I was talking the other day about how certain people in the car industry seem to perfectly embody the products they build. The example in that case was Tyrone Johnson, the German-born,
American-educated project
Focus RS
- it's like his CV was made for translating a European performance car into something Americans and the rest of the world can enjoy.
Miura Concept too retro for Winkelmann
Stephan Winkelmann is the same. Who better to lead a brand trading on its Italian identity but underpinned by German engineering and commercial discipline than a man born in Berlin but raised and schooled in Rome? His combination of Teutonic rigour and Italian flamboyance perfectly represents how Lamborghini has evolved under Audi ownership since 1998 and his leadership from 2005 onwards. And contrasts vividly with the somewhat patronising attitude I witnessed first hand from stony faced group R&D boss Ulrich Hackenberg when he gatecrashed the original
Huracan technical briefing
. The impression Hackenberg gave was of an amusing little side project dependent on Audi generosity and mechanical cast-offs for its existence. Oh to have been a fly on the wall as Hackenberg's A8 whisked him out of the factory gates...
Is Winkelmann's commercial success going to see him sucked back into the Audi mothership though? And what would it mean for Lamborghini if he went? Rumours persist but when asked on the Huracan Spyder launch he remained quiet, still talking about plans for the future, the pending factory redevelopment and recruitment drive required to begin building the Urus in 2018.
German born, Italian raised - who better for Lambo?
Is the transformation of Lamborghini from a romanticised, occasionally shambolic builder of outrageous supercars and into a profitable business something to celebrate or mourn though? Certainly the cars have got 'better'. But not everyone appreciates the direction they're going in. And openly referring to the
Huracan Spyder
as a lifestyle product won't calm fears he's rather more focused on that than building hairy-chested supercars.
His passion for the brand seems sincere though. He reflects his tenure at the top pretty much matches that of Ferruccio himself in duration but that the founder's legacy and values actually become more important to the brand as time goes on. It's interesting hearing him talk on subjects like the Miura, whose 50th birthday will be celebrated this year. Although the classic side of the business - certifying old cars and offering 'PoloStorico' factory restorations - follows Ferrari's business model Lamborghini isn't as sentimental about the past. He says when they built the Miura concept 10 years ago they had customers desperate to buy such a car and opening their wallets wide. Reviving the Miura would have been an easy commercial win and the temptation must have been enormous. But, to him, Lamborghini always looks forward, not backwards.
Is the Spyder a bit too lifestyle?
Defining personal and corporate image as one and the same has earned esteem from many at Lamborghini. And the customers apparently adore his well-groomed alpha male image and willingness to engage with them. It's not without peril though, those not as enthusiastic about the direction he's taken the product equally scathing of both man and machine. And having invested so much of his personality in the brand can he fit in anywhere else?
Ferruccio's personality remains at the heart of the Lamborghini legend. Whether he stays or goes Winkelmann's - for better or worse - is probably of near-equal significance.
