Don’t get me wrong. I like the new Lamborghini Huracan. It’s dashing and sexy. I enjoy reading about it, especially information straight from the source. One fact that stood out from Máté Petrány’s write-up of his time discussing the new V10 baby bull with company brass jumped out at me.
That’s saying a lot because the journo definitely brought the interwebs the goods from “Lamborghini’s CEO, chief engineer, chief designer, chief test driver and the smartest man from Audi.” The Huracan (pronounced without the “H”) will use an electronically managed all-wheel-drive system with a standard 70/30-percent torque split front-to-rear. However, 100 percent can be sent to the rear Pirelli P Zeros.
Engineers will incorporate a Pattaforma Inerziale measuring device, with 3 accelerometers and 3 gyroscopes inside, into the vehicle’s center of gravity to adjust the Huracan’s systems, such as the stability programming and new dual-clutch transmission, to fit various outside conditions.
A revised 5.2-liter V10 with silicon alloy and forged aluminum parts will crank out three-quarters of its 413 lb-ft of torque starting at 1,000 rpm. It hits the limiter around 7,750 revs later. Even though they’ll generate 610 horsepower, the 10 cylinders will end up working 11 percent more efficiently than those in the Gallardo LP560-4. They’ll also help the Huracan blow from 0-62 mph in 3.2 seconds and to 124 in 9.9. Compared to a regular Gallardo, the car is two seconds faster around the Nardo test track. I’m sure carbon ceramic brakes, optional magnetic dampers and 50 percent more downforce provided by a flat underside and large diffuser help the new entry-level Lamborghini hit that time.
By this point, you’re probably thinking, “Blah blah blah. What’s the news you were teasing up top?!”
Here it is, finally:
Addressing a question about whether the Huracan will ever be built in a rear-wheel-drive configuration, Professor Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi’s head of technical development, said, with a smile, that the Lambo’s carbon-aluminum underpinnings are also engineered for just such a set-up.
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.
Engineers will incorporate a Pattaforma Inerziale measuring device, with 3 accelerometers and 3 gyroscopes inside, into the vehicle’s center of gravity to adjust the Huracan’s systems, such as the stability programming and new dual-clutch transmission, to fit various outside conditions.