JUNE 2015

The Huracn LP 610-4 was offi cially launched in Geneva during March 2014 and early indications are that this futuristic supercar will be an instant sensation and success. Word has it that over 1500 orders have already been placed for this attention-seeking Italian supercar, following more than 130 exclusive private showings in 60 cities around the world, including South Africa.

The Huracn is probably the most exiting supercar announcement of 2014 and had motoring enthusiasts waiting with baited breath to catch sight of the anticipated replacement for the 10 year old Lamborghini Gallardo which has now been discontinued.

The Lamborghini engineers and design team under the leadership of Filippo Perini had their work cut out to produce a vehicle, which would not only match the outgoing Gallardo, but also supersede the car in all aspects.

The Gallardo, which is the most successful Lamborghini to date, achieved staggering sales fi gures in excess of 14 000 units, which accounts for nearly half of the 30 000 Lamborghini’s sold in the company’s 51 year history.

The Lamborghini team situated in Sant’Agata Bolognese in northern Italy where these luxury cars are manufactured seems very optimistic that the Huracn will exceed the success of the Gallardo on all fronts.

According to the car’s manufacturer, the Huracn is positioned as the ‘entry level’ vehicle into Lamborghini ownership and that there is nothing that rivals the technology of the Huracn, which admittedly looks like the ultimate futuristic ‘time machine’ crossed with a stealth fighter jet.

As with most Lamborghinis the name of this car originates in the world of bull-fi ghting; Huracn was the name of a Spanish fi ghting bull from the Spanish ‘Conte de la Patilla’ breed of renowned for its superior strength and courage.

The 610-4 part of the name is representative of the 610-horsepower that is produced from a newly developed naturally aspirated ‘longitudinally mid-mounted’ 40-valve 5.2-litre V10 engine, fi tted with Lamborghini’s new ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratifi cata’ (stratified direct injection) fuel system. Stratifi ed injection basically means that a combination of direct and indirect fuel is delivered to the pistons. This method provides for cleaner combustion and more power from lower fuel consumption.

The Huracn also boasts a new seven-speed, LDF dual-clutch transmission, named ‘Lamborghini Doppia Frizione’ driving all four wheels through an electronically controlled differential. In my opinion this is a major improvement from the single-clutch gearbox fitted to the Gallardo as gear changes in the Gallardo, although extremely exhilarating, can be rather brutal.

The driver can choose from three driving modes, namely STRADA, SPORT and CORSA (road, sport and race/speed) from a button positioned at the bottom of the steering wheel. Selection to SPORT or CORSA mode results in an extensive modifi cation to the gearbox, engine, the All Wheel Drive system and even the exhaust sound of the Huracn, drastically transforming the car from a normal driving confi guration to an extreme performance race track ready machine.

Whereas the Gallardo had an aluminium chassis, the Huracn weighing just over 1400kg, features a new rigid hybrid chassis constructed from a combination of aluminium and carbon fi bre resulting in a power to weight ratio of 2.33 kg/hp, which combined with the aforementioned specifications makes for a blistering performance capability.

Pirelli P Zero’s are the tyres of choice (front 245/30 R20 and rear 305/30 R20) with 20-inch wheels, which were specifi cally developed for the Huracn. Carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted with 380mm brake discs at the front and 356mm discs at the rear. The ‘Lamborghini Dynamic Steering’ variable steering ratio system and magneto-rheological suspension damper control are available as options for further customisation of the Huracn.

I have not had an opportunity to test-drive the Huracn, but Lamborghini claims the supercar delivers 448kw at 8250 rpm and hence achieves a blistering 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 325km/h. It is also claimed the Huracn has a fuel consumption of 12.5 litres per 100km EU-rating, partially due to its idle-stop function. Based on my experience with the Gallardo’s I have good reason to believe this to be well within its scope.

The Huracn’s stunning exterior design certainly speaks for itself with its pure lines and unique design. Filippo Perini, the head of design at Lamborghini says he is inspired by crystals and in particular in the way that crystals intersect, hence the car’s hexagonal design. He said everything in the Huracn is shaped around some form of hexagon, the body shape, interior gauges, rear view mirrors and headlights.

The most important factor in the silhouette of the car is that the design follows on line from the front of the car merging the cockpit to the rear, so that everything, front, middle and rear is connected in one fl uid line. The lateral windows come together to create a hexagonal form like a crystal in the car’s profile.

A state-of-the-art, driver focused cockpit offers more space and better visibility to both driver and passenger than did the Gallardo. A 12.3 TFT display positioned in front of the driver can be configured in various different modes and provides the driver with a plethora of options and information such as; rev counter, navigation maps and all the infotainment functions etc.

The Huracn is offered in a selection of exterior colours, which can be combined with seven interior options that can be customised as per its owner’s individual preferences. One thing is for certain - your Huracn will be noticed in the parking lot.

I don’t have much doubt that the Huracn will live up to all the claims made by Lamborghini in that this supercar is far superior to the Gallardo and I look forward to confi rming this to our readers once I have driven the new bull in the Lamborghini stable.

It is clear to me that the Huracn will be an instrumental part of the Lamborghini arsenal in the very competitive supercar arena.

For a car manufacturer that started out by manufacturing tractors and then ventured in building its fi rst car, the 350GTV in 1963, Lamborghini has certainly come a long way and in super-fast time - pardon the pun.

QUICK LINKS

Events
Magazines
Subscribe
Contact
Advertising

 

ALSO VISIT

Lemagpublications.com
Lekaplifestylefair.com