Buying a car has never been a particularly exciting process. You turn up at the dealership, you might get a test drive, and then the dealer throws you the keys and off you go. But things are changing, particularly when it comes to buying a supercar. At the forefront of the pack is Lamborghini, a historic brand with Italian flair and an outrageous model line-up. Here, the car buying process has taken on an almost regal level of ceremony.
The Lamborghini brand was born in 1963 after businessman and tractor maker Ferruccio Lamborghini famously rowed with Enzo Ferrari and, in a fit of pique, stormed off to start his own car company. More than 60 years later, the cars are still brimming with energy and aggression. The Temerario (all Lamborghini models are named after bulls, with this one taking its name from a famous 19th-century fighting bull) is the latest vehicle that seems to snort and stamp its hoofs — even while standing still. The car was released this year and is the first from the Italian manufacturer to feature a twin-turbo V8 engine and three electric motors.
Of course, the first stage of buying a car is to have a proper look at it. At Lamborghini, that’s done with an Apple Vision virtual reality headset. This mixed-reality experience, created in collaboration with Apple, lets you walk around a Temerario and use hand gestures to interact with the vehicle. For example, you can look inside the car to examine the engine or call up design elements to understand how the aerodynamics work. It can also be used with a scaled-down model on a table, as Lamborghini demonstrated in Balenciaga stores during the launch of their recent capsule collaboration.
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The Lamborghini Temerario features a twin-turbo V8 engine and three electric motors
The Lamborghini mothership at Sant’Agata Bolognese in Emilia Romagna Motor Valley allows complete freedom in customisation
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Once satisfied that this is the car for you, you can begin to create your very own version. Configurators have come a long way in the past few years, and the whole process now involves a lot more than simply answering: “Which of these six colours would you like your car in?” You can experience it at various levels, from toying around with the digital configurator at home to visiting your local dealer, such as the new London showroom in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, which has a more advanced configurator. But for the most high-end version, head to the Lamborghini mothership at Sant’Agata Bolognese in Emilia Romagna Motor Valley (also known as the “land where speed was born”). In the Ad Personam suite at Sant’Agata (or at one of the Lamborghini lounges around the world — currently in New York, Miami and Tokyo), you get the complete “phygital” experience, which allows you to touch and feel the materials, as well as see the potential designs created on a digital render. This offers complete freedom in customisation, with a mind-boggling number of elements on the car that you can modify to suit your personality.
As you would expect, there is a vast array of colours — there are almost 400 on offer — but you can also opt for a diamond dust paint finish if you want your Lamborghini to really shine. If you can’t choose one colour, you could opt for fading, which allows a change of colour from one end or side of the car to the other. Fancy your favourite artwork or your name embroidered on the interior — no problem. Customers entering the Ad Personam programme will spend around 30 per cent more than the base price of about £260,000 on their own Temerario.
There are almost 400 different colours to choose from
ANDREA CASANO PHOTOGRAPHY
ANDREA CASANO PHOTOGRAPHY
For people who have dreamt all of their life of owning a Lamborghini, the trip to Sant’Agata to build their car borders on a pilgrimage. Visitors to the Lamborghini headquarters have been known to bring along the posters they had on their bedroom walls when young. Some even order a car in the same colour and specification as the one they have stared at for all those years.
A very lucky few — about 80 a year — get to pick up their car directly from the factory. The handover takes place in a process known as La Prima — an exclusive immersive experience to make the presentation of each new vehicle an unforgettable emotion. After a tour of the facilities, the owner is led through an unassuming door to a large darkened room. They, and any friends and family they have brought along, are given a virtual reality headset to put on. What follows is a rousing video, complete with an AI voiceover, congratulating the owner on their success in life and on reaching their goals. The car, made to their exact specification, appears as a digital model towards the end of the video, before they take the headset off and, hey presto, their physical car has been silently brought in, parked about a metre from where they were sitting. It’s close to a religious experience. There are often tears.
That’s not all. The new owner is presented with several gifts related to the car. They receive a key box shaped like a giant fob, in the exact shape and colour of their vehicle, which houses the actual key and is unique to that particular car. They also get a perfect replica model of the car in a Perspex box — ordered the same day the real car is ordered. Ironically, the model will take longer to arrive than the real car due to smaller volume and slower production methods, so you will be driving your Lamborghini long before the model arrives.
The Apple Vision virtual reality headset allows you to walk around and look inside your car
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The inside of the Lamborghini Temerario
Several different steering wheel configurations to choose from
ANDREA CASANO PHOTOGRAPHY
As well as this, new owners receive a handmade carbon-fibre welcome kit. It includes a place for your key, your watches, a holder, and a leather bag for a Lamborghini car fragrance developed with Culti Milano. La Prima car collection attendees also receive their own forged-carbon keyring as a special symbol of belonging to the club. One final gift, dedicated to the La Prima experience and to people who have gone through the Sant’Agata collection process, is a framed picture of their day at Automobili Lamborghini, along with a formatted version of their digital car image that can be used as a mobile phone screensaver. At this point, any pictures of kids or favourite pets may be sadly cast aside into the digital dustbin.
The journey doesn’t end here. Lamborghini is actively developing its Unica app. When you purchase a car, you receive an invitation to join the app, which aims to be a one-stop shop for clients. They can use this to ask questions, book their car in for services, order new vehicles and share insights with other owners. The app also interacts with the car, meaning you can open and close your vehicle using an Apple Watch. Additionally, it gives you information about all the drives you have taken, such as how many miles you have driven — it is almost like Strava for your car trips.
Another significant development with the new Temerario is the option of a “Vision Pack”. This package includes a suite of cameras that can be controlled via the app, enabling you to upload videos of your drives to share with others. No bad thing, really, because if you’ve been through all of the above, the very least you can do is show off your new creation to your friends.