The Strategic Shift: Elegance vs. Aggression
- Lamborghini’s Head of Design, Mitja Borkert, has unveiled a concept called the Manifesto, a design study celebrating 20 years of Centro Stile.
- The concept is not a preview of a specific production car, but its design elements will influence future Lamborghini models.
- Some observers interpret the Manifesto as more restrained and elegant than recent Lamborghinis.
Strip away the massive wings, the angry vents, the layered strakes that have defined Lamborghini’s visual identity for the better part of two decades. What’s left? According to Mitja Borkert, something more powerful: purity. The Manifesto concept, created to mark the 20th anniversary of Lamborghini’s in-house design center, Centro Stile, is a deliberate exercise in doing more with less. According to Borkert, the Manifesto “showcases the potential future of Lamborghini’s unique design DNA.”
That phrase carries real weight when you consider the broader competitive landscape. Some observers note that as rival Ferrari introduces evermore complicated designs, it seems fitting that the contrarians in Sant’Agata are taking up the mantle of elegance. The Manifesto suggests that Lamborghini wants to be other than overt and outrageous while still maintaining an undeniably impactful presence. It’s a counterintuitive play from a brand that gave us the Veneno, and that’s precisely what makes it interesting.
This is not a production car. Lamborghini has been explicit about that. But dismissing it as a showpiece would be a mistake, because the Terzo Millennio concept from 2017 inspired design elements found on the Revuelto and Temerario. If history repeats, the Manifesto’s philosophy of elegant restraint could shape the next generation of everything Sant’Agata produces.
Manifesto’s Design Language: Key Elements and Inspirations
Lamborghini says the Manifesto’s front end incorporates the signature Y-shaped motif in its headlights, presented with more restraint than seen on the current Revuelto. That’s a deliberate choice. The front end is characterized by a “shark nose” profile and a steeply sloped windshield that flows into what is perhaps the concept’s most arresting feature: a distinctive double-bubble glass roof that transitions smoothly into the rear section.
Lamborghini describes the lower side intakes as massive yet uncomplicated, drawing parallels to earlier models like the Reventón and Aventador. In profile, a sharp character line extends from squared front wheel arches, echoing the design of the Countach LPI-800, while the rear arches are also noted for their non-round shape. The wheels incorporate hexagonal design elements, true to Lamborghini’s geometric vocabulary. The concept lacks visible shutlines and, according to one source, lacks doors, which only amplifies the sense of sculptural simplicity.
At the rear, pronounced protrusions form nacelles behind each occupant, suggesting the location of a potential engine. The third brake light is vertically oriented, a clear departure from the Revuelto’s styling, while a subtle Y-shaped lighting signature sits high above a substantial diffuser. The exposed rear tires, reminiscent of the Temerario, lend a racy aesthetic. One outlet described the overall effect from behind as having a “Hot Wheels-like appearance,” which, depending on your perspective, is either a compliment or the highest possible praise for a Lamborghini concept. The negative space between the taillights is interpreted as enhancing the car’s visual width, giving the rear a planted, muscular stance without resorting to bolt-on aero.
One report notes the Manifesto shares design cues, including its vibrant yellow paint, with the limited-production Fenomeno. Both cars seem to draw from the same well of heritage references while pushing the language forward, suggesting Borkert’s team is developing a cohesive aesthetic vocabulary rather than one-off experiments.
The V12 Question: Twelve Slots and a Big Hint
Here is where the Manifesto gets genuinely provocative for enthusiasts. An area resembling an engine cover features 12 slots, suggesting a continued role for the V12 engine in Lamborghini’s future. In a world where even Lamborghini has embraced hybridization, those 12 slots feel like a deliberate signal rather than an accident of surface design.
Lamborghini has not confirmed what powertrain, if any, the Manifesto is meant to represent. The Manifesto is a design study. But the visual language matters. Concept cars communicate brand priorities, and choosing to reference the V12 in a forward-looking design statement hints that the V12 will continue to form part of the Sant’Agata recipe for many years to come.
For buyers currently on waiting lists or considering their next Lamborghini, this is a practical signal worth noting.
Centro Stile’s Vision: The ‘Crazy Corner’ and Two Decades of Influence
The Manifesto was created to celebrate 20 years of Centro Stile. It has been reported that Centro Stile was formed to remove reliance on external studios for Lamborghini’s visual language. Twenty years later, the results speak for themselves: Lamborghini has excelled at incorporating the past while pushing design language forward over the last two decades.
Within Centro Stile, a specialized “crazy corner” team is dedicated to envisioning Lamborghini’s design future two decades ahead. The Terzo Millennio from 2017 inspired design elements found on the Revuelto and Temerario. The Manifesto presents design elements that future cars will incorporate, and if the pattern holds, elements of what we see today will materialize on production Lamborghinis.
The brand’s ability to blend heritage with forward-looking design is highlighted as a long-standing strength, and the Manifesto embodies that tension. It references the Reventón, the Countach LPI-800, and the Aventador while simultaneously proposing a visual future that looks nothing like any of them. Car and Driver called the Manifesto “a commitment to dramatic design,” which captures the duality well. This is not nostalgia. It’s a design team confident enough in its heritage to use it as a launchpad rather than a crutch.
From Sculpture to Street: The Challenges Ahead
The Manifesto is beautiful in part because it cheats. The concept lacks visible shutlines and, according to one source, lacks doors. Translating this level of minimalism into a car that needs to pass crash tests, accommodate real human bodies, and open its engine bay for service is an entirely different problem, and one that no competitor coverage has meaningfully addressed.
Consider the bubbled glass roof. On the concept, it flows seamlessly into the rear bodywork. The challenge for Borkert’s team is preserving the feeling of the Manifesto’s purity while accepting the compromises that production engineering demands.
Lamborghini has managed this translation before. The Terzo Millennio inspired elements on the Revuelto and Temerario, and the result was a production car that still felt conceptual without being impractical. Expect the same approach here.
Several critical questions remain unanswered. Which specific future models will carry these cues? And does this restraint signal a broader philosophical shift, or simply a new aesthetic approach? Lamborghini has said little beyond describing it as a design study showcasing future design DNA. For now, the Manifesto is a design study rather than a preview of a future car. But for anyone who cares about where Lamborghini is headed, it’s the most revealing thing to come out of Sant’Agata in years.
