One of the hottest topics within the automotive sector, at least among niche manufacturers, is saying goodbye to the historic eight, ten or twelve cylinder engines. The topic is of particular importance in Motor Valley, where Ferrari and Lamborghinis they wrote the history of four wheels, especially with V12s. On the occasion of Beijing Auto Show, we had the opportunity to speak with the number one of the House of Bull, Stephan Winkelmann. And his answer is incontrovertible: as long as it is possible, Sant’Agata Bolognese will have twelve-cylinder engines in its range. “Today we have the V12 in the Revuelto”, the manager replied. “We want to continue to have it at least as long as there are combustion engines.”
Reckless or not? We also asked Winkelmann about the successor to the Huracán: her real name Reckless? Here, Winkelmann did not reveal the name: “We will say the name shortly and we will confirm these rumors or not. I can only anticipate that it will be the name of a fighting bull”. In short, there will be no farewell to names inspired by bullfighting as claimed by the Anglo-Saxon press (moreover, Temerario is actually the bull of a Mexican breeder). However, our previews on the specifications of the engine are confirmed (“it will be a hybridized twin-turbo V8”), together with the launch times: “The presentation will be in the second part of the year. We are thinking of August, during the Monterey Car Week in California. Basically everything is ready.”
The future. Finally, we asked Winkelmann for his opinion on the next European elections and on the possibility that the outcome of the vote will influence the future of the automotive sector: “We’ll see what happens”, is the answer. “I think that 2035 for the big manufacturers and 2036 for us are dates that can be questioned at the moment, but the manufacturers must prepare for the change much earlier. So I don’t think that the strategies can change even after the elections. Maybe there will be a dilution of the timing of reduction not only of CO2, but also of fine particles. However, I believe that, in broad terms, the strategies will not change.” As for Lamborghini, Winkelmann confirmed the “two-track” strategy: firstly, cars for daily use such as the Urus and the fourth model could be electric, while as regards the super sports cars – Revuelto and heir to the Huracán – we are hypothesizing also have another hybrid phase and, if possible, seize the opportunity of synthetic petrol.”
