Lamborghini Revuelto SV: The "Smartest" Super Veloce Ever Made

Among car enthusiasts, there’s performance cars, the high-performance variants of them, and then the seriously hardcore versions. Many go by multiple acronyms: GT, RS, Type R, etc. Lamborghini‘s is as straight forward as possible – Super Veloce “Super Fast,” or simply SV.

Last weekend we were invited to a private Test Drive of the brand new Lamborghini Revuelto SV, an ultra-hardcore variation of the hybridized Revuelto. While performance was always the name of the game for the Raging Bull’s flagship super car, the SV focuses on specific improvements and gains. For the Revuelto, the brand did this smarter, to create a more focused vehicle.

We tested the new Revuelto SV and all of its capabilities in Rome’s premier race track – Autodromo Vallelunga. The technology is new, the considerations are high, and the SV name speaks for itself. And while previous iterations of Super Veloce may have been just more of everything, Lamborghini were clever and strategic with this one.

The SV Levels up Your Look and Just as Much as Your Drive

Across Lamborghini’s history of Super Veloce vehicles – beginning with the Miura and most recently the Aventador – the SV moniker mostly denoted a new level of extremity. Heightened performance, lightened chassis, and reworked aerodynamics were always key upgrades, but for the Revuelto, the brand had a lot more to work with thanks to modern technologies.

The brand was pretty open about what the SV brought to the table: “Everything that could have been updated, was.” Bold statement. But our time and experience with the Reveulto SV confirmed this claim and we were equally shocked and impressed.

Aerodynamics arrived in the form as much more aggressive front, side, and rear bumper designs. The new wing was highly developed, to work in conjunction with a gurney flap which is also bespoke to the SV. Aggressive looks only go so far – the Revuelto SV focused on these upgrades with 100% functionality in mind, maximizing on what the car can do on the track.

Alongside aero, we were also educated on other upgrades that the SV utilized, some of which may have come as a surprise. For instance, the suspension of the standard Revuelto featured electronic adjustability in dampening, while the SV’s KW coilover adjustments are passive – set them out-of-vehicle and tune as necessary for track use. It may seem like a step back, but the simplicity and weight advantages of a passive system is perfectly in tuned with the newer, “smarter” SV approach. It wouldn’t be “Super Veloce” if power wasn’t increased, but Lamborghini only upgraded the hybrid electric power to 1,050 hp – an increase of 45 hp – to maintain the V12’s hallmark character. Add that to a new centrally-mounted 6D sensor – which measures pitch, yaw, and roll – and you have some serious cutting edge technology that’s keeping you as planted on the race track as possible.

So as much as you’d imagine an SV Lamborghini edition is a flex, or the highest expression of extreme, its drive-focused enhancements truly back up a Super Veloce name, more than ever before.

The Brakes Are a Complete Overhaul

Of all the upgrades however, we were absolutely blown away by the brakes on the Revuelto SV. Sure you may think “oh they’re carbon ceramic, no big deal” when in fact they are so much more than just beefier rotors and pads.

Lamborghini denotes the system as CCM-R Plus, a designation coming from Formula 1 technology and endurance racing development. Technicians explained the subtle differences from a standard carbon ceramic setup; from as simple as a larger 420mm front and 410mm rear diameters, to as complex as an innovative 3D carbon structure within the rotors. In fact, it’s as intricate as the carbon strands embedded into the matrix being physically “longer.” This decision means better heat dissipation, improved coefficient of friction, and even less of a warm up process, something CC brakes are notorious for.

During our four consecutive heats and 12 full-speed laps around Italy’s Vallelunga autodromo, we were told – even encouraged – to put this to the test. At first we felt fairly familiar with the punishment carbon ceramic brakes are capable of, but the more our media group swapped cars and blasted around the 2.5-mile track, the more we realized just how special they were. Lap after lap we braked later and later, to the point where we were getting closer and closer to our lead car. We did notice a bit of a squirrel in the front brakes as we crested over the long straight’s slight hill, but we chalked that up to our admittedly-lacking experience with the car and track.

