The new baby Lamborghini, the Huracan, hasn’t even hit the streets as a customer-owned car, but it’s already moving quickly. According to Motor Authority, 700 orders for the 610-horsepower Italian exotic have been placed in the month since it first went on sale, thanks to VIP previews. What’s even more impressive is the fact that that figure is almost a third of Lamborghini’s entire 2013 sales volume.
Once buyers can start driving their Huracans, they’ll be able to rip off zero to 62 times of 3.2 seconds on the way to top speeds of 202 miles per hour. A 5.2-liter V10 is joined to a new Lamborghini Doppia Frizione (LDF) seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
Those stats are remarkable – and they need to be if the Huracan is going to sell as well as its predecessor, the Gallardo. That bad bull was bred a record (for Lamborghini) 14,022 times. It will largely depend on the new V10 Lambo’s lifespan. The Gallardo was sold for 10 years. Let’s hope its successor is around that long.
If you’re not one of the lucky 700, you can see the Huracan at the Geneva International Motor Show in March. U.S. pricing and availability will be announced later this year.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
