GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: flagship Lamborghini Huracan blasts in

Having smashed the Nurburgring production car lap record, Lamborghini has revealed full details of the car that did it, the new Huracan Performante.

Essentially a road-going version of the Super Trofeo racer, the Performante combines active aerodynamics, light weighting and at 470kW, the most powerful version yet of the Huracan’s 5.2-litre V10 naturally-aspirated engine.

With deliveries to start here this winter, the all-wheel drive blaster is the most expensive Huracan you can buy in Australia at $483,866 before on-road costs. It tops the LP610-4 soft-top by about $13,000 and coupe by more than $55,000. For that you get the car that knocked the $1 million Porsche 918 Spyder off the top of the pile at the ‘Green Hell’ by a massive five seconds with a blistering 6:52.01 lap.

But until the eve of the Geneva motor show the Italian supercar specialist had been holding back full details – and imagery of the car without disguise - of what made this rival for the forthcoming Ferrari 488 Speziale and Porsche 911 GT2 RS tick. The answer is lots of tech and lots of grunt.

“The Huracán Performante is the convergence of technological developments to produce a car delivering perfect performance,” Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stefano Domenicali said immodestly in a press release.

“This new car represents the powerhouse of Lamborghini DNA and innovation, and a 360 degree approach to creating class-leading super sports cars. It illustrates the pinnacle of Lamborghini V10 production car performance to date, on both track and road, and is perfectly exemplified by its name: Lamborghini Huracán Performante.”

The tech is highlighted by the active aerodynamics ‘Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva, or ALA, which means ‘wing’ in Italian, appropriately enough.

This really is the secret of the Performante’s stunning pace, electronically controlled to provide high downforce for maximum braking and cornering grip and low drag on the straights for maximum acceleration and top speed.

ALA is controlled by the Piattaforma Inerziale (LPI) that governs all the car’s electronic systems in ‘real time’. It can activate the system’s flaps in less than 500 milliseconds to ensure the best aerodynamic set-up of the car in each driving condition.

The wildest part of the system is the rear wing, which can act just like a normal fixed wing when its active flaps are closed, creating a claimed 750 per cent more downforce than a standard Huracan coupe.

Open the flaps and drag is reduced for quicker acceleration and a higher top speed. But wait there’s more. The wing’s inner air channel is split left and right allowing aero vectoring in high speed turns.

What that means is the LPI can instruct ALA to open the flap on one side of the wing, increasing downforce and traction on the inner wheel to improve cornering.

Up-front, the system includes active flaps inside the front spoiler that are closed to generate downforce, or opened by an electric motor to direct air flow under the specially shaped undersides of the car.

Another Performante tech advance is the forged carbon-fibre that features in complex one-piece structural components including front and rear spoiler, the engine bonnet, rear bumper and aerodynamic diffuser, contributing to the car’s weight reduction of 40 kg.

The Performante’s V10 pumps out 470kW at 8000rpm and produces 600Nm at 6500rpm. Technology used to gain those numbers include optimized engine fluid dynamics for both intake and exhaust, an uprated air intake system, new titanium valves and a lighter exhaust with less back pressure and – oh-so importantly – a more aggressive soundtrack.

More than 70 per cent of engine torque is now available at 1000 rpm and Lamborghini’s seven-speed dual clutch transmission has been optimised in order to match the increased performance.

Drive is transmitted to the road via a fully electronically controlled permanent four-wheel drive Haldex fifth generation system, with rear mechanical self-locking differential.

The Performante’s dry weight is 1382 kg, giving a weight to power ratio of 2.16 kg. Weight distribution front and rear is 43/57 per cent. Lambo claims it accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds, from 0 to 200 km/h in 8.9 seconds, and brakes from 100-0 km/h in 31 m.

By comparison the LP610-4 coupe weighs 1422kg, makes 449kW and 560Nm, has a power to weight ratio of 2.33kg, accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.2 secs, 0-200km/h in 9.9 secs and brakes from 100-0km/h in 31.9m.

Chassis systems have been revised to cope with the Performante’s capabilities and track-day focus. The suspension has been vertically stiffened by 10 per cent and roll stiffness improved by 15 per cent. The bushings have been stiffened by 50 per cent, significantly enhancing lateral control of the car.

The double wishbone system, front and rear, features revised passive dampers with optional magneto rheological suspension.  Electromechanical power steering is offered as standard with optional variable ratio Lamborghini Dynamic Steering (LDS).

Braking is via ventilated and cross-drilled carbon ceramic discs, six piston calipers up-front and four-pistons at the rear. The Performante rolls on 20-inch wheels shod with Pirelli PZero Corsa rubber. A high-performance track tyre, the Pirelli Trofeo R, is available as an option.

The Performante is topped off by styling touches that reflect the Super Trofeo racer with its sharp nose and – particularly at the rear – naked motorcycle-esque design with its high-mounted exhausts.