In 2003, the Lamborghini Gallardo changed the course of the brand forever. Not only did it take Lamborghini from an obscenely rare status symbol to a substantially higher-volume supercar market, it also unlocked a new market and built a legend. The Huracan successor did the same, and now, some 21 years after the launch of the original Gallardo, the third modern baby bull is here. This is the Lamborghini Temerario, and although it rocks a V8 to the outgoing Huracan’s V10, expect positively ferocious performance and a uniquely captivating soundtrack.
Underneath a heavily ventilated engine cover sits a four-liter hot-vee turbocharged V8 engine, and while that sounds a lot like what you get in a Urus, the flat-plane crankshaft-equipped V8 in this thing revs to 10,000 rpm thanks in part to titanium connecting rods and special Diamond-Like Carbon-coated valvetrain followers. Ferrari 458, who?
On its own, the new V8 makes 789 horsepower and 538 lb.-ft. of torque, but it’s not going into battle against the Ferrari 296 GTB without backup. Three axial-flux electric motors, two on the front axle and one in the eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle, push combined output up to a bonkers 907 horsepower. Zero-to-62 mph? A claimed 2.7 seconds. Top speed? 211 mph.
Those figures are proper supercar stuff, but if we back up a second, what actually powers those three electric motors? Well, deep within the chassis sits a 3.8 kWh battery pack, which makes the Lamborghini Temerario a plug-in hybrid and means you can drive it short distances at low speeds on the front electric motors alone. Yep, under extremely specific conditions, this is a front-wheel-drive Lamborghini. Kinda funny when you think about it.
Of course, part of what makes a Lamborghini a Lamborghini is what it does to everyone else, namely the visual impact. With that in mind, there’s a little bit of Revuelto, a little bit of Huracan, and dare I say, a little bit of Gallardo to how the Temerario looks. Thankfully, Lamborghini’s had the restraint to give it a face that doesn’t look alien, and the result is the single best-looking model the company’s produced since, well, the Huracan. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still nutty, with hexagonal DRLs, taillights, and a hexagonal exhaust tip, but it doesn’t seem like a caricature of a Lamborghini. Job well done on that front.
Also, job well done on packaging. Despite the hybrid drivetrain, the Lamborghini Temerario features 1.3 inches more headroom and 1.8 inches more legroom than the Huracan, meaning the cabin should be roomy for a two-seater, not just roomy for a supercar. Speaking of the cabin, there’s a lot of tech in there. The driver gets a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, the passenger gets a 9.1-inch display of their own, and both get to play with a portrait-style 8.4-inch touchscreen. Yep, that ought to satisfy all those people with one on order as a daily driver.
As of its debut at Monterey Car Week, it’s anyone’s guess what the Lamborghini Temerario costs, but don’t expect it to be cheap. Sure, the old Huracan Tecnica started at $249,865, but with the Ferrari 296 GTB starting at $342,205, don’t be surprised if the Temerario cosies up closer to the Ferrari’s price tag. In any case, expect the latest baby Lambo to be hitting the streets next year, where it should quickly become a fixture of every financial center from Wall Street to Bay Street.
(Photo credits: The Autopian, Lamborghini)
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The Temerario? What’s next, the Atrevido? The Audaz? With a name like that we can expect to see it hitting pedestrians at car shows right behind the Mustangs!
That’s the best looking Lambo in years. Very well done. Makes me wish they waiting and used more of this type of styling cues for the reimagined Countach…
I’ll hold out for the Lamborghini Candelabra. Who comes up with these names?
Italians.
I honestly think it is a case of Germans using an Italian dictionary.
It seems like we’re approaching the peak of 0-60 in the same way starships approach warp 10. Warp 9, warp 9.5, warp 9.875, etc.
Lambos used to be wild and flamboyant. This one seems a bit… boring.
Don’t get me wrong, it is a good looking car and it will grow on me, but it screams to me more “generic italian sportscar from Grand Theft Auto” than “big bad bull from Forza”.
It’s been a long time since a Lambo design made me go “oooooh!” This one does it for me. I love the color too.
Oh man, that rear “nose” kills what would otherwise be a really damn good design.It looks so good from almost every angle, and then you get this at the back. Why?
It’s still the prettiest Lambo in a long time, but still.
It needs… mudflaps?
Love the modern retro styling, the Countach lines on the bonnet, and the restrained look make this the best Lambo I’ve seen in a while.
Yep, I thought the same. It’s definitely an upgrade over the Huracan.
Agree….although I don’t think the Huracan did anything wrong. It just kind of felt iterative….
Very tame for a Lambo. I wonder if their client base will like it. It’s even in a tame color.
Actually pretty typical when they first launch a new model, then they get crazier and crazier looking variants as they age.
