Ezra Dyer: Operation Awesome Day in Auto ClassILLUSTRATION BY ADAM CRUFT - Car and Driver (ILLUSTRATION BY ADAM CRUFT - Car and Driver)From the May/June 2026 issue of Car and Driver.I got my driver's license when I was 15 years old. It was a restricted license, intended only for trips to work or school, but I embraced a liberal interpretation of "work," given that my job was lobstering. For example, I figured that a trip to McDonald's could be research on their McLobster roll, which was probably McGross, but I was prepared to eat one in front of a cop if it came to that. Because, like all kids then, I wanted to drive. Getting your license as soon as possible was a universal goal.Evidently, not anymore. Data shows that the proportion of 16-year-olds with a driver's license declined from nearly half to about a quarter between 1983 and 2024. Such stats are often conflated with a lack of interest in cars, but that doesn't match the reality I see living with two teenagers. Granted, you might expect my kids to have a warped affinity for cars, but so do plenty of their friends. They go to Cars & Coffee, they play Forza, and they want to tinker with cars. My older one, Rhys, is 15, and the student lot at his high school is filled with interesting stuff: a lifted Volvo V70 Cross Country, a caged Miata, a drift-aesthetic E46 BMW. But are kids in general into cars? "Yes," Rhys said, "and you could prove that by bringing a Lamborghini to my automotive class."Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver (Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver)I thought that sounded like a great idea. Rhys's automotive teacher, Donald Martin, thought that was a great idea. Crucially, Lamborghini thought it was a great idea to radically rewire student expectations for second-period automotive class. So, do young people still love cars? I've got 1001 arguments that they do.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat number would be the Lamborghini Revuelto's total horsepower, with 814 of those ponies coming from a 6.5-liter V-12 that barks to life like it's opening a wormhole to the Van Halen galaxy. The rest of the power is delivered by a trio of electric motors—yes, this baby's a plug-in hybrid!—which means the big Lambo can sneak around using only electric power, albeit for just a handful of miles. That will be germane to my plan, Operation Awesome Day at School.Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver (Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver)On the chosen day, I put the car in the EV mode and roll quietly into the garage. Inside the adjoining classroom, without explanation, Mr. Martin shows the class Lamborghini's hype video for the Revuelto, "From Now On," which does an excellent job of communicating the core idea that you should want a Revuelto. After the video ends, Mr. Martin asks the class—dubious for sure—if they'd like to check one out. When the classroom door opens, that's my cue to commence gratuitous V-12 revving, the sound of Sant'Agata Bolognese echoing across the campus as kids pour into the garage.Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver (Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver)I had figured I'd talk about the car and take questions, but that plan vastly overestimated my charisma relative to that of a $753K Lambo.Reading the room, and the humming energy of two dozen teens waiting to descend upon an automotive celebrity, I keep it brief: 1001 horsepower, a claimed 217-mph top speed, a V-12, carbon fiber everywhere, ask me anything else. Then I get out of the way so I don't get trampled.Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver (Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver)I wish I could train the observational powers of a high school class on every car I review, because the students notice everything—like how the front trunklid has a raised latch position that allows the charge cord to snake through and how then the lock still works so the trunk remains secure. A boy named Greyson, peering into the cabin and seeing no cupholders, asks, "How am I supposed to drink my matcha at 217 miles per hour?" (The cupholders deploy from the dash, Porsche style.) Digging into more details, I pop the fuel filler door and point out the drain hole in the filler housing. "That's so rainwater or spilled fuel doesn't pool there," I explain. Okay, actually a boy named William did that. But I told him I was stealing that insight, and I keep my word.Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver (Ezra Dyer - Car and Driver)AdvertisementAdvertisementGiven the obvious excitement for the Revuelto, I ask Mr. Martin about the premise that kids don't care about cars anymore. "I think it's more about money than not being interested," he said. "We talk about financing and financial literacy in class, and when the average new car is around $50,000, that's a big problem." Indeed, everything car related is expensive, and that's just one reason why I've also had Rhys's class do a brake job on my Subaru. That and my commitment to education.After another session of V-12 zinging, I show the kids how to reverse Balboni style, sitting on the sill with the door open to the sky and looking over your shoulder, the way you would in a Countach. A car like that was a kid's dream machine. And still is.➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029