The V10 era is almost over, but it is signing off in dashing fashion—as evidenced by this, the last series-produced new Lambo with the vaunted engine.
- The Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica will be the last series-produced Lamborghini powered by a V10 engine.
- The 5.2-liter V10 produces 631 hp, shuttled through the rear wheels.
- The Technica is positioned between existing Huracan EVO and track-focussed Huracan STO.
The combustion engine’s obituary will be written in many chapters, but here is one of the first parts. Because the Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica seems set to be the last series-produced new car to be launched with a V10 engine. Lambo admits one more limited-run Huracan is coming before the long-lived supercar retires next year, that one rumored to be a version of the Sterrato off-road concept shown in 2019. But the Tecnica will be the last one that affluent buyers can walk into a showroom and buy off the floor.
Even if you will never be in the market for a Lamborghini Huracan—or the closely related but less expensive Audi R8, which is also close to retirement—this is a departure that needs to be mourned. Because this supremely charismatic naturally aspirated V10 has long been one of the world’s great engines, more so as competitors have reduced engine capacities and cylinder counts and moved towards forced induction.
Positioned between the existing Huracan EVO and the track-focused STO that sits at the top of the range, the Tecnica uses the most powerful 631-hp version of the 5.2-liter 10-pot. That might seem on the low side by the increasingly ridiculous standards of this segment; the turbocharged Ferrari F8 Tributo and McLaren 765 LT make 710 hp and 755 hp respectively. But nothing, with the possible exception of another Lamborghini, can beat the Tecnica as an aural experience.
This is a point the Lambo makes just as well when being driven gently as it does when being pushed hard. There is certainly savage joy in taking it all the way to the 8500-rpm redline, although opportunities to do so will always be limited anywhere the streets are policed: The Lamborghini can get from 0-illegal anywhere in the United States in something under six seconds. Fortunately there is an almost equal level of delight much further down the rev range, with muscular part-throttle harmonics and a chuckling over-run when the gas is suddenly lifted—all of which are being produced without any form of digital augmentation. The Tecnica has an audio system, but the most entertaining thing to listen to will always be its powerplant.
The Lamborghini can get from 0-illegal anywhere in the United States in something under six seconds.
By the standards of its fast-moving segment, the Huracan is an old car. Yet the Tecnica doesn’t feel like one. The game has clearly moved forward in several areas—the Lambo’s tight-fitting cabin has always lacked headroom, and every major rival now feels more spacious. But the Tecnica also feels like the culmination of a steady evolution that has made the basic over the years, its specification something close to a greatest hits compilation. So it has the brawniest version of the V10 engine, rear-wheel drive, fixed-ratio steering in place of the sometimes inconsistent variable rack offered on lesser versions, plus an actively steered rear axle.
Visual distinction is limited: All Huracans look angry and wedgy. The Tecnica gets a fixed rear wing and a clear engine cover to give a view of the top of the V10 beneath a reinforcement brace. The profile of the rear side glazing has also been subtly changed from that of the regular car, now looking closer to the former Performante limited edition. The character of the interior is altered significantly based on whether the optional carbon fiber door cards and motorsport-style bucket seats are fitted. With them it feels like a motorsport special, but without them it is barely different from the basic Huracan. Not plush, but hardly austere by supercar standards.
The rest of the driving experience takes a similar line. The Tecnica is softer and more driveable on road than the STO, which feels firm and unyielding when asked to deal with the real world. Yet it also feels obviously dynamically enhanced when compared to lowlier Huracans, most obviously in terms of the accuracy of its steering and the willingness of its chassis to turn playful. At the outer extreme this is manifested by the ability to use the engine’s brawn to overpower the huge adhesion of the rear tires. Selecting the ‘Sport’ dynamic setting slackens off the traction control intervention to the extent of allowing what is essentially a drift mode at lower speeds, one that permits impressive oversteer angles before intervening to keep the car from over-rotating into the ignominy of a spin. All of which was hugely thrilling on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo near Valencia, which Lamborghini laid on for such outer-edge experimentation, but definitely not the sort of thing to be attempted on road.
Yet even at the much lower speeds and loadings that can be safely experienced in the real world, the Tecnica stays good natured. Its cornering line can be trimmed and adjusted through the gas pedal in a manner that feels ridiculously easy for a sharp-end supercar, tightening progressively as the throttle is eased. Even in the gentlest ‘Strada’ dynamic mode it still feels plenty exciting, although choosing this does cause the double-clutch gearbox to change up too early and kick down reluctantly when put into its automatic mode. It’s far better to take control of selection through the pleasingly heavy metal paddles behind the steering wheel.
The Huracan Tecnica is a logical culmination of its always exciting bloodline. It is as loud, crazy and look-at-me as any Lamborghini needs to be, but it is also neatly positioned into one of the few gaps left in the Huracan range. Consider it either a cheaper and more road-friendly understudy to the race-inspired STO, or as a slightly faster and more capable upgrade from the rear-wheel drive Huracan EVO that sits below it in the hierarchy. It feels like a highlight of the late combustion era, and we will miss cars like this when, all too soon, they are gone.
Keyword: Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica Closes a Chapter in 631-HP Style