The latest V10 supercar from Sant’Agata Bolognese offers the best of both worlds.
It seems that Lamborghini just can’t quit the Huracan. It’s hard to blame the company, as the gracefully aging V10 supercar still holds its own against the competition and has proven to be an easily modular platform, given its multiple iterations. Today a new one comes to pass with the Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica, the ultimate manifestation of the V10 Lambo’s promise to deliver thrills both on the road and on the track.
Technically Superior
The Huracan Tecnica takes many of its cues from the Huracan STO, the track-oriented iteration of the V10-powered supercar. Essentially, the STO is as close to a race-ready Super Trofeo race car as road laws allow. Lamborghini refined this into a more street-friendly package, one that’s fun to drive on the roads while performing just as easily on the track. In the Huracan lineup, the new Technica splits the difference between the track-ready STO and the “normal” Huracan Evo RWD.
“The car is really the perfect bridge between the standard EVO and the STO. The STO is purely for the track and the EVO is the daily use car,” Lamborghini Chief Technical Officer Rouven Mohr said.
It’s powered by a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 – the same one used in the STO – and delivers just over 630 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque exclusively to the rear wheels. Power is sent through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox with variable shift characteristics depending on the selected ANIMA drive mode.
The technical part of the Tecnica is the LDVI or “Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata” system, which affects the Huracan’s dynamic behavior. It coordinates systems such as the traction control, torque vectoring, and rear-wheel steering to deliver the desired level of control.
“You can say [the Huracan Tecnica] has three different souls: performance, fun to drive, and lifestyle,” Mohr added.
“Strada” is the most stable, day-to-day driving mode which keeps everything as comfortable as possible. Sport makes the Huracan more playful by upping the throttle and gearbox responses, engages more of the torque vectoring and allows the rear wheels more space for oversteer before intervening, giving drivers a dab of controlled tail-slide.
Corsa kicks the Huracan into its most serious and responsive mode, giving the driver everything the Tecnica has to offer for maximum track attack. Throttle for the V10’s output is at its most sensitive and the gearshifts are as aggressive as they are fast. Rear-wheel steering, traction control and torque vectoring work overtime to give the Huracan all the grip it needs for hot laps.
“The handling is outstanding because you have real control of the car and you can really play with the car. Compare this to the STO which is a sharp track weapon and this car can also be marvelous on the track but at the same time easy and smooth to drive. If you want to go into oversteer, it’s really easy to handle,” said Mohr.
“The traction control is more or less described by the slip angle and we’ve increased this threshold a bit so that you can have more slip, depending on the drive mode,” he continued. “We have decided really to allow the driver a high level of freedom and then, with a smooth transition, engage traction control, because otherwise it feels edgy and interrupts the movement.”
Speaking of hot, the Tecnica’s brakes come with track-inspired cooling management, with carbon ceramic brakes that feature specifically designed cooling deflector and caliper ducts. These direct the airflow into the discs to dissipate heat, keeping their temps down and stretching out the life of the brake pads. With the Huracan Tecnica’s ability to sprint from zero to 60 in 3.2 seconds and its near 202 mph top speed, you’re going to want those brakes to work well and often.
Sharp Looks, Sharper Performance
The Tecnica’s exterior isn’t just to set it apart from the rest of the lineup. Its revised design is meant to be more aerodynamically efficient while making the most of its lightweight engineering such as a fully carbon fiber hood. Visually, it splits the difference between its road-riding stablemates and its track-tacular STO counterpart. A new fascia incorporates an air curtain, something new to the Huracan. Lower slats from a new front splitter direct air through the wheels for improved cooling and downforce.
Tweaks to the body have resulted in the Tecnica stretching 2.4 inches longer than the Huracan Evo. It’s not much, but given that they’re both still the same height and width, the extra inches are enough to make the Tecnica look squatter and broader. Lots of work also went into redesigning the rear of this particular Huracan that has resulted in several benefits.
Improved visibility out of the notoriously narrow rear window is a welcome change, even if it’s only an extra few degrees. The aforementioned carbon-fiber hood covers the engine while the new rear bumper sports a more optimized air inlet. Two hexagonal exhaust pipes are the very loud cherries on this particular cake.
It’s all pulled together with a new fixed rear wing that gives the Tecnica 35 percent more rear downforce over the Huracan Evo RWD. The Tecnica’s underbody sports a number of ventral aero deflectors to further improve airflow. The whole package rides on Damiso 20-inch diamond cut wheels which sport a hexagonal design and are shoed with Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires.
Lamborghinis Are Best Shared
As drivers will hopefully spend more time behind the wheel than simply gawking at all the sharp exterior lines, Lamborghini has made the Huracan Tecnica’s interior an environment that’s both sporty and comfortable. Height adjustable seats with harness seat belts hammer home the “sport” part of things for sure, while the redesigned HMI interface make the cockpit an inviting place for more than one person.
Usually very driver focused, the interface has a center screen for passengers to access, allowing them to queue up entertainment options and co-navigate. It also logs trip data to be shared with friends and incorporates What3Words voice command functionality. The HMI is built in-house, too, and isn’t a carryover from any of Lamborghini’s partner brands.
Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa integration allow for a more seamless transition from your everyday life to your Lambo one. There’s also a staggering level of customization to choose from, which is understandable for a car of this caliber.
Pricing and availability have yet to be announced but there’s a good bet that if you have to ask, you can’t afford the Tecnica. The good news is that this isn’t a limited run model like the STO, so go buy a lottery ticket and hope for the best. We’re looking forward to getting behind the wheel and seeing for ourselves how the Tecnica completes the Huracan lineup.
Photo Credit: Alex Kalogiannis
Keyword: Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica Debuts In New York With STO Power