleet of corporate Uruses (Uruii?) to be a little on the shouty side, expect the Temerario to cause even more of a ruckus.

We spoke to Lamborghini’s Design Director, Mitja Borkert, about the genesis of the new model.

Wallpaper*: Describe the design approach behind the new Temerario

Mitja Borkert: It was a personal mission to create something that was agile, yet with a compact volume. The Temerario continues the new design language started by Revuelto – it’s about giving adrenaline a shape.

W*: What are the distinctive design elements of a modern Lamborghini?

MB: We’re very recognisable – especially our silhouette. You can see this in the Gallardo in 2003, through to the Huracán in 2014 and now its successor, the Temerario from 2025. The new car is 40mm longer than its predecessor and has a bigger cabin as a result, although it’s still 273mm shorter than the Revuelto. The shapes and ‘muscles’ of this car are very sensuous, almost human.

W*: What’s your typical design process to shape such a distinctive sports car?

MB: We always start with sketches. For this car, the hexagon was the design element we start with. You can see it in the side air intake, the hexagonal daylight running lights, the exhaust, the taillights. The car is divided into two, with very clean lines on the upper surfaces, and a lower level that catches shadow for more drama. We now have a very distinctive lighting strategy for all three of our models, Urus, Revuelto and Temerario. It’s very important that our cars each have their own distinctive character.

W*: Are there are notable details that set this car apart?

MB: The way the rear tyres are exposed, for example, or the deep side intakes. Also, we don’t want to follow the trend of having light bars across the entire rear of the car. You’ll also see that the hexagonal DRL at the front of the car are also aero ducts, channelling air to an exit just below the main lights.

The rear of the car is almost like a spaceship – the V8 engine is at the heart of the design. We have a lot of personalisation choices as well, with 20” wheels at the front and 21” at the rear and three different wheel choices, including the first full carbon fibre wheel and a hexagon-based design as well.

W*: Will there be other options?

MB: Yes, we’re going to launch two versions of the car right from the start, with a track-focused lightweight package that includes different design elements, a new splitter and rocker panel, carbon rims, bonnet and rear wing.

W*: What will the interior be like – it’s yet to be revealed?

MB: Yes, it’s designed to feel like a cockpit, with a start-stop button, switches and rotary controls that feel like a jet. We’ve always believed in creating very mechanical elements in our interiors. It’ll be a spaceship on the outside, alien on the inside. There’ll be three screens, including one for a passenger, with very distinctive and different graphics. Also, there’ll be many colour options, perhaps around 400.

W*: How did the hybrid system inform your design approach?

MB: It had no impact in terms of design. We’re opening the door to the next chapter of Lamborghini. This car is very compact and agile, as short as possible. It’s also the first super sports Lamborghini to have the mandated ADAS (Advanced driver-assistance system) technology.

W*: Is it tough to integrate new technologies like this?

MB: Yes, it’s a real challenge for designers. But ultimately you need boundaries, or else it would be boring.

Lamborghini Temerario, available from 2025, Lamborghini.com, @Lamborghini.com

The focus here is on both hybrids and EVs, despite the latter getting something of a rough ride in an increasingly partisan media landscape. Although it’s true that hybrid drive still makes the most sense for high mileage users, it’s worrying that some carmakers have seized on political hesitancy over electric vehicles with undisguised glee. That said, there are still plenty of new and upgraded EVs to get excited about, and even a few companies dipping a toe in hybridisation and electrification for the first time. Here’s our selection of what to watch for in the months ahead.

Audi Q6 e-tron

Audi still favours EVs that are at the larger end of the scale, and the new Q6 e-tron and performance-focused SQ6 e-tron models are no exception. Notable because they sit on the company’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) – which it shares with Porsche – the new Q6 has a longer range and much more intensive ‘digital experience’ for drivers and passengers.

Maximum range is billed as 381 miles, with the SQ6 model offering a 4.3 second 0-62 mph time (although physics dictates that these two stats cannot co-exist). Inside, the cockpit reads as a ‘Digital Stage’, helped by the addition of a new passenger screen and a curved driver display screen. There’s also an optional Augmented Reality Head-Up Display and Bang & Olufsen sound system. 

Audi Q6 e-tron quattro, available to order from €74,700, Audi  SQ6 e-tron, from €93,800, Audi.com

Porsche Panamera e-hybrid

Porsche is having a very busy year. Alongside this revision and the updated Taycan, there’s also the new all-electric Macan and the promise of the first ever hybrid 911 model to come. The Panamera range has now been joined by new 4 E-Hybrid and 4S E-Hybrid variants.

These pair petrol engines with an updated plug-in hybrid system, with an all-electric range of nearly 60 miles and the ability to charge the battery using the engine (an option sorely missing from many other PHEVs). A spacious, comfortable interior make this one of the great contemporary GT cars. 

Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid and Panamera 4S E-Hybrid, available to order, Porsche.com

Porsche Taycan Mk2

Porsche has given its first fully-fledged EV a mid-life makeover, adding more range and refinement to all models, including the Taycan Sport Turismo and the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo. Upgrades include new headlights and revised front and rear styling, more advanced efficiency measures, adaptive air suspension across every model and even more performance.

All this is overshadowed by an impressive range increase of up to 35%, giving the longest-legged model a range of 421 miles, and making an already excellent car even better. 

Porsche Taycan, available to order, Porsche.com

Lamborghini Urus SE 

The newly announced Lamborghini Urus SE is the first hybrid version of the brand’s SUV. Following on from the hybrid-powered Revuelto (dubbed an HPEV - High Performance Electrified Vehicle – by the company), the Urus SE lays claim to a massive 80% reduction in emissions.

That’s not too hard to believe, given how the ferocity and volume of the standard V8-powered model gave the impression of necking fuel even when it was at a standstill. Nevertheless, the addition of an electric motor hasn’t dimmed the Urus’s power or performance, but there’s now the welcome option of a silent EV driving mode that won’t wake the neighbours. 

Lamborghini Urus SE, available soon, Lamborghini.com

Citroën C4 X Hybrid

Alongside the Citroën ë-C4 X EV, you’ll now find the new C4 and C4 X Hybrid 136. This isn’t as retrograde a step as it first appears, for the ë-C4 X disappointed with its middling range. As conventional, non-plug-in hybrids, the new models combine a 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine with a battery, reducing overall emissions and allowing for all-electric driving when the occasion demands. 

Citroën C4 X Hybrid 136, from €33,900, Citroën.fr

Cupra Born VZ

The new Cupra Born VZ is the sporting variant of the Spanish manufacturer’s excellent compact EV. Designed in line with Cupra’s intention of becoming the sporty, emotional flipside of its sister brand SEAT, the VZ is mildly tweaked for better acceleration and top speed, as well as a revised handling package. There are also sports seats, larger wheels and a new range of exterior colours.

Cupra Born VZ, more details at CupraOfficial.com

Mini Aceman

Mini’s product range is growing with the introduction of the new Mini Aceman, an all-electric crossover that is bigger than the evergreen Mini Cooper but somewhat smaller than the Countryman model.

The styling is chunkier than the former, especially the wheelarches, although elsewhere it follows the company’s new pared-back design language inside and out. The cheaper E model is joined by the longer-range SE (with a still rather meagre 54.2 kWh battery), which should be good for 252 miles. 

MINI Aceman, from £31,800, Mini.co.uk

Ineos Fusilier

The Ineos Fusilier is the all-electric variant of the eccentric but durable Ineos Grenadier, the car that scraped up the last remaining DNA of Land Rover’s original Defender and turned into a cult but costly 4x4. Starting from the same utility-inspired automotive design, the Fusilier actually sits on its own EV platform and is a bit shorter and lower than its petrol- or diesel-powered sibling. 

With a choice of a pure EV or a range extender model (with a small petrol engine that only functions as a generator for the batteries), the Fusilier will make a striking alternative to the status quo. However, it'll have to go head-to-head with Mercedes’ newly launched electric G-Wagon, the G580.  

Ineos Fusilier, register for more interest at IneosGrenadier.com

Škoda Epiq

Finally, a preview of a car coming early in 2025. Škoda describes its forthcoming Epiq as ’a battery-electric city SUV crossover,’ all part of parent company Volkswagen’s ongoing quest to create a compact, desirable and profitable c€25,000 EV. The Epiq is clad in Škoda’s Modern Solid design language, measures just over 4m long and should have a range of around 250 miles.

Note that in the electric era, a ’people’s car’ can no longer be a compact hatchback, but instead an ’urban’ SUV – such are the tricky economics of making small cars profitable. 

Škoda Epiq, more details at Skoda-Auto.com

The Italian automotive designer Marcello Gandini has died at the age of 85. Born in Turin in August 1938, Gandini’s name will forever be associated with his work at the design studio of Nuccio Bertone, just outside his home city. He joined the studio in 1965 following the departure of chief designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and oversaw a particularly purple patch in the history of Italian sports car design, under the banner of Stile Bertone.