Nevertheless, we can firmly stand by the incredible SV’s CCM-R Plus braking power; it was single handedly the most memorable aspect of our SV drive.

Pilota Mode: How Brave Are You, Really?

The second most clever element of the SV was its “Pilota Mode.” Accessible via a turn dial on the steering wheel, Pilota Mode essentially is all of your computer aids grouped together into selectable stages. It acts separately from the drive modes the car offers and most are familiar with, such as Sport and Corsa.

We view the Pilota Mode as a “how brave are you” dial, ranging from 1 (“Ok let’s give this a try”) to 3 (“I’ve seen my fair share of race tracks in my time”), all the way to 5 (“Certified test driver who owns a condo by the Nürburgring”). What the Pilota mode dial essentially does is decrease the aids offered by the car’s technology, like scaling back ABS, adjusting stability control limits and traction control, etc. With the variability of five stages, simplifying the whole process of adjustment – instead of having separate knobs for ESC, TC, etc. – felt very much like a quality of life move on Lamborghini’s end.

So what does this translate to on the track, and where did we set it to? At first we slotted it into its second lowest setting, after our test driver asked us about our track driving history. “You sound like a 2,” whatever that means. Our first ever heat in the Revuelto SV was just in Corsa and no Pilota, which essentially maximizes all driver aids. Pilota mode requires confirmation – a long press of the center button, plus a second “Are you sure?” click – which builds anxiety more than anything. Nevertheless, we turned it on, went to 2, and hit the road.

Immediately we felt the car was much more lively. There are two key hairpins in Vallelunga where we felt the back end kick out just the slightest on exit, and also on a longer 90º right hander at the far corner of the track. Braking-wise, we initiated ABS much easier in standard Corsa mode; Pilota locked the brakes just a little bit before initiating, but we’re talking milliseconds. Other than that, Pilota 2 felt more like an optional “thrill” bump than having it completely off. We didn’t get to test much of Pilota 3-5 (5 was actually not recommended for our trip by the tech team), but we can imagine the thrill scales as the modes go up and the aids go down.

It’s Not (All) About the Drive

What would a Lamborghini if it were just about the drive? A pretty big disappointment, that’s what. And while we agree the SV should highly prioritize the time behind the wheel, the time in the seat should still be important.

During our press trip, we attended workshops that showcased beyond the car’s performance. The sound system, for example, was a big highlight. Lamborghini has worked with Sonus Faber – an Italian brand specializing in hand-crafted home entertainment – for the SV’s interior sound. The seven-speaker setup may sound paltry, but the demonstration we received would have impressed the biggest audiophile.

“The system is more tuned for crystal clear highs, so it’s best for female vocals and classical music,” stated the rep. While we chilled out to a few tracks that exemplified those claims, he explained the technology behind the triangular array, which connects sound from the door’s tweeters and the rear-seat speakers to the central speaker. The result is two triangles shooting sound waves directly to the driver and passenger. We learned that if you’re unable to actually pinpoint where the music is coming from, the system is tuned properly – if you can “visualize” the speaker playing the notes, it’s a poor setup. The Sonus Faber system created almost a vacuum of sound in front of our face.

The car also featured a plethora of comfort via the Dinamica surfaces, a variation of ultrasuede or alcantara. It’s not a favorite texture of our purely based on longevity, as we much prefer the good old days of thick, worn leather like a baseball glove. Nevertheless, Dinamica grains exceptionally well and glides with a supple stroke, with little to harshness as your finger glide through it. Drawing brushstrokes in the surfaces is still something we love doing in luxury cars, and the Revuelto SV holds up in this regard.

Today, it seems Lamborghini’s decision to go “Super Veloce” is more purpose-driven and deliberate towards chasing true performance, and they’re doing it with smarter methods. More power? Sure. Ultra-aggressive aero? Yep. But now, “SV” also takes into account sensors, weight reduction, complex design choices and even leaving certain things alone. Seems going Super Veloce is also Super Intelligente.