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TITLE: Design Director
COMPANY: Lamborghini
BASED: Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy
AGE: 49 
NATIONALITY: German

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Mitja Borkert, born in East Germany, holds a degree in transportation design from the Design University of Pforzheim. In 1999 he joined the Porsche design department in Weissach, working in positions that included general manager of advanced design. In 2014 he was appointed director of exterior design at Porsche. At Porsche, his contributions included the Panamera Sport Turismo, Boxster 987 face-lift, Cayenne, Macan, Mission e and 917 Concept. He moved to Lamborghini in 2016 as head of design.

REASON FOR WINNING

Lamborghini’s original supercar, the Countach, pushed the limits of design for a road-going car, sacrificing practicality for sensual impact and pure speed. The brand’s newest V-12 model, the Revuelto, came with even higher expectations as Lamborghini’s first plug-in hybrid. The replacement for the Aventador added three electric motors to shrink the supercar's 0 to 100 kph (0 to 62 mph) acceleration time to just 2.5 seconds and give it a top speed of more than 350 kph.

With such strong performance credentials, Borkert and his team had to come up with a design to match. The Revuelto’s styling was inspired by aerospace elements, with two lines starting at the front that embrace the cabin and engine, tapering back to hexagonal-shaped exhausts. It also reflects styling cues from past Lamborghini models including the 1971 Countach prototype’s vertically opening “scissor” doors, the Diablo’s floating rear fender blade, and the muscular front of the Murcielago. “We gave adrenaline a shape,” says Borkert of the Revuelto.