The car that most enthusiasts associate with Gandini is the Lamborghini Countach, presented to the world as the outlandishly low and faceted LP500 concept at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Three years later, the production car arrived, and had lost none of its drama. The quintessential supercar, it showed Gandini’s mastery of unadorned angularity, reducing the sweeping curves of previous generations into a tight geometric composition where not a line was wasted. 

The Countach wasn’t the designer’s first exploration of this aesthetic. It was preceded by the 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero, an even more forbidding wedge-shaped concept that never made it into production. Gandini also oversaw the very different car that ultimately bore the Stratos name, built by Lancia as a road and rally car from 1973 to 1978.

It wasn’t all about supercars. 1970 also saw the debut of another concept, the BMW Garmisch, recently lovingly recreated by a company that recognised its influence on the form of its 1970s-era saloon cars. Other more prosaic models given the Bertone/Gandini treatment include the boxy Fiat 132 and the space age-Citroën BX, over two million of which were built from 1982 to 1994. 

Sports cars, however, were most likely to get the Gandini touch. Before the Countach, he had overseen the design of its predecessor while at Bertone, the Miura. Still regularly considered to be one of the most beautiful cars ever made, the mid-engined Miura was completed in record time to be shown at the 1966 Geneva show – developed so fast that its proposed V12, designed by former Ferrari engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, didn’t actually fit into the prototype. Show visitors were none the wiser. 

Other icons include the Alfa Romeo Montreal, both in concept (shown at Expo 67 in Montreal) and production form, the butch Renault 5 Turbo, the Ferrari Dino 308/GT4, the Maserati Khamsin and Quattroporte II, and several other Lamborghini models, including the Urraco, Jarama and Espada. 

His Fiat X1/9, designed in 1972 for Bertone, was a miniature supercar, a mid-engined two-seater that was in production for 17 years. By distilling the low bonnet, pop-up headlights and wedgy form of his outlandish and expensive concepts and Lamborghinis into a mass-produced Fiat, Gandini gave idea of a mass-produced sports car a new lease of life.

Like many Italian designers of his era, Gandini was prolific and flexible, turning his hand to interiors, architecture product design. He left Bertone in 1980 to become a freelance consultant, and it was a great personal sadness that the company’s private museum, with its unrivalled collection of concepts, was eventually broken up and dispersed amongst the global collecting community.

There was also controversy about Lamborghini’s decision to ‘remake’ the Countach in modern form, with 112 examples of the LPI 800-4 built in 2022. The elderly Gandini was apparently not consulted about the decision to build a car that hewed very closely to his original design. ‘It is clear that markets and marketing itself have changed a lot since then, but as far as I am concerned, to repeat a model of the past, represents in my opinion the negation of the founding principles of my DNA,’ he stated at the time.

Marcello Gandini’s legacy is a portfolio of vehicles that demonstrate an unbroken evolutionary path and an unwavering commitment to form in the service of engineering. 

Of all the Italian car brands, Maserati has travelled the furthest from its original conception. Lamborghini and Ferrari still cater to the select coterie of moneyed enthusiasts that have always hankered after the marque, whilst Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia have weathered decades of ups and downs to all land within the embrace of Stellantis. Today, Maserati sits alongside them, undoubtedly the most storied and aspirational name in the multinational’s line-up.

The Maserati of old was about tailor-making exotica for the jetsetters of an earlier era, with all the economic strife and uncertainty that accompanied shifting markets, demographics, fashions and crises amongst the super-rich. It was a glamorous but fraught existence. Ownership of the brand bounced around the industrial giants of Europe, including a 1970s stint with now label-mates Citroën, before a long association with Fiat, then Ferrari, then Alfa Romeo, ultimately set the company on a firmer footing for the 21st century.

The Maserati line-up was solid but relatively static throughout this period of industrial revolving doors, with cars like the original GranTurismo staying in production for 12 long years (2007 – 2019). Other traditional mainstays like the Quattroporte luxury saloon found their slender niche whittled ever slimmer as SUVs emerged to take over the mid- and upper-market segments. Into this fast-evaporating pool, Maserati also launched the Ghibli, an elegantly doomed rival for the likes of Jaguar, Audi and BMW (‘You’re Not Like Everyone Else,’ reads the strapline on the Ghibli website). 

Maserati Grecale Modena

The Grecale is the newest entry point to the brand, the most affordable Maserati on the market and the one that has – according to enthusiasts – finally divested the Maserati name of any lingering glamour from its glory years. In fact, if it wasn’t for the electrifying (but not electric) MC20 supercar, and the new second series GranTurismo (which does come as an EV), the Maserati of old would effectively be dead and buried. 

The Grecale is Maserati’s second SUV, a smaller sibling to the 2016 Levante. Currently available with two engines, a four-cylinder with mild hybrid assistance (the vanilla of hybrid systems) and a V6 in the high-performance Trofeo edition, it’ll be electrified in due course, thanks to the component and systems-sharing facilitated by being part of a vast manufacturing group. 

Like many Maseratis since the early 1960s, the Grecale name has been derived from a wind, this time one that blows north-easterly in the Mediterranean. We tried the mid-range Modena model, which offers 330hp from its four-cylinder engine (compared to 530hp in the V6). Despite being touted as a mid-size SUV, the Grecale is not svelte, at 4.8m long. It’s the kind of car you sit on, rather than in, giving you the sense of aloof alienation that seems to lure so many buyers to the SUV segment. It’s a world apart from the spindly elegance of Maseratis of old. Elements like the thick A-pillar and 2.1m width from mirror to mirror make it feel much less wieldy than the MC20, a genuine old-school, low-slung supercar that offers far better visibility.

Maserati describes the Grecale as the ‘everyday exceptional’, and it’s pitted against the likes of the Porsche Macan and the Range Rover Sport – family cars that retain the persistent magic of an enduring brand as a way of disguising their essential conformity. In this respect, MC20 owners and Grecale owners might as well exist on two different planets.

If you have the right combination of status anxiety and available space, then the Grecale shouldn’t disappoint. Even in Modena trim it’s a decent performer, although the hybrid system doesn’t do much to quench the big car’s thirst. Cabin fit and finish is high quality, with many essential functions located on the steering wheel; the twin touch screen displays are visually coherent if haptically challenging. 

As well as a digital instrument cluster, Maserati has retained its central high level clock display, originally a conventional quartz mechanism but now a screen that can display a compass and G-meter as well as digital and analogue clocks. There’s also a rousing sound system by Italian audio specialists Sonus faber.

Visually, the Grecale SUV is a collage of greatest hits from Maserati design, from taillights inspired by the Giugiaro-designed 3200 GT, to the over-sized Trident mascot on the grille, and the triple vents on the front flank and the neat headlights that appear to flow into the front wings. Inside, there’s a stitched graphic motif said to be inspired by the engineering-driven architecture of Pier Luigi Nervi. The rear screen is rakishly angled and the Trident reappears on the  C-pillar; the branding is verging on the unsubtle. 

Until recently, Maseratis made a virtue of their raucous engine noise; thankfully the Grecale Modena is more muted on that front. With electrification on the near horizon, it’ll be interesting to hear what sonic confection Maserati concocts to keep this particular brand pillar alive for a more noise conscious age.

At this point in time, the SUV exists as the ultimate automotive chameleon – it can be whatever you want it to be and blend seamlessly into any context. Sports car, family car, luxury car, utility car, electric car – the language of design and marketing can be made to accommodate them all, with enough physical space for designers to shift and tailor the package and presentation. Who is this particular car for? It’s certainly not for the traditional Maserati buyer, a select group that once included Sheikhs and rock stars and tended to favour drama over efficiency and impact over practicality.

The Levante leaves production this month, just as the new GranCabrio arrives to add further lustre to the brand’s history and luxury focus. Maserati’s challenge is to walk the line between building highly desirable supercars and ‘mass premium’ machines like the Grecale that’ll keep it on a secure footing. Ultimately, Grecale ownership might get you into the Maserati club, but it’s an institution that has changed beyond all recognition since it was originally founded. 

Maserati Grecale Modena, from £70,925, Maserati.com, @Maserati

This meticulous recreation of the most famous Lamborghini of all is one of a series of bespoke model cars from Amalgam Collection, based in Bristol, UK. Founded in 1995, the company builds cars to 1:8 scale, allowing for extremely high levels of detail. This requires the original manufacturer’s CAD data and engineering drawings, as well as digital scans and photographs of a full-size car.

This is its latest release, the Lamborghini Countach LP400. Introduced in 1974, following the 1971 LP500 prototype model, the mid-engined supercar has lost none of its power to shock and entrance, even at 1/8 the scale. Designed by Marcello Gandini, the Countach was to evolve through various guises until production ended in 1990, and also inspired the controversial limited edition LPI 800-4 model from 2022. 

All the Lamborghini Countach LP400 you need, at just 50cm long

The Countach’s design is shown here in its purest form, complete with the ‘Periscopio’ slot in the roof – used in the concept to create a sightline for the rear-view mirror. Amalgam’s model is just over 50cm long and comes complete with fully opening doors, headlights, front luggage compartment and rear engine cover, showing the depth of detail that Amalgam’s model makers have to go to capture everything from cabin switchgear to fuel lines on the miniature V12 engine. Available in either Giallo Fly yellow or Rosso Red, there are also bespoke options should you wish to create an exact replica of an existing car.

