2018 Lamborghini Huracan Performante: A Four-Wheel-Drive Aerodynamic All-Timer
The Lamborghini Huracán Performante wasted no time living up to its name. Before the official unveiling, the sliced-and-diced baby Lambo already made headlines with the claim that it beat the Nürburgring lap record for a production car with a time of 6:52:01—that’s about five full seconds faster than the previous record holder, the Porsche 918 Spyder. We’ll likely have to wait until Lightning Lap XII in 2018 to see if this Lambo can break our 918 lap record at Virginia International Raceway. Even being in the same ballpark with the million-dollar 918 makes the Performante one of the most dynamic and quickest cars ever made. It. Is. Fiery.
The Huracán has been spun into several variants in the relatively short time since it arrived as a 2015 model. There have been rear-wheel-drive versions, the typical Spyder treatment, and plenty of limited editions. But none has been as specialized as the new Performante. Every part of this particular Huracán has been massaged, from the chassis tuning and aerodynamics to the powertrain and even its mass.
Naturally Nasty
Lamborghini squeezed still more power out of its naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-10, which here makes 631 horsepower at 8000 rpm and 443 lb-ft of torque at 6500 rpm, up from 602 and 413 in the standard Huracán. More than 70 percent of that torque is available at 1000 rpm, which required beefing up the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The company’s asserts that the Performante can sprint from zero to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, but that’s probably conservative; in our most recent test of the 602-hp regular car, it needed only 2.5 seconds to hit 60 mph. Given a chance to stretch its legs, the Performante tops out somewhere north of 202 mph, the company says, same as the basic model.
Lamborghini says it used knowledge from its Super Trofeo motorsports program to improve engine airflow efficiency, adopting new titanium intake valves with higher lift and new exhaust pipes that mount higher and more toward the center. The bronze finish on the intake manifold, visible through the rear glass, is meants a nod to previous special-edition engines like that on the Diablo 30th Anniversary, while the engine cover done in exposed carbon-fiber does the same to the lightweight philosophy that guided Performante development.
The Huracán Performante uses an aluminum-and-carbon-fiber spaceframe, while the body panels are formed from aluminum and Lamborghini’s trademarked Forged Composite carbon-fiber technology. Shifting to this composite for the engine cover, front splitter, rear wing, and the rear fascia and diffuser pared about 88 pounds. Lamborghini claims the dry weight (without fluids) is 3047 pounds with a 43/57 front/rear distribution; full of fluids, the Performante should weigh about 3350 pounds.
The suspension is 10 percent stiffer overall, Lamborghini says, with roll stiffness improved by 15 percent and stiffer bushings at the suspension mounts to reduce compliance. The front and rear control-arm setup has conventional dampers, but adaptive magnetorheological units are available. Electrically assisted power steering is standard while a variable-ratio setup is optional.
The Performante uses electronically controlled four-wheel drive with a limited-slip rear differential and rides on 20-inch forged wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires specifically developed for this car. Options include 20-inch forged center-lock wheels and Pirelli Trofeo R tires. Tasked with stopping the supercar are vented and cross-drilled carbon-ceramic rotors pinched by six-piston calipers in the front and four-pot binders in the rear.
System of a Downforce
A new aerodynamics system was developed specifically for this car. Called Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA), it’s meant to provide more downforce for cornering and less drag at speed and can, Lambo says, actuate its various bits in less than half a second. Electric motors control flaps in both the front and rear, with those in the front opening to allow air through the grille and under the car and those in the rear directing air through channels and ridges located in and underneath the wing. When they’re closed, the front inlet is sealed and air is directed to hit the fixed rear wing to create more downforce.
Further, a split internal air channel within the wing allows for aero vectoring. The car can read the direction of a corner and switch airflow side to side, the goal being to increase downforce on the unloaded wheel. Lamborghini claims ALA is 80 percent lighter than a hydraulically controlled aero system and helps the Performante create 750 percent more downforce than the base Huracán—just about as crazy as its Nürburgring lap time.
Outside In
Everything seen on the outside inspired the inside of the Performante. The air vents, shift paddles, door handles, and center console are all made of the carbon composite, and dark microsuede is applied liberally. The Huracán also has a new graphic display that shows when and how the ALA is working, including the dynamic aero tweaks.
As in other Huracáns, three chassis modes are available: Strada, Sport, and Corsa. Strada places more importance on traction and stability, Sport is for all the hooners out there with a rear-wheel-biased torque distribution that makes drifting easier, and Corsa is the track mode for peak performance and handling. Lamborghini has set the price at $274,390 before taxes, which is a deal considering that Lambo’s own Aventador costs more than $400,000 but needed seven seconds longer to knock down a lap of the ’Ring. Deliveries start this summer.
