LAMBORGHINI IS UNDOUBTEDLY A changed company. The last track-based launch I attended for a new V12-powered variant with the Italian manufacturer was at the Circuit de Catalunya. It was back in 2015 for the wild Aventador SV, a car with 740bhp and capable of lapping the Ring in under seven minutes if you have the speed, car control and sheer bravery of Marco Mapelli (the lap is worth watching if you have a spare 6:59.7 today). The format for that SV launch was simple: rock up, spend ten minutes talking about the various engine, aero and suspension changes, jump in a car and follow a test driver with his hair on fire…
I remember emerging from the cool shade of the pit garage to see a line of SVs looking sharp-edged and slightly terrifying. One journalist timidly asked, ‘Do we need helmets?’ The instructor looked confused. ‘Do you want helmets?’ he replied. Not quite with disdain. But certainly a hint of pity. ‘Erm, I suppose not,’ came the shaky response. And that was that. Moments later we were flat-out on a track most of us didn’t know, in Lamborghini’s maddest supercar since the… well, maybe ever. The anarchic spirit of Lamborghini was truly alive and well.
Things are differentrace circuit, various pit boxes are designated for different presentations. Including one entitled ‘Connectivity’, and another that allows you to walk around the chassis and exploded engine and drivetrain components in a VR world. Crash helmets? You can barely walk up the stairs without somebody insisting you wear one. Compliance has come to Italy. Even to Sant’Agata.
