A BULL RUN

As Lamborghini's design director, Mitja Borkert arguably has one of the world’s best jobs. We find out what makes him tick

Tell us a bit about your journey as an automotive designer. What inspired you to become one?

I have been fascinated with cars from a young age. I was born in East Germany and grew up during the communist period, during which I did not see many cool cars. But without even thinking, I always drew motorcycles, trucks, tanks, cars and so on. Later, I translated my sketches into small wooden models in my father's garage, even moving his car out of the way to do so. Then, when the wall came down in Germany and the country was reunified, I took the opportunity to study transportation design in Pforzheim, near Stuttgart, and I got my first design position at Porsche..

I started my career as an intern at Porsche in 1997. Then, in February 1999, Harm Lagaay, who hired me, gave me my first permanent job. Later, I worked for Michael Mauer and during this period, I really established my knowledge about proportions, design and how to create models. I created a lot, starting with the Porsche Cayenne, then the 2012 Panamera Sport Turismo concept, and then the Macan.

Later, I was appointed director of exterior design, designing the Mission E and some of the concept cars such as the 917 and 904. It was a fantastic period of my life.

In September 2015, Walter de Silva former head of group design asked me to lead the Lamborghini Centro Stile. It was amazing. It was very unexpected, and of course I wanted to do it. It was always a dream for me! Lamborghini is without doubt the dream job for a car designer. It is the epicentre of supercar designan iconic brand. It was the start of a big personal adventure towards the future, creating the next generation of Lamborghini supercars.

What elements in life do you take inspiration from as a designer, such as art, culture, nature, books, music and so on?