FILLING the shoes (or tires?) of the Lamborghini Gallardo won’t be easy. After all, it is the biggest selling Lambo to date, with over 14,000 units sold during its decadelong production run that ended in 2013.
Nonetheless, rising to the challenge is the all-new Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 that recently made its Philippine debut. The launch held at the Lamborghini Manila showroom at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City was presided over by Sebastien Henry, head of Automobili Lamborghini Southeast Asia.
“Today we are very proud to officially launch the new Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 here in Manila. Automobili Lamborghini continues to set new benchmarks in the luxury super sports car industry with its pure and cutting-edge technology and we expect the Huracan to be well received in this country,” Henry said in a statement. Just like many of its predecessors from Sant’Agata, the Huracan boasts an unmistakably Lamborghini wedge-shaped profile with geometric design elements and clean lines built into that wedge. The result is a car that looks fast, ferocious and sinfully sexy.
Just like many other cars adorned with the raging bull emblem, the Huracan LP 610-4 was named after a fighting bull. The Huracan bull belonged of the Spanish Conte de la Patilla breed that fought in the ring in 1879. It was said to have an unyielding character that made it invincible—in many ways just like its road-going namesake.
The “LP” acronym stands for longitudinale posterior in reference to the way the engine is longitudinally mounted behind the driver. The “610” reflects the car’s 610 ps peak output, while the “4” refers to the four driven wheels courtesy of the Huracan’s sophisticated all-wheel drive system. Speaking of the all-wheel drive system, about 70 percent of engine torque is distributed to the rear wheels and the remainder goes to the front wheels under normal driving conditions. Should the rear wheels begin to slip, a multiplate clutch can seamlessly divert up to 50 percent of torque to the front wheels. When necessary, 100 percent of the torque can be diverted to the rear wheels.
Lamborghini Manila would not reveal the car’s suggested retail price but an insider does share that it is northward of P20 million. Those who haven’t placed their orders yet will have to wait about six months for their Huracan to be delivered.
The wait can take up to 12 months for customers who want their car highly customized. Like its Aventador big brother, the Huracan is covered by Lamborghini’s Ad Personam customization program. Under this program, buyers can configure their cars exactly to their taste by selecting items, such as paint color (two-tone paint schemes are available), monograms in the cabin, floor mat color, upholstery and stitching color, seatbelt color, plus of course, wheel design and specs.
Seventeen paint color choices are available and they come with names such as Bianco Canopus, Grigio Admetus and Nero Serapis. Buyers who have a hard time pronouncing the names of the colors need not worry; the Ad Personam program allows buyers to fly to the Lamborghini plant in Sant’Agata,
Bolognese, Italy, where they will be assisted by a dedicated customization specialist who can make sure that the factory gets the color of choice and other tiny details just as the customers want them.
Even the cockpit is oozing with cutting-edge tech. For instance, there are no analog gauges in the Huracan’s instrument panel. Instead, a 12.3-inch TFT screen with a 1440×540 resolution behind the steering wheel serves as the virtual instrument panel, presenting critical engine and vehicle information in sharp 3D graphics with sophisticated visual effects. Managing this show is a super-fast graphic processor, the Texas Jacinto 5 by Texas Instruments. The display generates 30 frames per second, giving the rev counter smooth and realistic movement. Just how fast is the Huracan? The Italian exotic blitzes from zero to 100 kph in just 3.2 seconds, zero to 200 kilometers per hour in 9.9 seconds, and will go on to a Vmax of over 325 kilometers per hour, thanks to the normally aspirated V10 gas engine’s 610 power steering and 560 newton meter of torque.
One groundbreaking innovation of this motor is the dual-fuel injection system known as Iniezione Diretta Stratificata. During start-up and under higher engine loads and revs, a common-rail system injects fuel directly into the combustion chambers.
This results in intense swirl, which has the effect of cooling the cylinder walls and permits a higher compression ratio of 12.7:1, resulting in more power. At lower loads, fuel is injected indirectly into the manifold, which reduces fuel consumption and particulate emissions.
At medium engine loads and revs, both injection systems work together. Despite the prodigious power on tap, the Huracan manages to get an average of 8 kilometer per liter. Catch the Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 and see it up close—if you can.
Image credits: Eric Ayrton S. Soriano