Lamborghini’s Chief Designer Discusses the Importance of Faces in Cars

      Lamborghini

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      For many years, cars were designed with faces: two headlights representing eyes and a grille symbolizing a mouth. Recently, several brands have been moving away from this traditional design, splitting daytime running lights from the lower projectors and, in the case of electric vehicles, entirely removing the grille, as it is unnecessary. However, Lamborghini is not like most brands. The new Fenomeno certainly has a face, and its design director, Mitja Borkert, asserts that this is intentional.

      "There’s a current global trend toward making front lights slimmer and slimmer," Borkert explained to The Drive last month during Monterey Car Week. "But eventually, you reach a point where there are no front lights left. I consider front lights as the eyes of a face, and ultimately, that's an essential feature for cars."

      "We can design the headlights horizontally or vertically, but what we really seek is to establish a character,” Borkert summarized.

      From left to right, the Lamborghini Revuelto, Temerario, and Urus. Lamborghini

      So, what character does Lamborghini embody? Before his time at Lamborghini, Borkert was with Porsche. He mentioned that when he joined that design team at the turn of the century, Porsche’s cars had a more cheerful appearance. “I shifted them to appear a bit more like a shark, or a bit more self-assured,” Borkert remarked.

      However, he can't envision a friendly look for a Lamborghini.

      "For me, this is crucial in designing a Lamborghini. I will never create a smiling Lamborghini,” Borkert stated. “That does not suit the brand.”

      This perspective aligns, especially considering the head designer's reasoning.

      “I dislike the term ‘aggressive.’ I never purposefully design something to be aggressive,” Borkert noted. “I design with confidence in mind because, look, our cars today boast 800 horsepower, 920 horsepower, and 1,080 horsepower. A car with that power cannot be smiling. It needs to project a confident, cool appearance. It may appear slightly arrogant or exude more self-assurance.”

      At present, Lamborghini’s lineup essentially features variations of that distinct face: slender, determined eyes above a prominent grille. The Temerario, Revuelto, and Urus all exhibit this design. The Urus, as an SUV, might seem like a perfect candidate for the split DRL styling, and Borkert mentioned he didn’t "particularly dislike" that concept. However, while others experiment with design in similar ways, Lamborghini seems poised to remain true to its successful formula: sleek, powerful supercars with intense eyes, resembling those of a creature you wouldn’t want to provoke.

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