This officially licensed Countach will be followed by another Lamborghini model, the company’s all-new Revuelto flagship, its first plug-in hybrid model, later this year. They’ll join a line-up of highly collectable 1:8 scale models that run from pre-war classics to contemporary Formula 1 cars, each of which takes around 250 to 450 hours to build.

The blue-chip classics the company recreates are hugely valuable investments, cars that require copious insurance cover, forensically correct maintenance, and all-round climate-controlled quarters. Any forays out into real-world traffic represent a substantial risk. The value of early Lamborghinis is rising relentlessly – the 1975 LP400 delivered new to Rod Stewart sold for just shy of €1m at RM Sotheby’s in 2023.

Given that the original Countach wasn’t actually all that to drive in the first place, Amalgam’s offering is a tempting alternative. Short of having your own classic car gallery, this is one way that collectors – and owners - can appreciate the craft and forms of their automotive assets.

Countach LP400, £14,835 (standard model), £17,425 (bespoke tailormade model), available from Amalgam Collection, AmalgamCollection.com, @AmalgamCollectionModels

We kick off 2024 with our experiences with the lightly refreshed Volkswagen Touareg R eHybrid, the flagship version of the company’s flagship model, the absolute summit of the brand. The Touareg was launched way back in 2002 to get VW into the all-important SUV sector. Now in its third generation, it’s actually designated as a ‘mid-size’ SUV in auto-industry terms, although by European standards it clearly sits at the upper end of the scale. 

As it stands, the Touareg has more in common with its close mechanical cousins, the Audi Q8, Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus, than it does with any other VW, even its (smaller) SUVs. That is to say that it prioritises plushness, performance and comfort over any sense of ‘utilitarian mobility’. For instance, switch to ‘sport’ mode – which adds extra boost from the electric motor – and the interior lighting scheme transforms the cabin into a Chippenham nightclub, all lairy red and black. It’s not subtle.

In R eHybrid form, at the very top of the VW product tree, this means you’re looking at an £80,000 car, fully laden with an acronymic blizzard of options to assist with progress on and off the road, from highways to parking garages. Truth is, you need a fair bit of help to guide the big Touareg through cities with any degree of precision, such is the scale of this 4.9m-long machine (well over 2m wide including wing mirrors).

Powering all this is a petrol V6 linked to an electric motor and battery pack; the latter gives an electric-only range of around 30 miles. As with all plug-in hybrids, a projected and practical use case is to charge at home for regular short trips, keeping the ICE on hand for longer journeys. All well and good, but the fact remains that you’ll be hauling around 3,000kg of largely redundant technology on the off chance you’ll need to run to the shops as well as traverse a massive sand dune on the same afternoon.

Like many big SUVs, the Touareg offers occupants a sense of impervious detachment from the world, swathed in a layer of technology that cossets, entertains and occasional infuriates (touchscreen-only controls for the heating and aircon, for example). A power output of 455hp means that performance is never lacking, although the aforementioned sport mode ensures everyone on board is well aware of your profligacy.

The world of hybrid SUVs currently offers no half measures. In fact, it’s something of a shock to delve into VW’s current line-up and discover that the brand makes no fewer than eight different SUVs, the T-Roc, Taigo, T-Cross, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace, the electric ID.4 and ID.5 and the flagship Touareg. Over the Atlantic, there’s also the even larger Atlas and Atlas Sport.

How much longer can this Swiss Army knife approach to car design and engineering survive? The Touareg and its ilk sit at the peak of the auto industry’s imminent tipping point; at some point in the not-too-distant future, battery tech will have sufficiently evolved to make small electric cars a truly viable economic proposition. The current glut of huge hybridised and electric SUVs demonstrates that we’re not there yet. Sure, cars like the Touareg demonstrate that you can have it all in one package, but the costs are high for everyone.

Volkswagen Touareg R eHybrid, from £80,710, Volkswagen.co.uk

The global market for hypercars is small, but buoyant. With a new showroom in Miami, Pagani Automobili is making a bigger play for the American market, effectively treating its richly styled cars like fine timepieces or jewellery. The new Pagani Utopia is a case in point, priced at $2.19m and limited to just 99 units, it’s built around Mercedes-AMG’s tried and tested 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged V-12 engine, slotted into a Carbo-Titanium core structure and clad in outlandishly styled carbon fibre bodywork. 

There’s nothing remotely shy or retiring about a Pagani; it is the quintessential hypercar. Horacio Pagani founded the company in 1992 after a career working with Lamborghini. His first car, the Zonda, arrived in 1999 and was produced in a dizzying number of special editions and one-offs over the next decade. It was succeeded by the Pagani Huayra in 2011, a car which continued the tradition of special editions and bespoke cars. The Utopia, first seen last year but not yet available to the public, will offer more of the same dramatic sound and fury. 

One of the paradoxes introduced by modern mass production is that the more expensive and exclusive an object is, the more likely it is to have required intense craftsmanship and hand-operated processes in its construction, regardless of how high-tech and advanced it appears to be. A Pagani packs in a lot of technology, but the high price reflects not just the cost of the finest components and materials, but the sheer complexity of putting everything together. 

We spoke to Christopher Pagani, head of marketing for Pagani Automobili and son of Horacio, about the company's new Miami showroom and the future of the hypercar.

Wallpaper*: With the grand opening of Pagani of Miami, can you describe how the dealership experience in design represents an extension of Pagani's DNA?

Christopher Pagani: Our company wanted to create a space that provides the same familiarity and sensation that one feels while walking through our Pagani Automobili headquarters in Modena. For the design, we included a lot of our natural materials that are in our factories, such as bricks, glass, and our Pagani furniture. Materials that are found in our Pagani cars are also integrated into each dealer space, such as carbon fibre, leather, aluminium, and titanium. 

In the case of Pagani of Miami, our design team wanted to create that special feeling of when a client walks into a fine watch store where you are exposed to watches all around the main room, and then they go through into a secret room where the store keeps all their very most amazing and special watches for them to explore. That is Pagani Automobili’s overall dealer concept, feeling like each client is walking into a jewel box, surrounded by luxury and privacy. 

Importantly, I think we succeeded in creating that bridge between Miami and Modena as well as making a special area for customers to feel like they are in a private place to enjoy espresso, discuss the future of Pagani Automobili, work with us on designing their cars with our specialists, and all while having a feeling of inspiration.

W*: In the 25 years since founding Pagani, how has the market for hypercars changed and evolved?

CP: Generally, one can see the evolution of technology in the hypercar market by simply comparing the vehicles that come out each year. Currently, the transition from hybrid hypercars to completely electric vehicles is where every brand is headed. That brings an element of excitement to clients participating in the evolution of brands, actively helping shape their future. This alone has led to an increase in sales, which has brought new opportunities for all brands operating in the space to consider.

In simpler terms, I also think the hypercar market has evolved in production volumes. If we look at the other Italian brands within the ‘Motor Valley’ in the Emilia-Romagna region, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati, you can see how they have all grown their volumes significantly in the last few years to keep up with client demand. As the market grows for these marques, interest in low-production hypercars like Pagani Automobili soon follows. 

At Pagani, we keep our production at a minimum and target a specific niche market that still appreciates the element of rarity. Of course, we receive a lot of requests to increase our production volumes, but our company likes to operate on the safer side. At Pagani Automobili, we keep everything controlled because our goal continues to be providing clients exquisite quality, safety, and engineering. We produce around 50 cars per year, and that is our number. 

In the current market, we see what is going on, and our company hopes that this demand for rare vehicles lasts. However, the automotive industry has a history of big jumps and situations where there are losses. By keeping our production very tightly controlled, we can keep the brand safe and in a strong place that allows us to develop new products for our clientele. We are very fortunate to be able to continue to do that at Pagani without losing the interest of our clients. 

At the same time, our responsibility to each of our clients grows. After 25 years of being in the marketplace, our company has seen a lot of trends happen and this increase in demand is one of them, but Pagani stays on the safe side. At the end of the day, we are a small, family-owned business. We like to develop our decisions with passion, but also, again, with a lot of careful thought and responsibility. 

W*: How has Pagani's approach to design and engineering changed from Zonda and Huayra to the Utopia?

CP: So, the first model was the Zonda, which was a car that was inspired by prototypes of Le Mans, and notable cars of the 1990s. And then, we look at Huayra, which is a car that was launched by Pagani in 2011. The Huayra has even more refined aerodynamics, with the use of the four flaps and a completely different approach using a twin-turbo engine. 

Our latest is the Utopia, which was recently unveiled in 2022. The Utopia again uses a V12 twin-turbo engine. But, Pagani Automobili is now offering the Utopia with a manual transmission, which is an amazing prospect for hypercar owners in 2023. 

