► Next-gen Lambo will be a hybrid V8 supercar
► Flat-plane V8 developed inhouse, develops 789bhp
► New Lamborghini Temerario name mooted
Lambo’s successor to the Huracan is only weeks away from being unveiled – and our spies have caught the new junior supercar, purportedly called Lamborghini Temerario, on shakedown tests ahead of its debut.
They confirm earlier spyshots of a low-slung mid-engined coupe that sticks with Sant’Agata’s reputation for shock-and-awe in the design department: it’s as pointy and dramatic as you’d hope for, characterised by pencil-thin LED lighting silhouettes, a gigantic, central-mounted exhaust pipe and a part-louvred rear deck.
The first official details of Lamborghini’s new Temerario are trickling out, ahead of its official reveal at Monterey Car Week in August 2024. The new supercar, codenamed ‘634’ for now, will use a hybrid V8 powertrain – a spec detail now officially confirmed by Lamborghini.
Lamborghini is going from strength to strength, with healthy sales and a regular schedule of new models and updates. The Urus has been recently updated – also with an electrified V8 powertrain – and the Lanzador proves that Sant’Agata isn’t afraid of going pure electric.
The Huracan successor, depicted in CAR magazine’s artist impression above, will be Lamborghini’s next electrified model and is designed to go toe-to-toe with the likes of the Ferrari 296 GTB and McLaren Artura. There’s plenty of reason to be optimistic that the replacement for the Huracan will be rather special, even if it loses the iconic (and screaming) V10.
Why? Because Lamborghini has officially confirmed that the new supercar will launch with an equally high-revving engine: a twin-turbo, electrified V8.
Lamborghini Temerario: a V8 hybrid
Lambo says that the new 4.0-litre V8 hybrid powertrain will develop 789bhp (800 metric horsepower) and, despite the engine featuring the same power figure as the Urus SE, features a 10,000rpm redline and a flat-plane crankshaft.
Lambo says the new, electrified powertrain’s maximum power is reached at a heady 9000-9750rpm, while maximum torque is spread over a much larger power band: 4000-7000rpm. The other part of the Lambo’s powertrain is an axial flux motor, which has been incorporated into the dual-clutch transmission. Here, the motor develops 147bhp and 221lb ft. Our sources suggest the powertrain has been benchmarked at up to 1100bhp, implying that more power could be extracted for higher-performance versions.
Intel suggests that much of the carbonfibre monocoque, suspension layout and hybrid drivetrain are shared with the Revuelto, all of which is huge news.
For reference, the Artura also uses a carbonfibre tub (the Ferrari’s structure is aluminium).
The composite structure helps offset some of the weight gain implicit in such a complex powertrain, and it’s likely the economies of scale that result from sharing the essential structure across the two cars were key to green-lighting its use in the V12 Revuelto. In ideal conditions, the new V8 Lamborghini is expected to be quicker to 62mph than the Ferrari (2.9sec) and the McLaren (3.0sec).
Will the new car take over where the Huracan bows out on price? Unlikely. Lamborghini cannot build cars fast enough and so, prompted by similar moves upmarket by Ferrari’s 296 GTB and SF90, not to mention its own Revuelto (which is priced considerably higher than the Aventador it replaces), we expect the new car to be priced closer to £300,000 than £200,000.