October 2025 marks a major milestone for Automobili Lamborghini: the 20th anniversary of its legendary Centro Stile, the in-house design studio that has defined two decades of radical automotive aesthetics and innovation.
Founded in 2005, the Centro Stile Lamborghini became the first in-house design department of its kind for a super sports car manufacturer, setting a trend soon followed by others. From that point onward, every new Lamborghiniโfrom flagship V12s to concept cars, special editions, and one-offsโhas emerged under the roof of SantโAgataโs creative nerve center.
“The Lamborghini Centro Stile is an integral driver of our brand,” said Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann. “For 20 years, it has pushed boundaries, not only shaping extraordinary super sports cars but also influencing worlds beyond automotiveโfrom yachts to architecture and fashion. Design is fundamental to everything Lamborghini represents.”
From Heritage to High Tech
Lamborghiniโs design story began long before the Centro Stile. Founder Ferruccio Lamborghini knew the importance of form and emotion, entrusting legends like Franco Scaglione and Carrozzeria Touring with his early GT cars. The 1966 Miura, the 1971 Countach, and the hexagonal themes introduced with the Marzal laid the groundwork for what would become the brandโs visual DNAโbold, futuristic, and unmistakably Lamborghini.
By the late 1990s, after Audiโs acquisition of Lamborghini, plans for an in-house design facility were underway. Belgian designer Luc Donckerwolke, who had joined from Audi, led a new era of creativity with the Murciรฉlago (2002) and Gallardo (2003). These cars redefined Lamborghiniโs look for the 21st centuryโcleaner, more muscular, yet unmistakably dramatic.
“The Murciรฉlago was a defining moment,” recalls current Design Director Mitja Borkert. “It expressed Lamborghiniโs emotion and engineering precision in perfect harmony.”
The Birth of the Centro Stile
Encouraged by Audi Group design head Walter deโSilva, Lamborghini officially established the Centro Stile during its 40th anniversary celebrations in 2003. Two years later, under Winkelmannโs leadership, the facility was inaugurated at the brandโs SantโAgata headquartersโsymbolizing complete creative independence and a unified design-to-production process.
When Filippo Perini took the helm in 2006, the Centro Stile exploded with creativity. Cars like the Reventรณn (2007), Aventador (2011), and Huracรกn (2013) carried Lamborghiniโs new โform follows functionโ philosophy. The team also experimented with extreme concepts such as the carbon-fiber Sesto Elemento, the GT-inspired Estoque, and the futuristic Asterion PHEV.
“Few-offs like the Reventรณn defined a new tradition,” says Borkert. “They allowed the Centro Stile to showcase its vision of Lamborghiniโs future while honoring its past.”
A New Era Under Mitja Borkert
Since 2016, Borkert has led Lamborghiniโs design vision into the hybrid and electric age. Under his direction, the studio expanded both in size and scope, employing over 25 international designers and doubling its creative space.
The team delivered icons like the Urus Super SUV, the Siรกn, and the all-new Revueltoโthe brandโs first High-Performance Electrified Vehicle (HPEV). Each model has carried forward Lamborghiniโs hallmark design language: Y-shaped motifs, hexagonal geometry, and fighter jet-inspired interiors that make drivers “feel like a pilot.”
Borkertโs leadership has also pushed Lamborghini to experiment with advanced digital tools, from AI-assisted design to 3D printing of production componentsโwithout ever compromising the human artistry that defines SantโAgataโs creations.
20 Years of Vision โ and the Road Ahead
To celebrate two decades of Centro Stile, Lamborghini unveiled the Fenomeno in summer 2025โa few-off V12 HPEV that stands as the most powerful Lamborghini ever built. Its dramatic lines serve as both a tribute and a manifesto for the brandโs design future.
Earlier this year, the Temerario completed the brandโs full hybridization program, making Lamborghini the first super sports car manufacturer in its segment to achieve that feat.
“At Lamborghini, design is never about following trendsโitโs about setting them,” Borkert states. “Our Centro Stile continues to embody Ferruccioโs original spirit: to question the status quo, explore the impossible, and create emotion through form.”
Two decades in, Lamborghiniโs design center remains not just a studio, but a statementโa living laboratory where artistry, technology, and passion fuse to define the future of the supercar.
