On Wednesday, November 6, a video clip surfaced on social media platforms showing a Lamborghini Revuelto being offloaded at the cargo section of an unknown airport.
It is no secret that wealthy Kenyans have been importing exotic sports cars and supercars into the country, with a willingness to pay exorbitant taxes so that they can own their toys in the 254. Think of Cadillac, Jaguar, Nissan GTR, Ferrari, Porsche…the list by now, is endless.
Lamborghini, an Italian supercar manufacturer, has for years wowed Kenyans with its supercars and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV), including the Urus which has been spotted here on numerous occasions. But given the current state of our Kenyan roads, some of which have been improved, one would not think Lamborghini supercars would find their way here…until…
On Wednesday, November 6, a video clip surfaced on social media platforms showing a Lamborghini Revuelto being offloaded at the cargo section of an unknown airport. The clip seen by Viral Tea captured the latest flagship supercar in cream-white colour strapped.
However, what resulted in the clip going viral in Kenya was that it was spotted right next to a Kenya Airways (KQ) plane and the caption “A very special car for a very special client” which had a Kenyan flag. The clip was posted by Zuri Auto Kenya on its Instagram stories.
Here is the video:
Watu watafute pesa????2024 Revuelto KES 90M ($700,000 ) kabla Zakayo aitishe zake???? pic.twitter.com/FY2cfTzr9q
— Exotic Cars of Kenya ???????? (@SpotterGang254) November 6, 2024
Speaking to Viral Tea, an official at the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) however revealed that the Revuelto was not at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), though hinted that the presence of the KQ plane meant it could have likely been prepared to be shipped to Kenya.
The airport was revealed to be the cargo section of Sharjah Airport, to which KQ operates a cargo service from Nairobi. When we sought clarification from KQ’s Head of Communications, Henry Okatch, he revealed that he was unsure if the vehicle was bound for Kenya.
Zuri Auto Kenya by the time of publishing this story was yet to respond to our queries on the same. Still, let’s take a look at the features of the supercar:
Lamborghini Revuelto Profile
The Revuelto is a mid-engine plug-in hybrid sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini. It was officially unveiled on March 29, 2023, as a successor to the Aventador. The Revuelto’s namesake is a Spanish fighting bull that fought in the arena of Barcelona, Spain in the 1880s.
As of July 2023, the Revuelto has gone into full production, with the first units having been delivered in the last quarter of 2023. The car is the first of the Lamborghini brand to adopt a plug-in hybrid propulsion system.
While models like the Sián FKP 37 and Countach LPI 800-4 had adopted a mild form of a hybrid propulsion system, mainly to improve low-speed drivability, the Revuelto is the first Lamborghini to adopt a true form of a hybrid drivetrain.
Performance
The Revuelto, according to Car and Driver, blends the big-nosed Murcielago with the hips of a Diablo. The scissor doors and wedge shape come from the Countach.
Perhaps it is the performance on the road that insinuates that the Revuelto should be taken seriously. The mid-mounted 814-hp 6.5-litre V-12 is naturally aspirated and revs up to a 9500-rpm redline.
Photo of a Lamborghini Revuelto. /LAMBORGHINI
Of the three electric motors integrated into the powertrain, two drive the front wheels, while the third is integrated into the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and assists the V-12 gas engine on the rear axle. The total output of this powertrain is 1001 horsepower, the most of any Lamborghini ever, and which is also the most horsepower from any plug-in hybrid.
The Revuelto can hit a speed of 96km/h in 2.3 seconds and has a top speed of 350km/h. From behind the wheel, the Revuelto’s acceleration feels intense, with the electric motors giving an instant surge of power off the line and the V-12 in full voice as one explores the depths of its power band.
Handling is sharper and more agile than in the outgoing Aventador. The Revuelto benefits from a rear-wheel steering system and a torque-vectoring system which gives it more stability in corners and makes it easier to nip apexes.
Hybrid
The Revuelto is a plug-in hybrid, but not in the traditional sense of the term. Its 3.8-kWh battery pack, nestled in the space between the two bucket seats, provides just enough to power the Revuelto for about eight kilometres (5 miles) on electric power alone.
That’s enough to slip away unnoticed from your neighbourhood should you need to leave early on a Saturday morning without disturbing the neighbours, but not enough to avoid using gasoline entirely. The Revuelto is a performance hybrid instead, using the electricity in its battery, and the three electric motors it powers, to add a bolt of lightning to the powertrain’s output.
Interior
The vehicle also has a more spacious interior, that is more headroom and legroom than the Aventador, despite having only two seats to accommodate the 12 cylinders at the back. There’s space behind the seats to fit a single golf bag as well as frunk space that can easily accommodate two carry-on luggage bags.
Its cockpit is more space race than an automobile. There are four rotors on the steering wheel that control drive modes, and additional buttons activate the turn signals as well as initiate the launch control.
The Revuelto is unlike other Lambos in that much of its interface is digital. An 8.4-inch infotainment touchscreen handles much of the vehicle’s controls, including climate functions, but there’s also a 9.1-inch screen on the passenger-side dash that shows everything including speed, drive gear, and torque distribution. A third 12.3-inch display handles gauge-cluster duties as Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.
Compared to other modern cars, the Revuelto doesn’t offer many driver-assistance features, though it’s the first Lamborghini sports car to offer any at all. Key features include automated emergency braking and lane departure warning.
Price
The Revuelto has a base price of $608,358, which is Ksh78.9 million in current exchange rates. This is about $110,000 (Ksh14.3 million) more than the outgoing Aventador, though it is reported to hit up to $700,000 (Ksh90.8 million)