Our company always tries to keep many of the same design elements intact for every Pagani, but with an evolutionary twist. Looking back at the past beauty of cars from different eras allows Pagani Automobili to reintroduce those celebrated elements into our vehicles today. That is how our company evolves our creations. We like to be inspired by Italian beauty, nature, and by past automotive design. 

So, our approach is really kind of a blend of many different things that eventually work well together. It's an evolution focused on the future while also looking back. This is something that Pagani never stops doing because this is what helps us create future projects. 

W*: What are the key technologies that have led to the creation of the modern-day hypercar? 

CP: Speaking for Pagani, one of the biggest innovations that was brought to the hypercar market was the use of composite materials. My father Horacio studied different materials to have a better understanding for car application. He was a pioneer in the industry for using different materials in our Pagani vehicles.

Our overall goal for each Pagani automobile is to create a lightweight car. So, our company of course uses carbon fibre, but we also use aluminium and titanium. Our vehicle approach demands constant improvement. We reduce everything we do gram by gram – we study all different types of materials in order to find new applications and understand how to combine them all together. 

Generally, Pagani Automobili finds ways to reduce the need of ABS traction control systems that can sometimes filter the driving experience. So, the more we innovate in applied materials and manufacturing, the more we can combine everything to create the ultimate lightweight car.

W*: How close is the company's relationship to its customers?

CP: The connections that Pagani builds with our clients are very important to us. These relationships help us as a company understand what clients want in the next Pagani, and what they would like to see from us in the future. 

Client relationships are something that Pagani always has to highly respect, and our clientele has an amazing understanding of the hypercar market. This dynamic makes it much easier to build a genuine relationship with them.

We often engage in conversations with clients about future Pagani products naturally without even knowing it. It is an amazing challenge and opportunity to take our clients' experiences and their knowledge into consideration as we innovate.

W*: How will Pagani approach the era of electrification? 

CP: When it comes to electrification, this is a topic our company started discussing a long time ago. As a company that innovates, Pagani is studying the possibilities in creating an electric vehicle that still integrates the DNA of Pagani Automobili. 

We don't have a specific deadline to create a full electric Pagani. But that brings an element of freedom, which gives us enough time to keep studying all the different technologies and opportunities that are out there and know the right time to bring it to the market. 

Pagani Automobili created a team in 2018 exploring electrification, and we have talked with different suppliers, known to be the best in the world for technologies, batteries, inverters, and everything required. Our company is also constantly talking to Mercedes-Benz, to AMG, and to many other different suppliers to fully understand what opportunities are out there in the market. 

Overall, Pagani is very excited about creating something new in electrification because again, it provides a new element of innovation, and that's something that brings us joy. At the same time, we have to consider our number one concern, which is lightweight. 

A Pagani product always needs to be lightweight. So, our goal is to create something lightweight, and something that brings joy. And when we find that, we'll do it.

Pagani Utopia, from $2.19m, Pagani.com

This is Lamborghini’s first foray into pure electric vehicles. The Lanzador Concept, revealed to the world at Monterey Car Week 2023, is a strong indication of what the Italian manufacturer’s fourth model line will look like when it arrives in around 2028.

Blending the chunky ruggedness of the Urus SUV with the faceted form language of Lamborghini’s more traditional two-seater mid-engine cars, the Lanzador is shaped along the same lines as the Lotus Eletre and the Pininfarina Pura Vision – an electric hyper GT that attempts to blend supercar styling with a more practical, cross-over type body. 

Riding high above big wheels encased in flared wheel arches, the Lanzador is a 2+2 that looks ready for anything, with sci-fi and fighter-jet inspired design cues inside and out. Expect the production version to have four doors, rather than two, and perhaps a slightly toned-down interior.

The ultimate test will be how Lamborghini handles an electric drivetrain. After decades of designing cars around massive V12 engines, the company needs to tread carefully if it wants to take its most loyal fans on the zero-emission journey; for the next few years at least, hybrids will rule the roost in the Lamborghini line-up.

Don’t forget that Lamborghini has close ties to Audi, and therefore ready access to some of the best electric tech in the market. Even so, there’s still a need to do things differently, hence this concept’s incorporation of a new driving dynamics control system, the Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata (LDVI). 

In essence, this allows drivers to tailor the feel of steering, suspension and throttle more precisely than ever before, making the most of electronic controls systems to make the car feel completely personal. Active aerodynamics are also deployed to make the absolute most of the range in Urban mode and roadholding in Performance mode.

Mitja Borkert, head of design at Lamborghini, says the form language is partly ascribed by spaceships (whether real or fictional is not revealed), with a distinctly divided cabin made up of four individual seats. There’s luggage space up front and under the glass tailgate, with a centre console that flows down between the seats. Screens are integrated into the superstructure, and Merino wool is used alongside ‘sustainably’ tanned leather and other visibly low-energy and CO2-neutral materials.  

All of this is a welcome shift in stance from a company that hasn’t always been particularly bothered about the environmental impact of its products - perhaps Lamborghini’s parent company (the Volkswagen Group) has had a quiet word. It remains to be seen whether the car previewed by the Lanzador will arrive before the pure electric next-gen Urus, also due by decade’s end. 

Lamborghini Lanzador, concept only, Lamborghini.com

The Lamborghini Urus was always a bit of an outlier. Following the well-trodden path of sports car companies venturing into profitable SUV-making, the Urus made up for its predicable existence by being a pointedly provocative from the off.

Lamborghini Urus S

This is the new Lamborghini Urus S, the latest version of what the venerable Italian company describes as a ‘super SUV’. Uprated and enhanced, with yet more power (a suitably satanic 666 hp) from its twin-turbo V8, it offers acceleration and braking times that would once have been hard to credit from a high-riding, four-door machine that can ford a fast-running stream without breaking a sweat.

However, the Urus owner no longer has bragging rights about owning the biggest, fastest or even most expensive of this very particular class of car. Ferrari’s Purosangue breezed in earlier this year and gathered up most of those trophies for itself. Classicists might consider the Aston Martin DBX 707, whilst the more future-focused will have an eye on the forthcoming Lotus Eletre, which offers similarly sharp creases and bold performance claims with the added salve of zero emissions. 

Even though the S has broken cover with a palette of slightly more sober colours, there’s still a sense of Grand Guignol about the whole endeavour. The jet fighter/stealth bomber ambience is also very much present and correct (now even more relevant than ever in this age of Top Gun revivalism), but the Urus’ cockpit has been put through a gothic filter, all spiky forms in gloss leather and black, emblazoned with an almost liturgical menu of Italian descriptors: Anima, Strada, Corsa, Sabbia, Terra, Neve.

The other upgrade for this new S model brings it in line with the top-of-the-range Urus Performante, giving it a snappier throttle response and a sense of immediacy. There’s also the inescapable cocktail of engine and exhaust noise, a sound that’s still a major signifier of status, despite all the odds. This particular V8 can be found across the VW Group’s performance portfolio, in varying states of tune and output. As well as the faster end of the Audi range, it’s also used by Bentley and Porsche.

Although the latter two have already incorporated V6 hybrid variants into their line-ups, Lamborghini seems hellbent on forging its own idiosyncratic path to electrification. The company recently announced its first series production hybrid model, the Revuelto, a familiarly faceted form that was unveiled last month. The Revuelto is billed as the ‘first super sports V12 hybrid plug-in HPEV (High Performance Electrified Vehicle)’, implying that there are still niches to be finely sliced, even as emissions legislation starts to take hold.

Does the Urus S deserve the title of ‘ultimate lifestyle super SUV’? In an age where brand websites still give you an opportunity to listen to a multidimensional recording of a car’s roaring engine, a broody, malevolent force like the Urus S will almost always come out on top. Although Lamborghini draws design inspiration from stealth technology, it’s not a brand designed to get about without being seen.

Lamborghini Urus S, from c£188,000, Lamborghini.com

We’re a little bit late to the Maserati MC20 party, the prestige mid-engine sports car that’s intended to steal a little bit of thunder from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Aside from a few high-end hypercars, the Italian brand hasn’t been a player in this particular niche for decades, preferring instead to focus on grand tourers and super saloons.

Back in 2004, the brand launched the MC12, an extremely limited edition (62 examples) sports car that heralded the company’s return to high-profile motorsport. Based on the Ferrari Enzo, the road-going versions of the MC12 were oversized and awkward. 

After years of alternating between vicious rivalry and close partnership, Maserati’s last hook-up with Ferrari effectively ended for good in 2021, when parent company Fiat was absorbed in Stellantis (Ferrari having taken itself public in 2015 and leaving Fiat the following year).

The MC20 debuted in 2020, but the pandemic pushed back drives and deliveries until a couple of years later, risking the presentation of a car that was significantly off the pace in comparison to its competitors. Thankfully, the company put sufficient thought and energy into ensuring the MC20 was very much a worthy challenger from the outset.

A completely clean sheet design, the MC20 pairs a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis with a 3.0 litre V6 engine, developed in-house and dubbed ‘Nettuno’ (it can also be found in other Maserati models). The interior is lightweight and stripped down but is far from rough and ready. 

