Lamborghini has revealed the Temerario, the third generation in its line of 21st-century junior supercars. The thing is, 920PS doesn’t sound very junior to us. Yes you read that right, 920PS (676kW) – more power than a McLaren P1. That’s a big jump from the 640PS Huracan but then, the Temerario introduces a very different powertrain to the V10 we’ve become used to over the past 20 years. Goodbye natural aspiration and ten cylinders displacing 5.2 litres, hello 4.0-litres, eight cylinders, twin-turbochargers, hybridity and a 10,000rpm rev limit.
Needless to say this is near-on an all-new engine, unrelated to the twin-turbo V8 seen across the rest of the VW group and indeed, in the Urus. The engine alone develops 800PS at a heady 9,000-9,750rpm, with the full 730Nm of torque arriving between 4,000 and 7,000rpm. It features a hot-V and a flat crank. The turbos are large and run at 2.5bar of pressure, which ordinarily would mean lag and a low rev limit.
But of course, they are augmented by the instant punch of three electric motors, with one feeding each front wheel and one between the engine and the transmission. A small 3.8kWh battery feeds them, with the crank motor alone feeding 300Nm into the equation on launch. The result is instant response and linear performance delivery, with 0-62mph taking just 2.7 seconds, on the way to a 213mph top speed.
The motor also acts as a starter for the engine and a generator when engine braking and yes, you can drive it in an electric-only mode, where the Temerario will be front-wheel-drive and have just 81PS. A range number isn’t given, though the Revuelto which shares this hybrid system, is good for around 6 miles. Plug in and charge at 7kW and the battery will fill from dead in just 30 minutes.
The dynamic opportunities of having a motor on each wheel at the front are profound, too, with the LDV 2.0 dynamic system from the Revuelto also appearing here. Oh, the gearbox? It’s an eight-speed dual-clutch, effectively identical to that seen in the Revuelto, with which the Temerario pretty much shares its hybrid system.
The Temerario is intended to be a much more fun car with a real sense of humour, which is perhaps summed up by the fact that it’s the first Lamborghini with a drift mode. Accessible, in case you’re wondering, via one of the four prominent (physical!) rotary knobs on the steering wheel.
New for the Temerario is the Alleggerita package, which as an Italian to English translation will tell you, focuses on reducing weight. For yes, being a hybrid, it is porkier than baby bulls of old, at over 1,700kg at the kerb. With the Allegerita package, that drops to under 1,700kg with a 60kg total saving coming thanks to among other things, fixed polycarbonate side windows – very Challenge Stradale. We spy carbon wheels too. You also get optimised aero, which we’ll get into in just a second…
The chassis is also all-new and in what sounds like a step back from the Huracan’s carbon-alloy structure, is all alloy. But hold on a second, because the Temerario uses an extruded alloy structure – see Aston Martin and originally, Lotus with the Elise. The result is high strength and reduced complexity, with rigidity up 20 per cent and a 50 per cent reduction in individual structural components.
Notable too are the brakes, with massive ten-piston calipers at the front and four-piston stoppers at the rear that have cooling air feeds thanks to the optimised aero. They are of course helped by the regenerative braking system in the electric motors.
Quite how Lamborghini manages to produce designs that are both enormously futuristic and gloriously deferential to raging bulls of old is beyond us. The Temerario if anything pulls it off better than the Revuelto, with huge amounts of Gallardo round the side with those vents and even Countach at the rear, with those enormous exposed tyres.
But while it is unmistakably a Lamborghini, there’s nothing antiquated or conservative about it. It’s very finely aero optimised, with even the mirrors shaped to guide air into the intakes, as are vents near the lights that speed up flow over the body.
Apparently downforce at the rear is increased by 100 percent compared to the Huracan, or 150 percent when equipped with the Alleggerita package. As well as the weight loss aforementioned, that gives you optimised aero which includes a larger rear spoiler. The underbody is hugely optimised too for the Temerario, with vortex generators arranged like tree branches to feed the diffuser, which itself is steeper and has 70 percent extra surface area.
What there are, is loads of hexagons. The front DRLs and rear light clusters are only the start with them taking over as the design theme compared to the Revuelto, which leans on the Y shape. Where there can be a Hexagon, there is.
“Even at first glance, the Temerario is a puristic and futuristic super sports car, characterised by sharp lines that emphasise the proportions and dynamism,” said Design Director Mitja Borkert .
“The hexagonal light signature is a unique, highly recognizable feature, both inside and outside the Lamborghini family. The hexagon has been one of the most iconic and enduring symbols of Lamborghini design since the 1960s.”
In here is perhaps where the fewest surprises are to be found because, well, it’s more or less a cabin transplant from the Revuelto. That’s no bad thing in terms of style and quality – it’s a high-tech, tactile place to find yourself – there’s just not much to report. The dash display is 12.3-inches while the vertical infotainment screen is 8.4 inches. You can also get a 9.1-inch screen for the passenger to enjoy, too.
As above, what is new in the Temerario is that drift button. Otherwise, the controls for the drive modes, traction control, hybrid system and so on, are as-was in the Revuelto. There’s telemetry and a ‘memory recorder’ that uses three cameras to record your driving, from the cockpit, the front of the car and facing out the rear window.
What is new and great to report for the cabin of the Temerario, is space. Headroom is up by 34mm, while legroom is up by a full 46mm. Great news for those who remember the somewhat cramped Huracan that required taller drivers to origami themselves into it.
Helmets weren’t really possible for taller folks in the old car. In the new car, Lamborghini insists drivers up to 6”5 can fit comfortably with a lid. We’ll be curious to see how the Spyder version fares too, given that opting for the open-roof version worsened things in the Huracan fairly substantially.
There’s also plenty of luggage space, too, in spite of those electric motors at the front.
Things get a bit blurry when you start asking about pricing and availability. Lamborghini reckons press drives won’t happen until 2025 so you can bet customers won’t see their cars until next summer.
In terms of pricing, well, a brand new engine, an all-new chassis and hybridity don't come cheap. Nor do this car’s rivals, so the Huracan’s sub-£200,000 price point will likely be a thing of the past. Most Temerarios will probably leave dealers with a near-£300,000 sticker, once Ad Personam has got its mitts on your chequebook and you’ve ticked the box marked “Alleggerita”.
So what do you think of the new Lamborghini Temerario? Is it a worthy successor to the Huracan and the Gallardo before it? We’ll surely miss that V10 but it’s definitely an exciting car all the same. We can’t wait to explore every one of those ten thousand revs...
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