A lot of their client base is getting older. This may actually be a smart move in that regard.
I look forward to seeing one on Bay St putt putting along in The Worst Traffic In North America™.
Nobody is ever going to spell that name right in the comments.
Nobody has the Temerarity!
Laughs in native Spanish
Im interested in the V8-only quoted power numbers. Doesnt make sense because the torque is too high for a 4.0 liter. 538ftlb naturally aspirated from 4.0 seems incorrect especially if that 4.0 is the standard “square” bore and stroke.
Hp seems fine for a screamer but a 4.0 even in the 911 GT3 at 500hp is only 347ftlbs naturally aspirated.
Magically getting another ~200ftlbs over an already insane high compression GT3 engine seems erroneous.
Is it not running on standard fuel?
It’s turbocharged.
Right, but they specifically said it was and that the “engine alone” made the above numbers which sounds like they are specifying without forced induction…
They are saying that is the output of the engine (turbo and all) without considering the output of the electric drive motors.
Holy crap, this one looks ace. I’m getting reimagined Countach vibes from the front. Well done Lambo!
Lambos are usually not for me, but this one looks HOT
Its the most restrained Lambo in a very long time. Not to say its restrained in any conventional sense of the word, just restrained for a Lambo. And its the best looking one in my opinion. They have been too far out for me for many years. Cuz, you know, I could ever afford one, so my opinion really matters here.
This is actually the most handsome Lamborghini I’ve seen in some time. I know it’s not exactly keeping in tradition with wild and crazy but it has a bit of a vintage look that I can’t quite put my finger on (a little Ferrari 348 from the side profile?) while still looking modern. I really like it.
That’s the least-ugly Lambo I’ve ever seen. It’s also the blandest one, but I’ll take what aesthetics I can get.
I’m usually not a fan of Lamborghini’s typical styling, but this is nice.
But, why did they have to give it a butthole?!?
buttholes are great!
To poop with!
Hardigree needs easy dragonability.
RIP V10
Out of all the potential consolation prizes I’d say that a flat plane V8 that revs to 10,000 is a pretty goddamn good one
Yeah a RWD version without the front motors would be on my dream car list.
They have a mode where you can run RWD only.
I’d rather not carry the weight and complexity around, but that is cool.
Being Lambo this is highly likely to happen as a special edition.
I think this looks fantastic. I feel like they took some cues from the modernized version of the Countach, which I love. Really the only thing that I’m not super into design wise is all the black on the rear end but it’s a minor nitpick.
The powertrain is cool too, and apparently it’s been developed in house by Lamborghini and won’t be shared with any other vehicles. It isn’t just one of the VAG corporate 4 liter V8s they put in everything. Anyway if I hit the lottery this would be one of my first purchases. I’ve always loved Lamborghini but been disappointed in how corporate VAG they’d become.
The Urus in particular is an abomination in the eyes of god that never should have seen the light of day. And I personally struggled to get excited about the Huracan because so much of it was just an R8 with Italian seasoning. But this feels like an actual Lamborghini, and for their “base” model I think that’s pretty damn cool.
Classic Countach vibes was what I saw in the design straight off as well. It properly shouts “Lambo” — there’s no mistaking it from other supercars.
The leading edge of the nose coming off the hood screams Sesto Elemento to me, and this is only a good thing. The rear end is meh, but the front and side is very very good. Final judgement will be reserved until we get to hear it. 10k RPM is good, but we all know turbo engines sound more muted than NA ones, but I have hope.
With 800ish of the 900+ hp going only to the rear wheels I expect the first accident of one of these spinning out to happen before 100 of these are even delivered.
It’s all wheel drive
The way I read it was only the two front motors power the front axle, but I could be misunderstanding that.
There’s an electric motor over the front wheels like the E Ray.
Right, But I interpreted this as “900+ total HP, 100 or so on the front wheels with two motors, and the 800 or so from engine and one motor sent exclusively to the rear” meaning a roughly 85% Rear biased AWD system. That much being sent rearward would be easy to lose control being driven by an overconfident, underexperienced, and very excited new owner.
I know Huracan and Gallardo had a traditional AWD setup that was mechanically coupled, but my first though was “Oh hey this Temerario has the same AWD setup as an AWD Prius just backwards and fast”
I have a hunch that the system in a $300,000 super car is probably going to be capable of performing some wizardry that the one in the Prius is not
Such wizardry hasn’t prevented other $300,000 super cars from ending up in wrecking yards.
You’re not wrong! I’m sure some nepo baby will wreck one of these for tik tok views within a week having it
My high school guidance counselor never suggested nepo baby as a career choice. How do I sign up? It sounds like the answer to all my materialistic wants.
You don’t get to sign up, you have to be Ma-triculated.
How do you sign up?
Marry very, VERY well.