In fact, it’s one of the most ergonomically appealing of all modern Maseratis, eschewing awkward quirks in favour of easily accessible controls, good visibility and comfortable seats. Even the touchscreen works well, helpfully placed close at hand so you don’t have to stretch a wobbly finger to change functions.

It’s not luxurious, of course – no mid-engine sports car should ever claim to be such a thing. Three driving modes – GT, Sport and Wet – give you a choice of fast, faster and cautious, and the suspension is never less than firm. The low-slung nose can be hydraulically lifted to cope with raised curbs and speed bumps, and the view out back comes courtesy of a digital rear view ‘mirror’ that shows a high-res scene of the road behind; the real view is somewhat obscured.

Objectively and subjectively, this is an excellent car. It fulfils the unspoken brief of a mid-engine machine by delivering visual drama and drawing attention whether it’s static or in motion, thanks to the butterfly doors and vocal engine noise (albeit mercifully a touch more subdued than Maserati’s V8 models). 

And while performance is certainly competitive, it stops short of being top dog. There’s a sense that Maserati has moved on from the minutiae of split-second sprint times and largely theoretical top speeds, choosing instead to focus on creating a super sports car in an all-round usable package.

But why now? Why introduce a storming conventionally powered supercar just as we’re entering the twilight of these automotive thunder gods? It’s true that rumblings about e-fuels have been getting louder in recent months, as German manufacturers lobby to extend the 2035 ban on ICE car manufacturing. For Maserati, the immediate future means splitting its range into EV and ICE versions, starting with the GranTurismo Folgore (‘lightning’), which will be sold alongside a V6 Nettuno version.

From next year, MC20 customers will get the same choice, and the MC20 Folgore promises to deliver equivalent levels of power and range. However, there’s no escaping the fact that MC20 ownership, regardless of your chosen powertrain, is priced in line with competitors from Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren, ie, high.

If you simply must have the swagger of a low-slung mid-engine machine but can’t run to nearly £200k, consider the Lotus Emira, which weighs in at just under the MC20’s 1,500kg, packs a V6 and starts from £77,795. 

The real test is whether an EV delivers the dopamine fix of focus and attention garnered by the sound of combustion. As the EV era dawns, there are going to be some shake-ups in the world of luxury sports cars.

Maserati MC20, from £197,994, Maserati.com

In June 2024, the Maserati MC20 Leggenda and Icona were launched, each in limited editions of 20

The association between supercars and anything other than pristine, ultra-smooth surfaces is not a particularly happy one. Broad tyres and low ground clearance make heavy work of ripples and bumps, and that’s just on a badly laid motorway, let alone the smoothest of gravel tracks.

Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato: an off-road supercar

Lamborghini hopes to shift that balance of power with the launch of the new Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, a pumped-up version of its V10-engined Huracán (the ‘baby’ Lamborghini of the current range). The Sterrato model bolsters the Huracán’s era-defining form with bolted-on bits of black plastic, the addition of front LED driving lights, a raised ride height, chunky tyres, and underbody protection.

The new model is also accompanied by one of the most OTT promotional videos ever put out by a major car maker, with poetry and delivery that is as rich in unintended humour as the car itself is in subtlety and nuance. Lamborghinis were never intended for shrinking violets.

Only 1,499 examples of the Sterrato will be built, effectively running out Huracán production after eight years and over 20,000 units (making it Lamborghini’s best-selling model ever). Like a few of its peers, the Italian manufacturer isn’t rushing to embrace electrification, engaging in a bit of foot-dragging and hand-waving, mumbling about things like ‘clean’ fuels.

Clean or not, combustion’s time is nearly up, and safety, speed limits, congestion, and social change have made the supercar more unviable than ever before. However, the Sterrato implies that tomorrow’s supercar owners are going to be searching for a different kind of bragging rights. 

Just like Porsche’s recently announced 911 Dakar, the blend of SUV practicality with familiar sports car styling is a niche that very few had considered before. The Sterrato (the name means ‘dirt road’) adds elements like the ‘Lamborghini Drive Recorder’, which is a sort of personal digital archive of your favourite roads.

This is, in effect, the third off-road car to come from the brand, following the brutalist LM002 of the mid-1980s and today’s Urus SUV. The car is clearly pitched at markets where there is a surfeit of sand and not a whole load of regulations about who gets to play where and how in their motor vehicles. As a result, the Sterrato could be seen as little more than a glorified toy. 

It’s also telling that the company chose to announce the car at Art Basel Miami Beach 2022, a place where there is a ready currency for the superfluous and far-fetched. Whether the car is truly ‘an avant-garde work of art’ remains to be seen. It’ll certainly drive straight into the collections of Lamborghini fans who know an investment when they see one.

Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, from €263,000

Lamborghini.com

In the wake of the recently launched 2022 Range Rover, an all-new Range Rover Sport appears to cater to those who seek a bit more dynamic scope to their monumental driving machine.

The original Range Rover Sport arrived all the way back in 2005, forging the way for the ‘Range Rover’ name to become a sub-brand in its own right, leaving Land Rover to produce slightly less sybaritic, more action/family orientated vehicles. Range Rover subsequently expanded still further with the introduction of the 2011 Evoque (now in its second generation) and the 2018 Velar.

The original Range Rover Sport was superseded by a second-generation model in 2013, which saw the introduction of hybrid power and performance versions.

This is generation three. Whereas the flagship Range Rover is pushing ever further upmarket and transforming itself into a real competitor for Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Maybach, the Sport’s targets are somewhat faster moving. For now, ultra-performance SUVs are still big sellers – the Aston Martin DBX, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne, and forthcoming Ferrari Purosangue to name but four.

Crucially, for the most part, these cars rely on traditional engines, not electric powertrains – even hybrid performance SUVs are thin on the ground. The next generation – in the form of the Lotus Eletre and others – is readying itself in the wings.

As a result, the Range Rover Sport is designed to have its cake and eat it. From the outset, there’ll be a plug-in hybrid, a mild hybrid petrol and diesel, as well as a high-performance twin-turbo V8. Come 2024, there’ll be a pure EV as well. Whether this model’s sporting character can be sustained across such a broad range of powertrains remains to be seen.

For now, all we have to go on is the design. In truth, this is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Around three-quarters of a million Sports have been built so far, so the formula isn’t due for a shake-up – just yet. The new car shares the same basic proportions as its predecessors, with a relatively shallow glasshouse and steeply raked windscreen (as opposed to the more upright stance of the larger Range Rover). The most obvious visual difference is a general smoothing out of the lines, with a flush glasshouse and door handles, and slimmer lights and grilles at the front. The rear elevation gets the most dramatic overhaul, with a sleeker, more minimal layout that adheres to the company’s much-vaunted ‘modernist philosophy’ of design.

Inside, the dashboard splices screens and buttons to functional effect, with the full raft of Range Rover’s off-road functions still very much present and correct. It’s regularly pointed out that the more luxurious and lifestyle-orientated the company’s designs get, the less likely they are to be ever taken off-road.

Suffice to say, this reality doesn’t seem to have diminished Range Rover’s desire to make its vehicles truly ‘go-anywhere’, and the Sport continues this tradition. The new ‘Adaptive Off-Road Cruise Control’ system, for example, lets you set your speed over practically any type of terrain on the planet and the car will do the rest (as long as you remember to steer). 

The 2023 Range Rover Sport promises to be all things to everyone, in other words. Most usefully, perhaps, is the real-world range of 460 miles that the plug-in hybrid model delivers.

Sporting luxury is all very well, but the ability to travel far and wide will always be a strong selling point.

INFORMATION

New Range Rover Sport, from £79,125

rangerover.com

Luc Donckerwolke is now chief brand officer (CBO) and chief creative officer (CCO) for Genesis, new titles on top of his current position as CCO for the Hyundai Motor Group. The Belgian automotive designer has been at Hyundai since 2016, following the German designer Peter Schreyer to the post of global chief designer. Like Schreyer, Donckerwolke cut his teeth at the Volkswagen Group, overseeing key cars like the Lamborghini Murciélago and the Bentley Continental GT and helming the design team at Seat.

After a short break away from the company he is back in a new role at Genesis that fills out his portfolio at the Korean industrial giant, working alongside SangYup Lee, head of global Genesis design. In addition to his work for the fast-moving Genesis brand, Donckerwolke will also help develop Hyundai’s Ioniq electric sub-brand.

We spoke to him about the new role, Genesis’ Europe-only G70 Shooting Brake model, and the new Genesis EV60 electric vehicle, as well as the big changes that are coming to the industry.

Wallpaper*: What it is like to create a luxury brand where you essentially start with a blank sheet of paper?

Luc Donckerwolke: It's something that never normally happens these days. There's a lot of serious work behind it, which has led to this great moment of not only creating this brand but also taking it global. I have been at the right place at the right moment working for companies that needed a rebirth and where design was contributing to the relaunch. However, Genesis wasn’t even on the horizon when I joined Hyundai. A couple of months after I signed, they told me they were launching the company and asked if I would be OK to take over the design.

