Upgraded Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica retains its naturally-aspirated V10 but gains speed, grip and downforce
The 2022 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica has made its global debut, bringing aerodynamic redesigns at both ends, more liberal use of carbon-fibre and more speed and grip for the Italian supercar brand’s eight-year-old entry-level model.
Representing an upgraded version of the facelifted Lamborghini Huracan Evo launched in 2019, and with a Huracan replacement still a couple of years away, the Tecnica bridges the gap between the Huracan Evo RWD and the loony-fast, rear-wheel drive Huracan STO.
It will be available to order when pricing is revealed, before first deliveries commence later this year, but given the RWD Evo opens the existing Huracan range at $384,187 and the STO costs $596,000, expect a price tag of around $500,000.
Lamborghini’s naturally-aspired 5.2-litre V10 remains amidships, hurling the 1379kg Huracan Tecnica to 100km/h in a claimed 3.2 seconds and on to 200km/h in 9.1sec, making it quicker than the Evo RWD (3.3 and 9.3sec) but slower than the Evo AWD (2.9 and 9.0sec), and giving it the same 325km/h top speed.
The Huracan’s trademark V10 brings none of the mixed blessings of the Ferrari 296 GTB’s electrified hybrid powertrain, nor turbochargers or even all-wheel drive in the Tecnica, which makes its mark as a rear-drive supercar aided by rear-wheel steering, extra-grippy Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres from the STO and a drift mode.
Matching the STO, the Huracan Tecnica’s V10 bellows out 470kW of power at 8000rpm and 565Nm of torque from 6500rpm – which is down on the 600Nm offered by the Evo AWD, but up 21kW/5Nm on the 449kW/560Nm Evo RWD – and continues with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
With hints of everything from the Murcielago to the Diablo, the Huracan Tecnica has been the target of a significant overhaul inside and out – and there is no Spider version in the works, which is unusual for Lamborghini.
“The Tecnica ensures that the pilot enjoys the strongest connection to the car and asphalt, with the car’s potential always at his fingertips for ease of use in every driving mode and environment,” Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann explained.
“In an ear of virtual experiences, it pays homage to technical purity and physical sensation. The Tecnica completes the Huracan line-up, sitting perfectly between the rear-wheel drive and the track-focused STO.”
Lamborghini design boss Mitja Borkert insists the rationale for the new front and rear ends of the Huracan Tecnica has been to increase downforce by 35 per cent and reduce drag by 20 per cent compared to the Huracan Evo, but his team has added some sleeker improvements to extend the nose and update the visual proportions of the entry-level Lambo.
“We wanted a car that is really showing the fun-to-drive,” Borkert insisted.
“In terms of design, we wanted to express this fun-to-drive within the essence of the car, and a car that was fun to look at as well.
“It is the biggest design update that we have ever done on the Huracan range and, for me, it was important that we were implementing new design features from every perspective.”
Some of those features include new Y-shaped headlights and air curtains in the nose, as well as a carbon-fibre front splitter that is longer than before.
The bonnet is carbon-fibre, in either black to visually extend the windscreen or in exposed carbon, while the black accent extends into the carbon-fibre engine cover and spills over onto the rear of the car.
Brake cooling has also been a big focus of development, and there is new ducting and new wheel designs to help keep the carbon-ceramic anchors within operating range on track days.
Even the Huracan STO’s carbon-fibre doors are available as an option, along with a range of seats, from ultra-light to electrically powered.
“We wanted it to be fresh and new from every different perspective. Starting from the front, we wanted a car that was lightweight, but with differentiation from the STO,” said Borkert.
“The STO is the track tool for those people who are looking for best performance and most lightweight and go more to the track.
“The Tecnica is for sure street-oriented, but it is not excluding that you can also have fun on a track day.”
The Tecnica uses the same powertrain as the STO, right down to its power outputs and the software controlling its skid-control and suspension systems.
“There is this very sexy solution with the rear fenders with a lot of shoulder visible and for the cabin, and that’s where we could heavily reduce the drag,” said Borkert.
“It’s important that we have the maximum differentiation between the models and it is our aim, in terms of exterior expression, that the car significantly has its character, so it has a fixed wing that is lower and semi-integrated.
“You can spot the proportions of the car is a bit longer, a bit more racy looking with a shark nose extended, with a longer lower splitter, and the diffuser at the rear is longer.”
The engine is, as always, the dominant feature of the Huracan Tecnica and it has been shown off with almost 1990s insouciance.
“It’s a rear-wheel drive car and we wanted to embrace that, so we enhanced this body and sculpture for the inside of the rear wheels and you can see it through from the rear end. It’s an idea from motorcycles and I like motorcycles,” said Borkert.
“The engine cover is in carbon-fibre and I wanted to celebrate, one last time, the V10 engine, and this is a really nice engine as we all know, and I wanted to give it a bit of a ‘90s feeling, so you can see the engine.
“Everything is a little bit longer and a little bit lower.”
The downforce issue seems to be a point Lamborghini is revisiting often lately, with the Aventador Ultimae and the Huracan STO both adding downforce, but Lamborghini’s still-new development boss Rouven Mohr insists it’s not just chasing more aero grip for the Tecnica.
“We have to balance the downforce front and rear and we have to work out what it is used for,” Mohr insisted.
“For this mission of the car that should be the perfect balance between track and daily use, the aero balance can be improved so we did.
“The number has increased for people who want to have fun on the track and use it on the road, too.”
The focus, though, was not for lap times, said Mohr, but for driver involvement, ease of driving and feedback.
One of the keys to that is the rear-wheel steering, which Mohr says minimises snappy behavior on the entry to corners, making the driver feel more comfortable.
One of the keys, he claims, is the upgrade to the Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata (LDVI) system, which covers every drive system from the torque vectoring to the throttle and skid-control responses.
It is said to deliver stability in the Strada (road) mode, oversteer in the Sport mode and maximum performance in Corsa (circuit) modes.
The circuit lovers will appreciate that it can also come with an optional four-point harness, a carbon-fibre door skin and even titanium wheel nuts.
Inside, there is a redesign of the multimedia system just for the Tecnica (well, mostly graphics), with fewer colours and an emphasis on readability.
The LDVI functions are displayed in real time, with connected telemetry and on-board diaries of destinations and track times.
There is also Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa built in.
Click here for our review of the 2022 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica prototype.
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Keyword: Sleeker, grippier Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica revealed