Six minutes, 52.01 seconds. A Nürburgring lap time that will have triggered a number of alarm bells throughout the performance car fraternity, set by a car that wears its racing DNA about as conspicuously as a haymaker to the face.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the brand-new Lamborghini Huracan Performante; a car so extreme its own makers describe it as a ‘street fighter.’
It is of course, the hardcore, track-honed edition of the Lamborghini Huracan, and there are a number of vital stats we must rattle through before we get to its party piece.
First off, the engine. The Huracán’s 5.2-liter naturally-aspirated V10 becomes Lamborghini’s most powerful ever V10. Taking cues from Lambo’s motorsports program, the revised V10—complete with a bronze manifold cover, a-la Diablo—features optimized engine fluid dynamics, reduced losses in the air intake, titanium valves, and a new exhaust system.
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So, headline figures are 631hp and 599Nm. Interestingly, Lamborghini claims 70% of that 599Nm is available at just 1,000rpm. The whole lot is allied to an optimized version of Lambo’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and four-wheel-drive system, to record a 0-100kph time of 2.9s, 0-200kph in 8.9s, and a top speed in excess of 325kph.
Chassis? Much stiffer, as expected. Springs and bars are 10% stiffer than on the regular Huracán, the roll stiffness has been improved by 15%, and the radial and axial arm bushings are a whopping 50% stiffer. Lambo’s ANIMA system that controls the various suspension modes has also been modified—Strada favors traction, Sport gives more rear bias for oversteer, while Corsa is flat-out, track attack mode.
Now, pay attention because this is the most important bit: the Huracán Performante features active aero in the shape of the ‘Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva,’ or ALA. At the front, there are two flaps which, with the ALA system off, remain closed and, in conjunction with the rear wing, deliver maximum downforce. With ALA active, they’re opened by an electric motor nestled in the center of the splitter, boosting air flow and reducing drag and underbody pressure.
The huge rear wing—one of the new forged carbon fiber elements—is actually hollow, and the two upright supports have airboxes at their bases (which sit inboard, in the airflow at the base of the rear glass decklid) each containing motorized flaps.
The airboxes sweep up the fast-moving air from the decklid and flow it through the rear wing upright and into the wing itself. That speedy airflow then runs through the spoiler’s horizontal plane and is released through a narrow channel underneath its surface.
Because the forged carbon can be made into complex structures, each side of the wing has its own channel fed independently from the airbox on each respective side. With ALA active, the flow through the wing is optimized in different ways. Under heavy braking the airflow is stopped, leaving the wing to act traditionally, and keep the car balanced and planted.
When cornering, the system monitors the steering and yaw inputs and shuts off air to the inside to increase the downforce on that wheel, while opening the valve in the channel on the other. It’s active air braking downforce. Got it? Good. Let’s move on.
The whole thing weighs just 1,382kg (40kg lighter than the regular Huracán), takes design cues from Lambo’s Super Trofeo racers, and is all centered around those active aero bits. There’s lots of matte and gloss carbon fiber, naked forged composites, a ‘razor-blade’ sharp front, higher-mounted exhausts, and of course, the Italian tricolore on the side.
The bronze forged wheels are courtesy of Narvi, measuring 20-inches, wearing Pirelli P Zero Corsas, though you can option the track-friendly Pirelli Trofeo R. Inside, there is much forged composite material used for the air vents, paddles, door handles and center console. The lightweight seats wear Alcantara, and there’s a digital cockpit that tells you just what that complicated aero is up to at any given point.
Now, the big bit: price. Minus taxes, it’ll cost you £173,271 (P10.619 million), so in the UK the grand total hovers just under £208k (P12.748 million).
“The Huracán Performante is the convergence of technological developments to produce a car delivering perfect performance,” explains Lamborghini boss Stefano Domenicali. “This new car represents the powerhouse of Lamborghini DNA and innovation.
“It illustrates the pinnacle of Lamborghini V10 production car performance to date, on both track and road, and is perfectly exemplified by its name: Lamborghini Huracán Performante,” he added.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
