Review: Lamborghini's Temerario hybrid supercar

News.com.au

3 days ago

It's a big deal, 300km/h. The trees and grandstands lining Portugal's ultra-fast Estoril
Grand Prix circuit are a colourful blur, and my Lamborghini Temerario's dash is
displaying silly numbers.
Really? 10,000rpm? That's race car revs. And my triple-ton speed matches what
Senna, Schumacher and Mansell saw when F1 last came to Estoril in the Nineties.
These are lunatic levels, and my brain's fizzing.
In Italian, Temerario means 'fearless'. This baby supercar may be, but its driver
absolutely is not: a tight second-gear corner looms and we're at plane crash speeds.
Fortunately, mercifully, somebody's fitted carbon brake rotors the size of Tasmania.
The launch of a new Lamborghini is special news in car enthusiast world. Not the
unobtanium 'Limited Series' models (only 20 from the mega yacht set enjoy them),
but the proper production ones you'll find in every Lambo showroom.
Enter Temerario – the pricier, more powerful and faster replacement for the much-
loved V10 Huracan, bowing out as Lamborghini's best ever selling supercar.
Prepare yourself, all 'Rario numbers are big. Its 4.0L twin-turbo V8 alone packs
588kW and 730Nm, then three electric motors boast a total system output of 676kW.
Yep, this thing's a self-charging or plug-in hybrid, with amusing all-electric range of
9km.
Sexier, it'll reach 343km/h, with the first hundred popping up in 2.7 seconds –
hypercar territory, despite weighing a not svelte 1690kg dry.
Dropping anchor awakens ten (count 'em) piston calipers gripping heat-resistant
410mm discs. Rear wheels are ludicrously large at 21-inches, wrapped in grip-giving
325/30 (that's fat) tyres, with semi-slicks a cost option.
I asked the man at Bridgestone – who'd helped bespoke develop these tyres for
the Temerario – the cost of a replacement set, since we'd be smoking some in drift
mode later. A friendly Italian shrug and 'confidential for now,' was his smiling
response.
If you have to ask the price ….
Ah. As for that. A basic Temerario costs $613,885 before on-roads. For track fans, a
lightweight Alleggerita Package adds $85,000 – think carbon interior, body and
underside bits, larger rear wing, and much improved aero efficiency and downforce.
But why stop there? Carbon wheels are yours for $48,650, and rest assured, myriad
further options will quickly lighten your crypto wallet.
Perhaps it was the Portuguese sun or last night's vinho tinto, but after track driving
the Temerario for a day, the price never felt outrageous, despite being some $150k
above the outgoing Huracan.
Basically, for the price of a crappy unit in Paramatta or Collingwood, you could have
what is unequivocally a styling and engineering masterclass.
Deep diving the mechanicals, electricals and clever tech is mind-bending, so I'll
report on how it translates to driving at one of Europe's fastest tracks.
The hypersonic launch control, corner sucking and mad braking g-force feels like
someone's trying to harvest your internal organs. But you're enjoying it.
The V8's maximum power is found at 9000rpm, so you must leave the gorgeous
carbon fibre paddle shifters alone – just let it sing to the redline.
A solo electric motor integrated in the mid-mounted V8's housing instantly gets the
acceleration party started while the turbos awaken, so there's zero break in
performance delivery. It's blindingly, furiously, addictively fast.
Two e-motors on the front axle handle torque vectoring and traction, which in plain
English means this all-wheel-drive Lambo tucks you into a corner apex with
supernatural, Verstappen-like precision.
Sport mode brings a playful rear-wheel-drive feel, and easy-in, fast-out cornering
allows grin-bringing skids. Overcook things and a billion electric brains and the
wizard-like front end tidies up the driver's talent gaps.
But Temerario's greatest trick, despite the complexity, it how easy and approachable
it is to drive mega fast. In Corsa (race) mode it's ever sharper, pointier, and ready for
lap records with an indicated 300km/h chaser.
You can option GT racing-like telemetry (through an app) to nerd out on performance
graphs, while three cameras film your exploits, including an 'emotion' one recording
occupants' reactions. Great to show the rellies after Christmas lunch.
But wait. This all comes at a cost, and it's raw, emotional noise. The lack of.
Our Temerario doesn't sound in any way bad, giving race car and race bike flavours
when tickling 10,000rpm. Lambo's problem is what came before – the soul-tingling
non-turbo V10 in the retiring Huracan.
But the change had to come. We're adrift in fantasy land thinking the V10 could
survive with modern emissions regulations. We lament its passing, but must soldier
on.
Now, Lamborghini's used electrification to its performance advantage and delivered
superbly and supremely. Ferrari and McLaren may do some head scratching.
And if it's your bag, you can silently, electrically pootle through town or off your
driveway with a simple 'EV' button twist. Saving the planet one supercar at a time …
The fighter jet-inspired cockpit doesn't even feel too cramped, seats are comfy and
screen size shows constraint over ostentatious. But boy, even an F1 driver would get
lost in the sea of steering wheel buttons and dials.
After track heroics, the final ace is enjoying the part-beauty, part-beefcake but
unmistakenly Lamborghini styling. Hints of classic Countach coat its shark nose, as
does leaving the rear tyres' girth on full display from behind. A masterstroke.
VERDICT 4.5/5
Breathtaking to behold, bewildering mega performance on track. Endlessly thrilling, despite death of the soulful V10.
LAMBORGHINI TEMERARIO VITALS
ENGINE: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo petrol (588kW/730Nm) with three electric motors
(220kW).
EV RANGE: Approx. 9km