New Huracán whips up a storm

THE Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 will eat up the miles on the motorway almost as quickly as it gulps down all known superlatives.

It is probably the fastest, noisiest, most in-yer-face supercar on the road. Ferraris and McLarens seem almost modest and understated by comparison. Imagine, if you can, having to make the choice.

The new Huracán, which replaces the Gallardo, has a 610hp 5.2 litre V-10 engine, blasting it from rest to 60mph in close to three seconds, and on to a maximum of 202mph. There’s no manual gear change. You have to accept the 7-speed automatic and the four-wheel drive. A complicated system of gyroscopes and accelerometers communicates with the four-wheel drive, steering, gearbox and suspension to keep you in the right gear, and rescue you from danger if you overdo it.

The Huracán has the latest lightweight construction with the chassis made from carbon fibre and aluminium. The amazing looking body also creates down-force to eschew the use of ugly looking spoilers says Lamborghini, the Italian manufacurer now owned by Volkswagen’s Audi subsidiary.

As with almost all Lamborghini cars, the name is associated with the world of bullfighting, a reminder of the company logo. Huracán (hurricane) was a fighting bull who fought in 1879 in Alicante, Spain.

Because of the extremely low body and the location of the engine behind the passengers, don’t expect to be able to see much out of the back. You need to order the transparent engine cover to improve on this, although in such a high tech motor, a camera solution would be more appropriate.

The Huracán uses what Lamborghini calls a hybrid chassis. This combines aluminum components with large elements made from carbon-fibre reinforced polymer, an ultra-lightweight material developed by Lamborghini, with help from Audi. The hybrid chassis weighs less than 200kg, even less than the already very lightweight aluminium space frame of the Gallardo. The hybrid chassis is better for crash safety and stiffness, and more dynamic handling.

The Huracán LP 610-4 made its debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and deliveries are now underway. This is a car for the super-rich of the non-golfing variety who like to travel light. The storage space is severely limited, although there is space under the bonnet (hood) in front of the two passengers for a soft, weekend bag, and 60 to 70 litres of space behind the seats. If you can afford a Huracán though, you can probably afford to have everything you need sent on ahead anyway.