W*: Where had you worked before? 

LD: Working for Bentley, Lamborghini and Audi was great preparation. But this is about creating a brand with different values. Working in Korea was my first experience in Asia, and it was so welcoming, with such a great attitude towards the customer. To translate this universe and experience into a brand, to design products and experiences together, is something that makes you grow. The goal was always to create a design which was emotional and fantastic. But it was also about being completely different from anything else. When you start with a new brand, everything has to be consistent. Our approach was defined by ‘the design is the brand, and the brand is the design’, which is why we created a design language where the face of the car would be derived from the logo. We wanted to have a consistent approach all the way through from the first sketch to the product on the road. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

W*: The shooting brake is a very European model type. Was it difficult to convince the company that you needed it for this market? 

LD: We designed the DNA of Genesis so that it would not be [a case of ] designing for another continent and trying to sell them in Europe. We told Hyundai’s management that we had to address the special customer needs in Europe with specific products. They rely on our experience, and they have full trust in us. Normally, if you do a car for a specific market, automatically the investment constraints are quite strong because you're talking about limited volume. They supported us to develop a product that was differentiated from the competition.

W*: There's a classic traditional beauty to all the Genesis models. You’ve managed to distil the essence of how big cars work best. How will this design language evolve – will there always be a focus on sedans and SUVs?

LD: We wanted to create a design language that had a certain timeless beauty but was not retro. If you design an aggressive sportscar you typically do a wedge design. This car is an ‘anti-wedge’. It’s a noble design, with a serene attitude. It’s not arrogant but has a laid-back, relaxed, self-confident stance. A Genesis appears to sit back on its rear wheels, emphasising the rear-wheel-drive package. It also refers to the classical golden rules of car design, with very few folds and creases in the bodywork. The G70 Shooting Brake is about ‘athletic elegance’, which is to say sporty, but controlled. 

In Korea, the market is sedans, so we have very good experience of designing them. We have had to enhance our portfolio with SUVs, because they are a big part of some markets. But we’ll be working on different typologies. The recent Genesis X coupé concept shows that we don’t want to exclude any type of vehicles. I am sure that the current dominance of SUVs will give way to demand for other vehicle types. There will be a diversification.

W*: What about the detailing? How do you treat things like headlights and grilles, because we’re seeing a move away from the traditional grille in electric vehicles?

LD: It’s not really about the size of a design element like the grille, but how you execute it. We don’t want to appear provocative or aggressive. The shape of the grille originates from the crest on the logo, which we could only achieve by integrating the number plate. With electric cars, the cooling function of grilles is becoming less relevant, so from a Darwinist point of view, the grille could almost disappear, like in the GV60. However, [there will be] the need to integrate the ‘sensor pad’ of the near future – more or less the same size as the grille today. When we started designing electric vehicles a few years ago, these were the questions we were asking.

W*: What do your customers expect of a car interior? Are you hoping to give them something that's unexpected?

LD: We want to apply the same kind of purity as to the exterior. But interiors are a very complex discipline. It’s like being an architect who has created a beautiful room with perfect materials and proportions and then somebody puts a radiator in the room, and it’s ruined. You can make a fantastic sculptural interior, but you must accommodate the air vents and the buttons and the screens and everything. In Korea there’s a huge sensitivity and appreciation of aesthetics, integral to the cultural tradition of the country. Genesis interiors use a concept called the ‘beauty of white space’, which is about orchestrating spatial elements. There’s also a sense of quiet, unobtrusive service in the way the buttons and controls are arranged. It’s also why we have these slender air vents, the thinnest you get in production.

W*: Are there elements within the interior designed to create surprise and delight? 

LD: We often refer to the driver as a guest. The technology is not about fireworks or spices, so you’re not relying on overpowering experiences. But we have so much more to come. I don’t think any car company has ever launched so many products in such a short space of time. And each new Genesis model will have its own identity.

INFORMATION

Genesis

Fortune favours the brave. The 1970s were an era of mid-engine madness, when the big sports car makers explored the packaging options of putting the engine behind the driver, allowing for better balance, sleeker aerodynamics, and — most importantly of all — more outrageous styling. Some of the greatest Italian cars of the era benefitted from this layout, from Ferrari’s first mid-engine road car, the 1971 Berlinetta Boxer, through to the angular Lamborghini Countach that ushered in the supercar era. Their compatriots, Maserati, made a similar transition from front-engine sports cars and grand tourers to low-slung two-seaters, with the introduction of the 1971 Bora and its successor, the Merak (actually a four-seater, albeit with very small rear seats). For Maserati, it was an expensive foray into new territory. The 70s fuel crisis, a short but ultimately disastrous spell of ownership by the French marque Citroen, and perpetual cash flow problems meant that Maserati was never able to capitalise on the super sports genre, and the company that ultimately emerged focused almost exclusively on sports GTs and saloons. In 1993 Maserati reconnected with its Italian ancestry with its sale to Fiat and the company has been part of the FCA Group (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) since 2011.

Now the mid-engine Maserati is back in the form of the MC20. Unveiled in early September, it is the car to take Maserati into a new decade, as well as being the first all-new product from the company since the launch of the Ghibli in 2013. On the one hand, it’s a spiritual evolution of a very limited-edition machine, the MC12 Stradale, a raw road-going version of GT racer, developed from the Ferrari Enzo in 2004 of which just 50 examples were made. But on the other it’s a challenger to the status quo established by Ferrari and Lamborghini and soon Aston Martin.

The Maserati Corse 2020 is about speed, dynamics and power. Built around a carbon-fibre monocoque, the MC20 is pared back and functional, inside and out. It exudes a compact, taut capability, and the white finish on the show car’s bodywork is a world away from the glossy, shouty reds and yellows of its rivals. Scissor doors allow access to a dark, focused cockpit, with plenty of exposed carbon-fibre and Alcantara finishes. The audio system was designed in conjunction with Sonus Faber, the acclaimed Italian loudspeaker manufacturers, and is controlled via a dash-mounted tablet. The car will debut with a twin turbo V6, with a hybrid and pure electric version further down the line.

We spoke to Klaus Busse, the man who heads up FCA’s design team, overseeing Fiat, Abarth, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo, as well as Maserati, about the origins and aspirations for the company’s new model

Wallpaper*: This is the first mid-engine Maserati production car for many years. Did you take inspiration from the past or is it a clean sheet design?

Klaus Buss: When it comes to designing a car, how clean sheet can the design really be? If I were to describe the design philosophy behind the MC20 in two words, they would be Purity and Contrast. As you can see from the car, the design is all about purity contrasted by extremely complex functional areas. One of our main inspirations for the MC20 came from the A6GCS Pinin Farina of the 1950s. This car in fact, is naturally pure and beautifully sculpted, creating a silhouette praised for its simplicity, which is then contrasted by the exposed exhaust pipes underneath the driver’s door showcasing its high degree of functionality. This is the same design philosophy used for the MC20 where the upper part of the car is all about purity and sculptural simplicity, while the lower part is true technical performance.

W*: What about more recent examples from the company’s history?

KB: MC20’s design philosophy was not the only thing that was born by looking back into Maserati’s past: there are some details in this new super sports car that are echoes from the past. For example, the new face of Maserati – as in with the low front grill and the high headlights – were inspired by the MC12. MC20 represents not only an ode to the brand’s past achievements but is also the face of Maseratis of the future.

W*: How long has this car been in planning?

KB: The development period for the MC20 was about 24 months.

W*: What are the key visual elements that define a mid-engine Maserati?

KB: There are no key elements that are specific to a mid-engine Maserati, but there are key visual elements that define the MC20 and Maserati’s aesthetic future. As mentioned, our design philosophy is driven by purity. For the MC20, this translated in creating something with no frills, no excess, and no unnecessary details. We tried to avoid visual noise, in order for the car to speak for itself. We did not design it around the air intakes; on the contrary, we restrained ourselves and have them only where they are absolutely necessary. By doing so, we now have a car that is a pure sculpture reduced to the main proportions. A car that does not need to shout at its environment through loud detailing, but truly stands out for raw beauty and capabilities.

W*: How does the design express the technology of the launch V6 and possible future powertrains?

KB: The MC20, being a super sports car in every inch of its design, was created by respecting and embracing technological and performance necessities. Whether it is the silhouette of the car that defines the cabin space, or the aerodynamic flow and the downforce of the car, Maserati has brought to the market a dynamic sculpture, powered V6 twin turbo petrol engine, which will propel the brand into the future. In addition, one should notice the balance between the pure elegance of the silhouette and the integrated air intakes, which are needed to supply the necessary cooling and the thermal exhaust to the V6. However, it is fundamental to keep in mind that the true expression of MC20 is in the incredible collaboration and teamwork we had with the engineers in Modena.

INFORMATION

maserati.com

Also see the 2024 Maserati MC20 Leggenda and Icona, two limited-edition supercars

SUVs are the brightly coloured waistcoats of the automotive world; a stylistic choice that doesn’t always suit everyone. But one must assume that those who wear the loudest colours enjoy the closest scrutiny, and so it is with cars. There is nothing, repeat nothing, subtle about the new Lamborghini Urus.

