Lamborghini Sogna — A Bizarre Dream Turned Supercar
Dreamt Metal - At the heart of every dreamer lies a bold idea, one that often defies logic, convention, and sometimes—good taste. But every now and then, those eccentric dreams take physical form, blazing past skepticism and leaving behind a trail of head-turning awe. Back in 1991, while automotive giants like Mercedes-Benz were busy unveiling their refined, future-forward S-Class at the Geneva Motor Show, something completely different stole the spotlight in the weirdest possible way. Parked at the other end of the spectrum was an emerald green oddball that didn’t just whisper rebellion—it screamed it. Its name? The Lamborghini Sogna.
Lamborghini Sogna designed and built by Ryoji Yamazaki based on Lamborghini Countach back in the 1991. (Picture from: TopGear)
Now, to be clear, this wasn’t Lamborghini’s idea. In fact, Lamborghini had nothing official to do with it. The Sogna was the brainchild of a passionate Japanese designer named Ryoji Yamazaki, the founder of Art & Tech, a little-known tuning and design studio with a huge imagination. Yamazaki wasn’t aiming for mass production or mainstream appeal. He was chasing a personal fantasy, one that began in his teenage years. At the age of 13, he dreamed of building the ultimate supercar. And by 41, he did exactly that—well, at least on his own terms.
Interior view of Lamborghini Sogna. (Picture from: TF1+)
"Sogna" means "dreams" in Italian, and the car embodied just that: a dream sculpted in aluminum, bathed in bright kiwi green paint, and powered by the raw force of a Lamborghini Countach V12. Instead of building a car from scratch, Yamazaki took a different approach. He bought a Countach, stripped it down to its bare chassis, and began handcrafting a new body out of aluminum—an alien-like shell that looked like it had driven out of a 90s sci-fi animation. It wasn’t just a wild departure from Lamborghini’s angular design DNA; it was a total reimagination, one that dared to be as peculiar as it was passionate.
Interior view of Lamborghini Sogna.(Picture from: TF1+)
Unveiled at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show, the Sognawas a rolling prototype, not even fully functional at first. It was meant to preview a limited production run, but that vision never materialized. Still, Yamazaki wasn’t done. A few years later, he introduced a fully operational version at the 1994 Essen Motor Show. This time, the Sognacame equipped with the full Countach drivetrain: a roaring 5.2-liter V12 engine with 455 bhp and a top speed of 186 mph (nearly 300 km/h). Unfortunately, the world wasn’t quite ready to bring home such an outlandish machine. At the show, it was up for grabs at £1.9 million—but no one bit.😥
Rear three quarter of Lamborghini Sogna with its scissor-doors opened. (Picture from: TopGear)
That didn’t stop the Sogna from becoming a sort of mythical creature in the automotive world. Years later, it reappeared in listings with a jaw-dropping €2.38 million price tag (roughly $3.25 million at the time). Was it worth it?That depends on how much value you place on rare dreams realized in metal. Because under that bizarre, almost alien body still beats the heart ofa purebred Lamborghini.
Rear three quarter of Lamborghini Sogna. (Picture from: TopGear)
Sure, it was never officially backed by Sant’Agata. Sure, it’s not the most elegant shape to ever wear the raging bull. But the Sogna is an artifact of unfiltered imagination—proof that passion doesn’t always take the form of polish. Sometimes, it’s raw, strange, and unforgettable.
Though the Lamborghini Sogna was Yamazaki’s most surreal vision brought to life, it wasn’t his first—Art & Tech had previously created the Vera, a radical 1989 concept car that now resides as part of the collection at the Musée Automobile de Vendée in France, further proving Yamazaki’s commitment to turning dreams into bold, rolling realities.*** [EKA [28032014][25052022] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | TOPGEAR | AUTOBLOG | TF1+ | WIRED ]
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Lamborghini Sogna — A Bizarre Dream Turned Supercar
Now, to be clear, this wasn’t Lamborghini’s idea. In fact, Lamborghini had nothing official to do with it. The Sogna was the brainchild of a passionate Japanese designer named Ryoji Yamazaki, the founder of Art & Tech, a little-known tuning and design studio with a huge imagination. Yamazaki wasn’t aiming for mass production or mainstream appeal. He was chasing a personal fantasy, one that began in his teenage years. At the age of 13, he dreamed of building the ultimate supercar. And by 41, he did exactly that—well, at least on his own terms.
Though the Lamborghini Sogna was Yamazaki’s most surreal vision brought to life, it wasn’t his first—Art & Tech had previously created the Vera, a radical 1989 concept car that now resides as part of the collection at the Musée Automobile de Vendée in France, further proving Yamazaki’s commitment to turning dreams into bold, rolling realities. *** [EKA [28032014][25052022] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | TOPGEAR | AUTOBLOG | TF1+ | WIRED ]
