Huracán Force Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4 (Part 2)

The popular story line holds that the newest bulls mark a monumental shift for Lamborghini and its relationship with Audi; that the Germans have gone down to where the wild things are and tamed one and made it their own. The blown coolant hose is only the first indication that this Lamborghini is still very much Italian.

Another Huracán color-matched and identically equipped for just such a contingency- appears for us just as our allotted track time expires. We head south, following the sapphire sea where it laps postcard beaches, the wild, natural beauty a stark contrast to ugly clusters of seemingly abandoned, half-finished homes. The construction is largely unpermitted, says Lambo press boss Raffaello Porro, with structures built in phases as the owners accrue the necessary funds. Scrappy, rules-be-damned solipsism is emblematic of the “mental anarchy and individuality of Italians,” he says.

Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4 rear view

Was he talking about houses or Lamborghinis? Even as Sant’Agata explores refinement and subtlety with Audi’s cash, the Huracán is still all angles and ostentation, a 10-cylinder thunderhead crackling across the landscape with snap-bang upshifts, extravagant ergonomics, and superlegal capabilities. It’s still loud, fast, and violent. It’s still anarchy.

Italian individualism explains how Ferrari can reside just 25 miles away and develop radically different answers to the same questions. The Huracán doesn’t have the finesse of a 458 Italia, but then the Ferrari doesn’t have the Lamborghini’s outsized personality.

Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4 interior

While Audi’s four rings are cast into the suspension members, the Lamborghini has far less compliance than an R8. As with the Aventador, the Huracán’s suspension travel feels as if it’s measured in a scant few millimeters. Holding the weight to just 3423 pounds means our test car was light on optional equipment; no magnetorheological dampers to smooth the swells in the road. Limestone brick roads such as those in the quaint medieval downtown of Galli-poli are hard on the car and harder on the driver. The fixed-back, carbon-shell sport seat (a late-availability option in the U.S.) forces you into an upright position that suggests the seat is perched higher than it is. The navigation and audio equipment is Audi MMI-spec, but the display is rendered at half the usual size and plopped in the lower-right corner of the digital instrument cluster, making it difficult to read.

The biggest nod to sensibility is the new dual-clutch transmission. You already know it as the S tronic gearbox in the Audi R8, but here it’s called Lamborghini Doppia Frizione. When the Aventador arrived in 2012, Lamborghini touted its antiquated single-clutch transmission as “the world’s most emotional gear shift,” a rosy euphe¬mism for gaping torque holes, abrupt shifts, and erratic low-speed behavior.

Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4 wheel detail

The dual-clutch cures all that, juggling seven closely spaced ratios with flawless logic. As you toggle the steering-wheel-mounted “ANIMA,” or mode selector, from strada to sport, gearchanges quicken and intensify until, in corsa mode, full-throttle upshifts cause your head to bounce off the seatback. The engine’s timbre gets angrier and the steering grows heavy. Launch control ratchets the V-10 to 4200 rpm before ruthlessly dropping the clutch. The Huracán will upshift automatically at redline, but not before running into the limiter for a fraction of a second. Using the paddles to call for earlier shifts knocks a tenth, sometimes two tenths, off the figures.

That’s a reassuring feeling- the notion that Lamborghini might favor a brutal shift over a faster one. It’s confirmation that the company hasn’t lost sight of what sets it apart: a touch of rawness. Spectacular as they are, the Ferrari 458 Italia and McLaren 650S don’t need to be copied. The fewer concessions to drivability found in the Huracán’s katana-sharp handling, scorching acceleration, and- since we’re obliged to take Lamborghini’s word for it- 202-mph top speed only make the car that much more alive.

According to our test, the baby Lambo is quicker than not just the Ferrari 458 Italia but also its big brother, Lambo’s Aventador

Specifications ·         Price as tested $256,745 ·         Base price $241,945 ·         Vehicle type: Mid-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe ·         Options: Forged wheels, $5600; Sport seats, $4000*; Navigation system, $3200; Red brake calipers, $1300; Colored stitching, $700 ·         Standard: Power windows and locks; Remote locking; Tilting and telescoping steering wheel ·         Audio system: Cd player; Media storage; Usb, ipod, media-card, and bluetooth-audio inputs; 6 speakers ·         Engine: V-10, aluminum block and heads ·         Bore x stroke: 3.33 x 3.65 in, 84.5 x 92.8 mm ·         Displacement: 318 cu in, 5204 cc ·         Compression ratio: 12.7:1 ·         Fuel delivery system: Port and direct injection ·         Valve gear: Double overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters, variable intake- and exhaust-valve timing ·         Redline/Fuel cutoff: 8500/8500 rpm ·         Power: 602 hp @ 8250 rpm ·         Torque: 413 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm ·         Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode ·         Final-drive ratio: 4.89/3.94:1, rear limited slip ·         4-wheel-drive system: Full time with automatic front-axle engagement ·         Exterior dimensions: Wheelbase: 103.1 in; Length: 175.6 in; Width: 75.7 in; Height: 45.9 in; Front track: 65.7 in; Rear track: 63.8 in; Ground clearance:         5.1 in ·         Interior dimensions: Sae volume: 46 cu ft; Trunk: 4 cu ft ·         Chassis: Aluminum and carbon-fiber space frame ·         Body material: Aluminum stampings ·         Steering: Rack-and-pinion with variable electric power assist ·         Ratio: 16.2:1 ·         Turns lock-to-lock: 2.8 ·         Turning circle curb-to-curb: 37.7 ft ·         Suspension: ·         F: ind, unequal-length control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar ·         R: ind, unequal-length control arms with a toe- control link, coil springs, anti-roll bar ·         Brakes ·         F: 15.0 x 1.5-in vented, cross-drilled, ceramic disc ·         R: 14.0 x 1.3-in vented, cross-drilled, ceramic disc ·         Stability control: Fully defeatable, Competition mode, Launch control ·         Wheels and tires ·         Wheel size/construction: F: 8.5 x 20 in; R: 11.0 x 20 in/forged aluminum ·         Tires: Pirelli P Zero: F: 245/30zr-20 (90y); R: 305/30zr-20 (103y)