The idea of a four seat, four-wheel drive Lamborghini is not a new one. In the late 70s and early 80s, the company – then a centre of ferociously individual design and engineering – built a few prototypes for a fearsome 4x4, culminating in the LM002 of 1986. Despite only making around 300 cars, the LM002 was hugely influential, a brutish powerhouse that introduced a very different way of displaying power and wealth.

Since 1998, Lamborghini has been a subsidiary of Audi and effectively one of the brands in the vast VW Group. Although the company still focuses on exotic mid-engined supercars, the real money is to be made in the still burgeoning SUV sector. Plans were drawn up to broaden the brand’s appeal and the Urus was the result. First shown as a concept way back in early 2012, the production model arrived largely unchanged in 2018. The company’s two main models, the Huracan (introduced 2014) and the Aventador (2011) and their variants, are both two-seater mid-engined super sports cars, dramatically angular statements of style, intent, purpose and taste. The Urus is a very different piece of packaging, a conventional front-engined four-seater, riding high on massive wheels but with the docility and practicality of a car you can use every day. Depending, of course, on the statement you wish to make.

The Urus is a big beast, but by the ballooning standards of the industry it’s not particularly excessive. It does, however, make the kind of noise that is rapidly going out of fashion. A throaty V8 is never going to be quiet and so it proves here. Throw in angular, dramatic and aggressive styling inspired by the Stealth bomber aesthetic of its low-slung siblings and garnish with one of Lamborghini’s signature vibrant paint colours (Giallo Auge or Rosso Mars, for example), and you’re an attention magnet of some strength.

If you can brazen out the stares, turned heads, questions and occasional gestures (and in this modern age, the inevitable focus of camera phones), then the Urus is a perfectly agreeable day to day companion. VW Group knowhow sits beneath a layer of Italian exuberance in the switchgear and sharply creased dash, so everything works. Twin touch screens impart the necessary info, while the graphics are a striking blend of synthwave neon and everyday functionalism.

Of course, it performs just as a Lamborghini should. The old LM002 paired its V12 engine with brutalist aerodynamics and crushing weight; it could just about get to 120mph. Suffice to say the Urus does rather better, reaching 60mph in less than half the time of its ancestor. It’s also worth noting that where the LM002 was an exotic, hand-built rarity, the Urus has practically doubled Lamborghini’s sales volumes in a stroke.

We’d be doing the world a disservice if we didn’t mention the environmental impact of cars such as this. A few years ago, Lamborghini’s then CEO waved his hand airily at the idea of restrictive emissions legislation, claiming that as most of their cars were barely used by their capricious owners (presumably given their comprehensive collections of similar machinery scattered around the globe). As such, he said, a Lamborghini had a negligible effect on the environment. It’s an argument that sounds rather less plausible in these more enlightened times. In any case, the ‘scarcity of use’ clause cannot be said to apply to the Urus, which is by its very nature a car for day to day use, not high days, holidays and unwitting appearances on schadenfreude-drenched YouTube outtakes.

Whether or not a V8 is music to your ears or an unwanted aural intrusion, it is probably a technology with a finite lifespan. Like many of its luxury, high performance rivals, Lamborghini hasn’t stuck its neck out with an all-electric model although given the VW Group’s push for EVs, it’s safe to assume that there’s something in the works. For now, the Urus works best as a piece of unconscious retro design, closer in spirit to the LM002 than its maker intended. Needless to say, the Urus customer will be more than happy with this spiritual connection to a titan from the past.

INFORMATION
Lamborghini Urus, from £159,925. For more information, visit the Lamborghini website

The new Lamborghini Huracán doesn't skimp on the drama. It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to put so much on such prominent public display, and the Italian manufacturer knows full well that its cars are about drama, spectacle, sound and fury. Paradoxically, it's the radar-evading forms of American stealth fighter technology that's provided stylistic inspiration for the last few generations of Lamborghini's V10 and V12 powered supercars. From the 2001 Murciélago onwards, Lamborghini's signature has been the angle. Under the direction of Luc Donckerwolke, now head of all VW design, the Italian marque slavishly followed a fetish for facets, with lights, grilles and intakes reduced to stark geometric forms, slashed into the bodywork. The Gallardo and Aventador models that followed continued the theme, although it was taken to its most extreme in limited editions like the Sesto Elemento and Egoista.

The 'baby' of the range, the Huracán replaces the hugely successful Gallardo, the best-selling Lamborghini ever made. Ever since Audi acquired the brand in 1998, Lamborghini has received a quality-boosting fillip to its image, as well as a hefty chunk of technological cross-pollination that has helped both marques. The Gallardo was the biggest recipient of this new partnership, being closely related to the first generation Audi R8. Unsurprisingly, the Huracán also shares a sizeable chunk of its mechanical innards with the second generation R8. Both are four-wheel drive, mid-engined V10 two-seaters. But there, it has to be said, the resemblance ends.

It's a testament to the power of brand identity that the two cars looks so incredibly different. While the R8 is elegant and relatively discrete, the Huracán is an out and out attention grabber. Even before you've fired up the engine, the world is craning its collective neck to get a look. Huracán ownership comes with a sort of self-contained bubble of public interest as all eyes (and smartphones) are inexorably drawn to the car and, presumably, the identity of its occupant. This, we suspect, is exactly what owners want and expect.

Get behind the wheel (blanking out the demands of the outside world) and you can see why this is a special place to be. The dramatic exterior forms are carried through to a dashboard that's kinked and faceted and stacked up with digital dials and read-outs and multiple switches. Again, the visual riff is on the fighter jet; just as Harley Earl translated the thrusting gung-ho forms of Fifties war machines into an elaborate Detroit Baroque, the Huracán distils the cloak and dagger design of today's military-industrial-technical complex into a piece of highly desirable machinery.

Ignoring the Freudian origins of a product that harks after weaponry and is named after a fighting bull (as are all Lamborghinis), the Huracán is an object to savour, whether you're driving it, watching it or even listening to it. The furious snarls, crackles and pops produced by a modern engine are carefully engineered, but any questions of authenticity are banished by the experience of driving. 100km/h is reached in just over three seconds and the - academic, naturally - top speed is over 200 mph, an essential if irrelevant statistic that confers membership of the modern supercar club.

For now, the Huracán is the core of the brand, but within a few years Lamborghini will be selling the Urus, its first modern SUV (discounting the entertainingly absurd LM002 of the 80s). It will inevitably trounce the Huracán in the showroom, if not on the track. The traditional, low-slung supercar looks set to become increasingly scarce, just as the Huracán creates the ultimate template as to how they should be done.

Six of the coolest concept cars ever made - all the mark of legendary Italian design house Bertone - go to auction this month, by order of the Italian bankruptcy court dealing with the assets of the collapsed Bertone Group. The design arm of the business, Stile Bertone, is still very much alive, but not in a position to buy back every exhibit from its fantastic in house museum (see W* 82).

And so, automotive experts RM Auctions will put them under the hammer on Saturday May 21 at Villa Erba, to coincide with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este weekend.

The historic annual event began as far back as 1929, but was only brought back to life in the 1990s through the patronage of BMW. In a short time it has become one of the world’s most exclusive classic car shows, with a fittingly beautiful setting on the shores of Lake Como.

Many of the greatest car brands in the world will have vehicles featured - the new Aston Martin Zagato is set to be globally unveiled - and the the Bertone concept sale will certainly make this year a memorable one. The lots include three amazing Lamborghinis - the Marzal, Bravo and Athon - as well as the ultra low-slung 1970 Lancia HF Zero.

Cited by many top car designers as their favourite concept of all time, the Lancia Stratos HF was a wedge-shaped sensation when it appeared at the 52 Turin Show in 1970. Just over 3.5m long and only 84cm high, drivers have to climb in via a single front-hinged windscreen/door and lie well back to fit. This is abstract car sculpture of the highest order and, like the Marzal, another Gandini creation which eventually spurred Lancia to commission the super successful Stratos rally car of the mid-1970s.

A scattering of geometric vents punctuates the front and rear of this concept. First shown at the 1974 Turin Motor Show it was yet another Gandini design, most notable for the hidden pillars supporting the roof in order to create a visor-like appearance and dramatically different wheel arches front and back.

The futuristic Lancia Sibilo epitomised the futurism of the late 1970s. Stand-out features include steering wheel-mounted controls, vintage digital lettering and an exterior where the glass - complete with driver's porthole - seems to merge with the bodywork.

Banishing curves almost completely, this open-top study in angular and rational lines based on Lamborghini underpinnings was designed by Marc Deschamps and shown at the 1980 Turin Motor Show. Less historically relevant than the Stratos, Marzal and Testudo, it is still expected to fetch up to 220,000 euros.

