LAMBORGHINI’S FAMILY OF HURACAN SUPERCARS HAS GROWN TO INCLUDE THE PERFORMANTE, THE FASTEST PRODUCTION CAR AROUND GERMANY’S NURBURGRING CIRCUIT.
LAMBORGHINI’S FAMILY OF HURACAN SUPERCARS HAS GROWN TO INCLUDE THE PERFORMANTE, THE FASTEST PRODUCTION CAR AROUND GERMANY’S NURBURGRING CIRCUIT.
IF YOU WERE TO ASK ANYONE what the most desirable and outrageous supercar is, you’ll usually be told “Lamborghini”.
It was rumoured that Ferruccio Lamborghini began making supercars in 1963 after reportedly buying a Ferrari from his neighbour, Enzo Ferrari, and not liking it very much. Since then, the notorious Italian marque strived to go beyond any would-be rivals with a combination of extremes: extreme power, extreme looks, extreme sex appeal and, yes, extreme prices.
It hasn’t always been a straight success story, however, as the company has been sold three times and suffered one bankruptcy since its conception. But despite the ups and downs, the brand has always held a mystical allure and for many, it remains the epitome of automotive lust.
Based in Sant’Agata Bolognese, the company was famously purchased by VW and hence managed under the Audi division back in 1998. This sent ripples of horror through the motoring community with fears that the most desirable name in the business would somehow lose its soul and allure, ending up as a technical exercise for its new parents.
However, Audi’s own race-winning history coupled with its engineering excellence have actually been the saving grace in guaranteeing a secure future for its adopted son.
Lamborghini’s history of production focused on making and selling just one model, but under Audi, it has recognised challenges from companies like Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren, increasing output to produce two cars simultaneously.
The current models are the ridiculous V12, 700bhp, 220mph Aventador and the slightly less mad V10 Huracan. Lamborghini also has an SUV pending release later this year and boasted that they should sell as many SUVs as sports cars.
In 2003, Lamborghini unveiled the V10 Gallardo, which stunned the motoring world with second-to-none engineering while still keeping that dark mystique. The now-retired Gallardo not only proved to be Lamborghini’s best-selling car ever, but set a precedence that its replacement, the Huracan, has firmly grasped and looks set to capitalise on.
First launched in 2014, the 5.2-litre V10 Huracan LP610-4 continues the family heritage of extremes with its razor-sharp geometric lines and massively powerful V10 engine, coupled with a carbon monocoque chassis and a futuristic electromagnetic suspension.
Supercar of the Year
In 2014, the Huracan was voted as ‘The Supercar of the Year’ by Top Gear magazine and in early 2015 the car appeared on the Top Gear TV show, where it managed to get around their test track faster than any other Lamborghini before it, including the Aventador.
I had the great pleasure of testing the Huracan Coupe on two occasions and I must confess each time was an exciting yet face-wrenching surprise, bordering on the terrifying. It’s difficult to portray in words what 610bhp feels like in a car which has a power-to-weight ratio of only 2.36kg to 1-bhp, but I will say it’s akin to pushing the warp-speed button in the Starship Enterprise or perhaps stepping on a land mine.
Lamborghini has gone a little further in respect to meeting their potential customers’ desires by actually offering a brotherhood of Huracans such as the Spyder convertible, first unveiled in 2015. To me, this is one of the most beautiful sports cars on the road today.
Two other interesting versions of the Coupe were also produced: one for the Italian national police force called the Polizia and another for the air force called the Avio.
The Polizia has a few extras such as a video system with a camera fitted next to the rear-view mirror, a computer with recording equipment behind the seats, gun holsters, police radio equipment, a defibrillator and of course a police beacon with blue and white LEDs.
This car is a replacement for their previous Gallardo Polizias and hopefully will serve better as both the previous Polizias were destroyed; the Italian police force obviously know what’s needed to chase down escaping villains.
The Avio is more of a nod in gesture to the Italian air force and is essentially a Huracan painted in red, white and green – Italian air force colours – and with a unique interior colour scheme. It had a very limited production run of only 250 cars.
Following the LP610-4 came the LP580-2 in 2016, which is the two-wheel drive version of the same car. While the numbers 610 and 580 actually show the horsepower of the engines, the -4 and -2 are a reference to the number of driven wheels.
Many a layman will think that the four-wheel drive LP610-4, with more horsepower and all-wheel drive, is the car to own. However, the two-wheel drive is actually the choice for the experienced ‘driver’ as this is much more unforgiving and requires owners to really know what they’re doing behind the wheel.
Although this car has slightly less power, it’s actually a little lighter, thus producing the same power-to-weight ratio. With the rear wheels as the source of thrust, the LP580-2 will reward a skilled driver if you get it all right, although the end will come very quickly if you get it all wrong.
The LP580-2 also comes in Spyder form and features slight visual differences to the LP610-4, with a different front fascia and a larger air vent at the rear, although all these small changes are only recognisable to the discerning eye.
Performante Leads the Way
Lastly and most interestingly is the brand-new LP640-4 Performante. This road-legal race car has had a slight change in body design, most noticeable at the front and rear bumpers, and sports the addition of a rear spoiler.
The position of the exhausts has changed, too, and a few alterations have been made to the interior, with a new seat design and a digital speedometer similar to that of the Aventador. The Performante’s 5.2-litre V10 will now put out 631bhp and weight has decreased by 40kg due to the forged aluminium and carbon fibre body.
The dynamic steering has been re-calibrated and the car has been stiffened by 10 per cent, mostly due to new springs and roll bars. Furthermore, that electromagnetic suspension has been reworked to give the driver a serious racetrack experience.
In October 2016, the Performante set a lap time of 6:52.01 at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany, making it the world’s fastest production car around the track.
With its smart spoilers, the Performante’s active aerodynamic system allows for 750 per cent more down force compared to the LP610-4 through the corners, yet can revert to the lowest-drag setting when the Performante is aimed forward, showing a theoretical top speed of 218mph.
The current sports car climate is as competitive as it has ever been. Lamborghini needs to work hard in order to hold their own against others like Ferrari and McLaren. Both brands have made their names in Formula One, whereas Lamborghini has traditionally steered clear of factory-supported racing, viewing motorsport as too expensive and too draining on company resources.
However, this may be to the Huracan’s advantage as Lamborghini’s approach has always been to produce the ultimate luxury supercar.
In my mind, Lamborghini stands apart from all the others in almost every respect and the new brotherhood of Huracans envelopes every desire you may have from a sports car. So, whether you’re an Italian policeman, a wealthy weekend racer or just looking to own something special, the charging bull on the front will always scream extreme.
