Currently reading: New tech for Lamborghini Huracán
Geneva show reveal for new Lamborghini supercar, which replaces the Gallardo

Lamborghini’s new Huracán supercar – which replaces the 10-year-old Gallardo – has broken new technological ground thanks to a new type of hybrid carbonfibre and aluminium construction.

This new technique will be been seen in the next-generation Audi R8, and also in "several" mainstream Audi road cars, Autocar can reveal. The upcoming Audi Q7 is thought to be the first candidate for carbon-hybrid construction.

The Huracán renews Lamborghini’s assault on the fiercely fought supercar segment with more power and performance, a high-quality new interior, a new look and what the firm describes as an “innovative technology package”.

Much of this specification appears to address the main criticisms of the outgoing Gallardo, which was feeling its age next to more powerful, more modern and higher-quality rivals such as the Ferrari 458 and McLaren 12C.

The Huracán, seen in the metal at the Geneva motor show, is powered by a new, naturally aspirated 602bhp 5.2-litre V10 engine that drives all four wheels through a new design of seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It has a claimed 0-62mph time of just 3.2sec (bettering the 0-62mph time of the Gallardo LP560-4 by half a second), and can span 0-124mph in 9.9sec and achieve a top speed of "over 200mph".

A full 75 per cent of the engine’s 413lb ft is available from just 1000rpm – a remarkable result for an engine that is not turbocharged. A dry weight of 1422kg means the car weighs 2.33kg per single horsepower.

Economy is improved over the automatic version of the Gallardo LP560-4, from 19.2mpg to 22.6mpg, while CO2 emissions are down from 351g/km to 290g/km.

The Huracán, which will cost around £188,000 when it goes on sale in the second half of this year, has been developed in tandem by Lamborghini and Audi engineers and features a rear firewall and centre tunnel made from a single carbonfibre moulding.

The rest of the structure – including the front and rear subframes, front bulkhead, suspension components and much of the skin – is made from aluminium. The carbonfibre moulding is both glued and riveted to the aluminum that makes up the rest of the structure.

Audi technical chief Ulrich Hackenburg told Autocar that the new structure makes the Huracán over 50 per cent stiffer than the outgoing aluminum-spaceframe Gallardo, and around 10 per cent lighter.

Hackenburg also said that the real advantage of using carbonfibre in vehicle construction was to use it in "monolithic" structures such as the bulkhead and centre tunnel. He described this construction as the "backbone" of the car and the part of the structure that had the biggest influence on overall body stiffness.

Back to top

Because the bulkhead and centre tunnel are moulded in one piece the construction costs are competitive with using conventional steel and aluminum stamped panels. Manufacturing the Huracán's backbone structure takes around 30 minutes, Hackenburg said.

Despite an increase in the use of lightweight materials in its construction, the dry weight of the Huracán has actually increased slightly over that of the Gallardo, from 1410kg to 1422kg. This is most likely down to the amount of interior and dynamic technology that has been added to give the Huracán what Lamborghini claims is a combination of “absolute performance with easy-to-drive road behaviour” and a “luxurious and sports-orientated finish”.

The design of the Huracán has been deliberately softened in comparison to the Aventador, said Fillipo Perini, head of styling at the sportscar maker.

One of the aims of the Huracán project was to make it “easy for the road…but very capable on the track”. To that end there will not be a manual option with the car. Just two per cent of Gallardos were ordered with manual ‘boxes and every order "went up to the board for approval" according to Lamborghini sources.

Other features include a configurable TFT instrument panel (which allows the whole screen to be dominated by a sat-nav map) and a steering wheel which houses finger-tip controls for the wipers, washers, high beam and indicators, while removing the traditional stalks on the column has allowed the fitment of bigger gearshift paddles.

The high-quality interior of the Huracán is a big step forward from the Gallardo. It features Nappa leather and Alcantara trim and upholstery. A full suite of customisable options will be offered.

A three-stage switch to alter the chassis’ characteristics – called the Anima – is fitted to the lower part of the steering wheel and will be an option. It offers variable ratio steering, which changes the amount of wheel movement depending on the chassis setting and speed of the car.

The Huracán's 4x4 drivetrain is electronically controlled, and in a steady state, divides the engine’s torque 30/70 in favour of the rear wheels. In extreme conditions, 100 per cent of the torque can go to the rear or 50 per cent to the front.

Back to top

Carbon-ceramic brakes feature as standard specification, while a variable steering system, called Lamborghini Dynamic Steering, and a magnetorheological adjustable damping set-up can be found on the options list.

The model had been widely tipped to be called Cabrera, but Lamborghini has chosen Huracán — or Huracán LP610-4, to give it its full title — for the name. It continues Lamborghini’s convention of naming its cars after famous fighting bulls, Huracán being a legendary animal that fought in Alicante, Spain, in 1879.

The Huracán replaces the Gallardo, the best-selling model in Lamborghini’s history with 14,022 units produced in its 10 years on sale.

As with the Gallardo, expect a whole host of extra variants of the Huracán to follow, including an open-top Spyder, a higher-performance Superleggera and entry-level rear-wheel-drive versions.

Lamborghini currently claims that it has 1000 global orders for the new Huracán, even though it has only been public for eight weeks.

Read more Geneva motor show news.

Additional reporting by Mark Tisshaw

Join the debate

Comments
13
Add a comment…
IAD 5 March 2014

Cost

All manufacturers has the capability to produce a carbon fibre chassis but whether they can manufacture it at a competitive price is the question here as the cost of carbon fibre production is very expensive. McLaren on the other hand uses a secret patented production technique that allows it to manufacture a one piece full carbon fibre chassis at a lower cost then it's rivals which not just saves weight but allows it to utilize more technology in it's cars then it's rivals whilst keeping the price down and maintaining it's profit margin. Brake steer, active aerodynamics, Pre-Cog function on the gearshift and it's Pro active suspension control system etc are just some of the technology used in just one car (12C) that you would not find in any one Porsche or one Italian sports car with a full carbon fibre chassis without breaking the quarter of a million pound mark.

But on another note I love the 458 and this Huracán. Looks fantastic

Vertigo 4 March 2014

Good luck with that

GeToD: I tried that last page, didn't accomplish much. :P
GeToD 4 March 2014

My Turn.... :)

This superiority of carbon fibre over other materials is valid on paper or as a scientific argument. What we have here are cars meant to be driven and not compared by "pub warriors" after a few. To a man every reputable automotive scribe who has driven both aknowledge the tremendous result of Mclaren in producing the 12C but prefer the 458 in the driving experience department. This is why we like cars, to drive them..... arguing over stats is one dimensional.