1:22
- ABC News
- December 28, 2018
How sports cars get that perfect, seductive sound
"The engine does not land in a car sounding the way it does," said one engineer.
1:22
Maurizio Reggiani, Lamborghini’s chief technical officer, told ABC News that many of the Italian carmaker’s customers often want their cars to sound even louder and more muscular than they already are (the company, alas, has to abide by state and federal noise regulations).
Reggiani made a point to emphasize that every model, except for Lamborghini’s new SUV, has a naturally-aspirated engine, which produces what he describes as a more “emotional” sound than typical sports cars built with turbocharged engines.
To hear sound engineers ruminate on the process of getting the engine’s acoustics just right is to recognize the passion for excellence that goes into every detail of the construction and design of the world’s top-performing sports cars.
“Nobody can do the sound of a Lamborghini,” Reggiani said. “Our sound is engineered to be Lamborghini. It’s something specific to us.”
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Business/lamborghini-aventador-ht-ps-181227_hpEmbed_5x3_384.jpg\")
Each new model also presents a fresh opportunity for Reggiani’s team.
Take the Urus SUV, which challenged Reggiani’s best and brightest to figure out how to keep the Lamborghini’s signature harmonics intact with a turbo-charged V8 engine.
“It took six months to tune the sound,” Reggiani acknowledged with a mixture of pride and resignation. “There were simulations, prototypes [and] testing. It’s the first time we had an engine in the front and the muffler in the rear.”
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Business/Lamborghini-suv-blue-ht-ps-181227_hpEmbed_5x3_384.jpg\")
In the end, Reggiani relied on instinct.
“Your ear is the judge,” he said.
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