The death of the supercar has been greatly exaggerated. Despite the ever-tightening screw of anti-pollution regulation, restrictions on speed limits and the palpable public backlash against conspicuous consumption, cars that exist solely to push the extremities of what is technically possible. As we previously noted, the supercar is a genre Lamborghini pretty much invented back in the late 1960s. Over the years, the company's fortunes have fluctuated, with others stepping forward with even more extreme machinery and threatening to usurp their status.

See more of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670

Although the Murcielago effortlessly reaffirmed Lamborghini's supercar status when it was launched in 2001, it's taken eight years for the company to create what it considers the ultimate variant of the V12-powered machine. The LP670-4 SuperVeloce is, in both looks and mechanical aptitude, a worthy bearer of the supercar title. This has always been a striking car, as its designer Luc Donckerwolke intended. Low, wide, aggressive, angular, intimidating - characteristics that would be deemed inappropriate, if not totally unacceptable, to almost any other car maker – the Murcielago is not for shrinking violets. In fact, the car encourages the driver to become a raging, if unwitting, extrovert. People wave, ask for rides, point, hoot their horn, take photos, even cheer.

Using a SuperVeloce to simply schlep around town might be good for the ego, but after a few miles the suspension starts to gnaw at the lower back and the various thwacks, creaks and pings from the suspension and transmission build a growing sense of unease. When pushing on through London's rain soaked and speed bump-strewn streets the SV feels rather leaden, a bit like trying to thread a needle while wearing boxing gloves.

What this car demands is the open road, and as soon as the breathing room improves, the SV stops lumbering and starts to shrink-wrap itself around the driver. The horizon becomes a fast-approaching reality, the fat tyres, all-wheel drive and highly aerodynamic bodywork keep the car totally planted and the heavy steering becomes fluid and direct. The SV is available with an electronically-assisted gearchange with steering wheel mounted paddles allowing you to bang rapidly through the gears, with a satisfying blip and roar on the change down. It's easy to become over-confident, for this is not the tyrannical machine of old, a car that has to be wrestled manfully.

Visually, the LP670-4 takes a few key cues from the Reventon, Lamborghini's million dollar stab at the automotive investment market, designed and produced in record time thanks to the intensive use of computer-aided design. That means a few more scoops and ducts, all modelled in the angular, sharp-edged fashion that has become Lamborghini's contemporary signature, a form of technological baroque. It's nearly as rare as the 100-strong fleet of Reventons, with just 350 LP670-4s slated for production. While the former is essentially a piece of driveable art, the SuperVeloce is unashamedly functional, an object designed to go fast and little else. With 670bhp at its disposal, the SuperVeloce is capable of reaching 62mph (100km/h) in 3.2 seconds, and then on to a top speed somewhere north of 200mph.

That performance comes from weight loss, and lots of it, thanks to a crash carbon fibre diet. At the rear, a new transparent engine bonnet presents the V12 to the word, a sculptural combination of transparent polycarbonate, cut into hexagonal plates to create a structure that cools as well as it looks. At the rear, the vast exhaust tailpipe and rear wing - a throwback to 70s-era Lamborghinis - signal the car's intentions. Other nice touches, like the electronically operated air-cooling funnels that automatically rise from the rear wings, do nothing to dispel the impression that the SuperVeloce is a living, breathing thing.

The track-focused suspension is not forgiving - capable of exacerbating pre-existing hip conditions and generating the occasional ear-renting crack as the low, deep spoiler connects with dips in the road; happily there's the option to raise the suspension, which does nothing for the car's sleek lines, but which at least creates a modicum of practicality. A reversing camera also helps (although we wouldn't want to back up down a dark country lane in the rain to get out of the way of a tractor, for example), and the famous scissor doors can be opened up to help position the car when parking.

It's not all perfect. For a start, the high-tech Alcantara and carbon fibre interior is somewhat spoiled by the kind of flashy aftermarket sound system that teenage joyriders might finger lovingly in the electronics aisle of Walmart, all sliding screens, artlessly flashy interfaces and insensitive touch screen. The shrieking orange bodywork is capped only by the anti-social behaviour order-inducing exhaust note, while the constant fear of bodywork-gouging potholes and kerbs makes for jumpy progress. Road noise, even at reasonable motorway speeds, is intrusive, and we wouldn't imagine that your local Lamborghini dealer is a specialist in low-cost servicing.

Ideally, the SuperVeloce driver owns their own race track, or at the very least knows someone with ready access to a circuit. Sure, there are even more expensive, even more outlandish cars. Think Bugatti, Pagani, Koenigsegg, as well as a host of even smaller manufacturers chasing the small but eager six-figure car club. But Lamborghini has pedigree. It has eccentricities and foibles. In short, it has previous form. For the deep-pocketed purist, nothing else comes close.

Some brands are content to have their identities set in stone, ensuring that each and every future product is simply an evolutionary enhancement of the core values that made their name in the first place. While many car companies want a fluid image that can shift as times and attitudes change, there are a few maverick brands unafraid to seen to go against the flow.

Lamborghini have no problem with being a high performance car maker in an eco-conscious world; they point out, not unreasonably, that their slender production volume and the 'occasional use' quality of their cars means their overall emissions are relatively low.

See more of the new Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

With the sporting end of the market still locked into a horsepower war – woe betide the manufacturer that blinks and boldly steps out with a car offering less power than its rivals – we can still be sure of 500+ horsepower outputs for the foreseeable future.

This, we are assured, is not an atmosphere-roasting catastrophe. Incremental improvements mean that the modern supercar is leaner and cleaner than ever before. Let's not make excuses, though: these cars are never going to clip under the EU's projected average CO2 emissions, not now, not ever. And that, we suspect, is just how their designers like them.

A short Lamborhini history

Lamborghini's modern era began with the entrance of Audi as financial fairy godmother, bringing with it the deep pockets of the VW Group to haul the company back from its decades in the supercar wilderness, tossing out endless ultra-limited specials for a die-hard audience of motoring journalists, sultans and eccentric financial wizards.

Although the first leg of Lamborghini's life was spent challenging Ferrari with a respectable series of elegant, powerful and distinctive coupes, culminating in the genre-creating Miura supercar of 1966, the company then entered a phase of unabashed automotive ostentation, kick-started by the Countach, Marcello Gandini's 70s-era metal wedge: no other car has been so perfectly paired with the adjective 'outlandish'.

The die was set, from Countach through Jalpa and Diablo: Lamborghini was about power and extravagance. Following a period of ownership by Chrysler, the company was flipped over to the Indonesians, with seasoned sports car executives holding the fort back in Europe, driving sales steadily upwards. Enter Audi, which consolidated its intent by launching the Murcielago in 2001 and proving to everyone that VW Group ownership needn't dilute the qualities of the cars. The V12 Murcielago was followed by the V10-powered Gallardo in 2003; together, the two models have outsold every other Lamborghini ever made in the preceding years.

What changed? Reliable engineering, enduringly dramatic styling and the global demand for supercars, helping sales rise inexorably throughout the late 90s and beyond. The Gallardo was recently given a serious overhaul, with aesthetic tweaks joined by a full-scale engineering fillet, making the car faster, lighter, leaner and more efficient into the bargain.

The latest creation

The Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder, to give this car its full appellation, is a thing of visual delight. Styled, like the Murcielago, by a team headed up by the multi-lingual, continent-hopping stylist Luc Donckerwolke, the Gallardo succeeds on several levels. Not only does it reference Lamborghini's historic portfolio - crammed full of both elegance and insanity, most often contained within the same car – but it's also brutally contemporary.

From behind the wheel, the modern Gallardo has few quirks (although Sant'Agata's seamstresses are only too eager to deliver a retina-searing experience of polychromatic hide). Most of the bits that need to work efficiently and not ostentatiously are simply plucked from Audi's well-stocked parts bin (an arrangement that might make Ferrari rather jealous). The steering is direct, the brakes reassuringly efficient and the driving position surprisingly ergonomic.

Your main hazard is other road users: in the complete inverse of the police car effect - where a patrol car carries with it a bubble of hyper-conscious drivers, consciously sticking to the posted limits – the Gallardo forms a buffer zone of self-conscious idiocy, a mobile a mobile accident blackspot created by other road users, overwhelmingly of the male persuasion, attempting to demonstrate their superior wheelmanship.

Sadly, your unwanted competitors are probably all too aware that the Gallardo contains a V10, a highly tuned version of the engine also found in the Audi RS6 and the new R8 V10. In the Gallardo, it's been given free reign to rev high and loud, rattling the urban environment and making every traffic light an occasion. Shrinking violets should note that the front suspension can be raised up by five helpful centimetres to help negotiate urban speed bumps (the sound of unwanted automotive schadenfreude is the heavy crack of carbon fibre front spoiler connecting with raised tarmac).

With sport and track modes, four wheel drive and the aforementioned power, the Gallardo feels supremely wieldy, despite its size. This is a car so easy to drive that the controls swiftly become second nature. With the 70s era cars now reduced to a form of kitschy nostalgia, many might consider a Lamborghini to still be a step too far. However, low level mass production has helped this most bloody-minded of companies to create a modern motoring icon, all ability and no unnecessary flash.