Since 1998, when Audi bought Lamborghini, true petrolheads like us have always been a bit concerned when a new Lambo was released. We always feared the new car would be too well-behaved, too serious, too Audi-ish. As for us, a true Lamborghini is supposed to have a breath-taking look, a screaming voice and outstanding performances. The Gallardo was not what we call a disappointment, so we have good hopes this new Huracan will be a fantastic car.
At first, rumors said the car would be called the Cabrera, which sounded a bit Porschy. But when the first pictures were released, Lamborghini unveiled its official name: the Huracan. No doubt this car belongs to the Lamborghini family because, let’s admit it, most of the Lambos have had quite silly names. But that’s why we love them so much: Lamborghinis must be a bit crazy and childish. And this shows by their name: Countach, Urraco, Reventon, Jalpa, Veneno…
‘Thinking the Huracan looks too much like the Aventador is like saying “No, i don’t find this woman attractive. She looks too much like Scarlett Johansson.”‘
Then, there is the look. And about this point, two schools of thought face up. The first one says that it’s not mental enough and a Lamborghini is supposed to have useless but impressive features such as a rack of rockets as a rear spoiler or a face that shows its teeth like a beast. The second one however thinks there is no need for a Lamborghini to have an overly aggressive shape to be amazing-looking and the most handsome Lamborghinis were a bit more subtle than we might think. As you can imagine, I belong to this second category: I appreciate Lamborghini didn’t make the look of the Huracan very complicated because we would have ended up with a turkey like the Veneno or the Egoista. Of course, some people may think the Huracan looks too much like the Aventador, but it doesn’t make sense to me. That is like saying ‘No, I don’t find this woman attractive. She looks too much like Scarlett Johansson.’ And actually, I like this Huracan more than its big brother: I have always found the look of the Aventador a bit too complicated. In some way, the Huracan reminds me of the 1st gen Murcielago: no huge side air-intake, no massive spoiler but just a breath-taking shape, a simple piece of design and some references to the best-looking Lambos like the Miura, and there is nothing wrong with that.
‘Prettier than a 458, crazier than a 12C, funnier than a 911 Turbo S’
But no matter the look or the name, we can already assume the Huracan will be one of the best pieces of driving from its generation. And there are many reasons for that: first, Lamborghini didn’t give in to the downsizing trend and employs once again the beloved 5.2l V10 we know in the Gallardo and the R8 but it develops now 610hp, which is 5 more what you get in the hardcore 458 Speciale!
Plus, the Huracan is the ultimate outcome of the German-Italian collaboration which first began 10 years ago, when the Gallardo was released. The very first models had a bit of a truck-ish feeling: the handling was harsh and heavy. But the Gallardo got better and better with the launch of several versions: the first Superleggera was more natural, then the LP 560-4 got more matured and so on. In 10 years, the Gallardo simply got funnier. It actually became the 4WD joyful sport car benchmark. And there is no doubt we will find all these accomplishments in this brand new LP 610-4 Huracan.
And last but not least: Lamborghini has finally launched a double-clutch gearbox to match its rivals. The last update of the old E-Gear was not that bad, but this simple-clutch ‘box has always been too brutal compared to the F1 gearbox in the Ferraris. All these promises lead to staggering performances: 0-100 km/h in just 3.2s and 0-200 km/h in less than 10s, it is faster than 10-year-old supercars like the Ferrari Enzo or the Porsche Carrera GT!
As for me, the Huracan is prettier than a Ferrari 458, crazier than a McLaren 12C and funnier than a Porsche 911 Turbo S. But what will it be like on the road? Let’s wait for the first road tests…
Text : Stan, Images : Lamborghini ©
