On Wednesday, March 1, the new Lamborghini Aventador S made its Sothern California debut at Pirelli’s P Zero World in Los Angeles. The model variant is the latest in a flurry of recent releases from the marque, including the Huracán Rear-Wheel-Drive Spyder (in November) and the imminent introduction of the Huracán Performante at the Geneva International Motor Show that begins March 9.
Present at the event in the City of Angels was Alessandro Farmeschi, chief operating officer for Automobili Lamborghini Americas. While there, Farmeschi took time to speak with RobbReport.com about the Aventador S, the marque’s recent acceleration in sales, and what lies immediately down the road.
RobbReport.com: Where does the Aventador and, now, the Aventador S fit in Lamborghini’s pantheon of high-performance cars?
Alessandro Farmeschi: The Aventador reinforces, in a new way, the perception of our brand as visionary—something Lamborghini has always been as seen from the history of the company. For example, the Miura was the first super sport car and the LM002 was a sport utility vehicle that we released at a time when nobody really understood what was going to come. Now, with the Aventador S, comes the evolution of Aventador’s already successful story.
RR: How does the Aventador S build off of its predecessor?
AF: The Adventador S has an additional 40 hp which brings the total up to 740 hp. It also has the four-wheel steering system that gives the car increased agility and stability at the same time. With the four-wheel steering, you can be very agile in the sharp curves or very stable in the high-radius curves at high speed. In addition, the pushrod suspension, with magneto rheological functioning, allows you to adapt various driving modes for different conditions.
This car also has a particular calibration to its four-wheel-drive system that enables up to 90-percent of the torque to be moved to the back when in Sport mode. And last but not least, we have added a fourth driving mode on top of Strada, Sport, and Corsa—we call it Ego. In Ego mode, the driver can select how they want to set the engine, suspension, and steering from 24 combinations. You can customize to your ego, your driving style.
RR: What element about this car excites you the most as an engineer?
AF: There are basically two things that excite me the most. For sure there is the design of the car because it is definitively Lamborghini with the sharp edges and the fact that all aspects of the form have real function. With the new Aventador S, for instance, the front and back have been reshaped to increase the downforce and improve airflow, respectively. There are also accents on the sides to amplify aerodynamics. The other part that I find so impressive is the heart of the car, the 740 hp, naturally aspirated V-12. As soon as you turn on the engine, the sound is unbelievable. For me, as an engineer, it’s a symphony.
RR: Switching gears to the marque in general, Lamborghini has seen record sales of its cars in the last couple of years. What have been the contributing factors?
AF: I think that the company has invested a lot in its products. Almost 20-percent of our turnover has gone into research and development and our clientele appreciates that because, in the end, it results in models like the Aventador and the Huracán—successes due to continued improvements in technology and design. Another big part is linked to Lamborghini as an organization and how we service our clients through a variety of experiential programs.
RR: What is Lamborghini doing to meet that expansion in North America’s market?
AF: To be honest, the expansion is pretty natural and we have not increased our network very much. We are already well positioned in the places where we need to be in order to serve our core clientele. To accommodate customer needs we have developed our bespoke Ad Personam program so that you can come visit us at the factory and help configure your car, your piece of art, to meet your highest expectations as a client. This is a big part of the experience that our customers want when they buy a car.
RR: Finally, with the Geneva International Motor Show only a day away, what hints can you give us about the Huracán Performante set to debut?
AF: I can tell you that it is really a high-performance car which has already demonstrated its ability at Nürburgring, one of the most difficult and technical circuits in the world. I think that this is already a good business card when it presents itself to the public in Geneva.
