Lamborghini just celebrated the 20-year anniversary of its Centro Stile design center, which helped create later versions of the Gallardo and Murciélago as well as special models like the Reventón. To celebrate two decades in existence, Lamborghini design director Mitja Borkert decided to pen a very special concept car. Behold, the Lamborghini Manifesto.
Borkert shared images of the Manifesto on his personal Instagram, finished in a signature shade of Lamborghini yellow. Since this car is merely a "visionary sculpture" and with no production intent, there are very few details available. The car is meant to "[showcase] the potential future of [Lamborghini's] unique Design DNA."
A Stunning Manifesto
Lamborghini Manifesto Concept hero yellow
Lamborghini Manifesto Concept
Lamborghini
If this is indeed a preview of what we might see from a future Lamborghini supercar, count us excited. The Manifesto is cartoonishly exaggerated (in a good way), looking more like a Hot Wheels car than a road-legal creation. The front end is extremely pointy with a massive opening that we can only surmise is used to capture air for cooling the mid-mounted engine. Of course, Lamborghini has not mentioned what kind of engine the Manifesto uses, since it is only a concept.
The headlights are small, but a long DRL almost makes it look like the car is bleeding light from its eyes. It's extremely low, thanks to a glass cockpit that features a double-bubble design for increased headroom. No images of the interior are included, but we imagine it's fairly minimal. The side is actually pretty simple compared to the rest of the car; it doesn't even have any scoops or vents. We like the hexagon wheels, but aren't sure how they would look on a production car. At the back, the taillights and exposed wheel design remind us of the limited edition Fenomeno, which was recently revealed during Car Week. Borkert did tell us he had "crazy ideas that no one has ever seen," so perhaps the Manifesto was one such design.
Importance Of In-House Design
Lamborghini Manifesto Concept rear 3/4
Lamborghini Manifesto Concept
Lamborghini
Before Lamborghini had its own design studio, the Italian automaker used several other companies to create its supercars. The Countach, for example, was famously done by Marcello Gandini when he worked at design house Bertone.
"Two decades have passed since the important moment when the Lamborghini Centro Stile was established," says Borkert. "Lamborghini is built on performance engineering and design, and the two go hand in hand. With Research and Development in house, design must be too. Over the last 20 years, Centro Stile has written the rule book for Lamborghini's design DNA, its structure and function, which is the genetic blueprint for our brand."
"Concept and few-off cars give the Centro Stile design team an opportunity to truly spread their wings, to ask questions of design, to not limit the imagination in what is possible," he adds. "The Centro Stile ethos is to take inspiration from what interests and thrills: the roofline of the Aventador was inspired by beetle wings, separated along the median axis yet enveloping the body. The hexagon shape of carbon and honeycomb continues as a recurring theme in Lamborghini models, as do the stripped-back surfaces of extreme racing bikes and the instinctive, powerful shapes and emotions produced by fighter jets that particularly inspire me."