Lamborghini Pushes Gas Power To New Limits With Spaceship-Inspired Car

Gasoline-powered Italian burbles will not go quietly into the night. Lamborghini showed off its engineering prowess and its commitment to fossil fuel use with the debut of its Fenomeno at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering today.

The new car follows in the footsteps of other heralded models including Sesto Elemento (2010), Veneno (2013), Centenario (2016), Sián (2019) and Countach (2021). The Countach was first revealed at The Quail.

“When we presented the Reventón in 2007, our goal was to create a truly superlative super sports car that represented the ultimate expression of what Lamborghini stood for,” Stephan Winkelmann, chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, said in a press release. “This new few-off carries forward the same philosophy of distinction and innovation that is a fundamental part of our DNA.”

Fenomeno is a limited-edition sports car that combines the company’s V12 engine with three electric motors to deliver a total of 1,065 horsepower, 824 of which is provided mechanically. Just 29 will be sold and it sold out before it debuted.

Front end of the Lamborghini Fenomeno.
Lamborghini Automobili

It is the first car designed entirely by the Italian brand’s new Sant’Agata Bolognese design department in north-central Italy.

The car’s name stems from a famous bull that fought in Morelia, Mexico, in 2002, in keeping with Lamborghini tradition. Also, in Spanish and Italian, “fenomeno” means phenomenal.

Technical innovation in Fenomeno is matched with the car’s power. A driver can utilize a 6D sensor that measures the car’s dynamics and uses an algorithm to adapt vehicle systems accordingly, and carbon-ceramic brakes to take advantage of the model’s full prowess.

The car’s engine is housed within its monofuselage, Lamborghini’s term for its aeronautics-inspired chassis. Its monocoque is made entirely of carbon fiber, a material that Lamborghini recycles and upcycles throughout the creation cycle. Fenomeno’s front structure is made of a forged composite that is created using short carbon fibers soaked in resin.

“With the Fenomeno we are setting a new, authentic and brave course for our future-oriented design language,” Director of Design Mitja Borkert, said in a press release. “We have created a hyper-elegant design piece that is as refined and sophisticated as it is both athletic and essential. It is an unexpectedly elegant spaceship, made entirely from carbon fiber while remaining true to our heritage. Fenomeno plays the music of our unique design DNA but with a different tonality and rhythm, creating another stunning legend that exceeds the highest expectations of our customers and collectors.”