6 design secrets that make the Lamborghini Asterion so gorgeous

The company's chief designer explains.
Automotive design, Line, Parallel, Circle, Diagram, Technical drawing, Line art, Automotive window part, Drawing, Vehicle service manual,
Chris Cantle

Up a narrow flight of stairs from the Paris show floor sat Lamborghini's VIP greeting area. It was a little slice of a Lamborghini dealership—espresso machines and sparkling water and the blingiest, brightest green floor model they could find, all stilted up in the hot humid air of Pavilion 4. That's where we met Filippo Perini.

He arrived smiling and sharpening a pencil, a handsome little lead holder, grey and almost soviet in its simplicity. Perini sat down and tucked into the prettiest thing Lamborghini has designed in years.

The Asterion is a pronounced change from several generations of Lamborghini design language and engineering. We've already covered the technical concept. Spectacular as the nearly 900-hp, AWD hybrid is, the styling departure overseen by Perini is even more dramatic.

Chris Cantle


First, there's the relationship of the windscreen and fender in profile. "It's giving us the perception of a very long, very classic car." Says Perini. " We are using today a language that is basically cab forward, no division between the bonnet, the windscreen, the roof and the engine bonnet. It's a single line." We can all picture the muscular clamshell that is the Huracan, and has roots going back to the Murcielago.

"We have a clear vision here in the Asterion of a fender, a cockpit, and a rear fender." He goes on. "This is totally different from the Aventador. It's very straight, clean, This is typical of the Italian GT. It's easy to find cars with these elements in Italian car design, not only Lamborghini, but this is typical of the Miura, the shoulder, the sensuality, the Coke-bottle shape. "

"The Asterion is more or less designed with this shape. What I like is that there is no overlap. There's a perception of a totally different product, there's no communication with the Aventador, or the Huracan. In this way you can have a side product, something that can run with its own identity."

Chris Cantle


That sensuality is driven by lines that are running through the car. "The whole car is driven by very few lines, that's not typical for us, but it was typical in the 60's." Perini explains, then renders a vent at the C-pillar. This element takes its inspiration from the Miura too. "You have the same construction. Inside there is a grid, it's hidden, but it's similar to the one in the Miura."

Chris Cantle


There are more nods to Lamborghini's design history in the front of the car. "I'm pretty sure that the elements you can find in the Asterion you can find in the Miura or maybe the 400GT." Perini sketches an overhead view of the Asterion, and then just outside it, he sketches the shape of a 400GT. "For example…" he continues, "this line that you see running around the front lamps is very similar to the 400. The two headlamps were wrapped around from the top view."

"We have taken a lot of inspiration from jewelry. If you go close to the car you'll see all these frames that unscrew. All these details are driven by watch machinery."

"There's always this use of material, the metal, the carbon fiber. You can see that luxury means not just precious metal, but the use of high-performance material in a beautiful way. I asked my designers to take inspiration from this, not the use of diamonds, because for me that's not good for a car like this. The way you use metal, titanium or aluminum, whether you polish or brush it, this is something that was always present for us."

Chris Cantle


"The badges in the side and rear are all retro illuminated, and when you drive the car in pure electric mode they are all illuminated in blue. It's a game, but it's cool."

Chris Cantle


"For the engine bonnet, there's those screws, and also a metal frame that is running around the opening. We have a double movement opening in the engine bonnet because when you stop the car the thermal engine is very hot, so we were asked to open these two glass panels. They are rotating for ventilation, but you can see through and it's very complicated, full of details. "

Chris Cantle


"In the back it's a little different. We're always driven by the goal of having a very light perception of the rear end. For this reason we lift up everything. We have a four exhaust system, because of the V-10 engine." "We're not trying to emphasize the electric motors, or the electric capability of the car. We decided not to dress it like a hypercar, but instead to design it as a very classical car, with many design ideas from our heritage."

Chris Cantle

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
More From Car Culture