On the latest episode of The Driver’s Seat, Henry Catchpole reviews the new Lamborghini Temerario. Now, a turbocharged baby Lamborghini with 907 hp on an old-school Formula 1 circuit such as Estoril sounds like a fairly daunting prospect, but such is the brilliance of the latest chassis from Sant’Agata, it’s actually just a lot of fun.
To find out what makes driving the Temerario such a hoot, Catchpole goes in search of Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini’s chief technical officer and the man who has masterminded the new car’s dynamics. On the powertrain side, gone is the old, naturally aspirated V-10 engine from the Huracan and Gallardo. In its place is a turbocharged V-8, along with three electric motors.
But while that might initially seem like a disappointment, things do improve dramatically when you find out the V-8 will rev to a frenzied 10,000 rpm. Two of the 110-kW axial flux electric motors are also situated in the front axle, and through torque vectoring they help to give the Temerario a fantastic blend of stability and agility. The car’s Sport and Corsa driving modes each have a distinct character to them, and combined with the excellent Magnetorheological dampers from the Revuelto, it’s quite the package.
Obviously, there is a weight penalty for featuring a hybrid powertrain. In fact, the Temerario is around 551 pounds heavier than a Huracan Evo, but the 3.8-kWh battery sits low down longitudinally in the center of the car, so it has a lower center of gravity and a better weight balance overall. It’s not as light as the McLaren Artura or Ferrari 296 GTB, but both of those are equipped with less powerful V-6 engines and are rear-wheel drive only.
The Temerario is also claimed to accelerate quicker than either, with a 0–62-mph time of just 2.7 seconds. The new Temerario starts at $357,621, although things like the optional Alleggerita (lightweight) package, carbon wheels, and titanium exhaust will push that price up considerably. As for colors, well it’s pretty much a case of whatever you want, from the more subtle Blu Marinus and Verde Gea Matt to the wilder Verde Mercurius and Arancio Xanto. Come to think of it, the Viola Pasifae (purple) of our test car looked particularly good…
This is a very intelligent use of hybrid technology to enlarge the performance envelope. I’d be very interested to see what it’s ‘Ring time will be.