The Lamborghini Huracan Performante: A Racing Machine Like No Other

We're here at Autodromo in Italy, surrounded by some of the most iconic racing tracks in the world. And today, we're about to put the 2018 Lamborghini Huracan Performante through its paces. This car is a real showstopper, with its wild rear wing and advanced aerodynamic system. But what makes it tick? Let's start by looking at the exterior of the car and how it handles airflow.

The Huracan Performante features a unique aerodynamic system that Lamborghini has patented as "Aero Vectoring". This system uses valves to manipulate airflow around the car, creating downforce where it's needed most. The front air intakes are designed to trap air and add downforce to the front end, while the rear wing is able to work more effectively due to the trapped air. But what really sets this system apart is its ability to adjust in real-time. When the valves open, air flows naturally around the car, but when they close, it traps the air and applies even more downforce.

This advanced system is a key part of the Huracan Performante's incredible performance. The car has a lap time at the Nurburgring that's five seconds faster than the previous record holder, the Porsche 918 Spyder. And it's not just the aerodynamics that make this difference - the car's engine is also a major contributor to its speed. Under the hood, we find Lamborghini's 5.2-liter V10 engine, which produces an astonishing amount of power.

The Huracan Performante is a hardcore racing machine, and it shows in its suspension system. The car has been stiffened by 10% vertically and 15% horizontally, giving it incredible handling and grip. And with the super grippy Pirelli PZero Corsa tires, this car can really put the pedal to the metal. But what's truly impressive is how communicative the car feels - even over a crest, you can still push it hard without losing traction.

Of course, all of this would be for nothing if the brakes weren't up to the task. And on that front, the Huracan Performante delivers once again. The brakes are sensational, stopping you from potentially catastrophic situations with ease. And at high speeds, the car is able to carry on like a bat out of hell - there's no feeling quite like driving a car that's this fast.

As we continue to explore the Huracan Performante, one feature stands out above all others: its variable steering ratio system. In Corsa mode, this system adjusts to provide a safe and predictable feel - even when you're pushing the car hard. The paddles are always in your reach, and the movements are incredibly smooth and predictable. And let's not forget the power-down infamously known as "torch" - which is accessible from 1,000 rpm.

But how does the Huracan Performante stack up against other high-performance cars? That's a tough question to answer, as there aren't many cars that can compete with its raw speed and handling. But if we're talking about the new Ford GT, McLaren 675LT, Ferrari 488 GTB, and Porsche 911 GT2 RS - all of these cars cost upwards of $250,000 or more. And for what? So you can drive a car that's marginally faster than this one?

The answer is no. The Huracan Performante is in a league of its own, with a performance that's truly unmatched. And it's not just about the numbers - it's about the experience. This car is a joy to drive, with a level of handling and grip that's simply unparalleled. So if you ever get the chance to get behind the wheel of one, don't hesitate. It's an experience you'll never forget.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe open the lime flow wait a second dang it you told me you said you're going to film this direction I just wasn't paying attention can you blame me though anyway we are here at Autodromo to email us one of the most famous racetracks here in Italy to drive this this is the 2018 at Lamborghini Huracan perform on tape now I don't have to tell you that it's wild I mean look at it this day as a banquet table for a rear wing but I will tell you that it has a whole lot more going on than meets the eye let's do some investigating now when a car looks as insane as this one does my strategy is to work from the outside in so we'll start here with the exterior and there are frankly a lot of things to cover but I'm going to stick to the main story with this car and that is Lamborghinis a la system aerodynamic ax lambda' unique Activa so basically their form of airflow manipulation and it's so advanced that they patented it it's part of the reason this car has the Nurburgring lap record time of 6 minutes and 52 seconds five seconds faster than the previous holder the Porsche 918 Spyder what Lamborghini does is they have valves active valves on the front end and rear end of the car to kind of throttle on and off airflow so when the valves are closed here at the front air is being trapped inside the front splitter and adding downforce to the front end same thing back here so the air is actually working through a channel and being trapped and applying downforce the rear end and that is letting this rear wing do its job and that job is add seven hundred and fifty percent more downforce than the standard air con when the valves of open zel that let air flow born naturally actually from the front end to the rear moving around the car and under it under hard throttles when you're getting back on the gas is opening up these valves in point two seconds and letting that air flow through it's actually in a way cancelling the downforce that comes from this rear wing there's another piece to this equation two Lamborghinis Aero vectoring now if you know how torque effect basically applied power to an independent wheel based on available traction arrow victory doesn't require a heavy system viddy installed in the car it uses these valves to left to right hand side of the car trap or open up air flow so if you're approaching corners say it's a right-hander and you want less steering input you want more downforce on the right hand side it will open up the channel the left trap the air in the channel on the right and apply the necessary downforce it makes the car grip so much better in corners we experience it here on the track it's mind-bending stuff so under the hood here in this mid mounted position is a sort of familiar engine at this point it's Lamborghinis 5.2 liter v10 engine now of course Lamborghini couldn't have just left it as it was this is the performance after all so what they did is they installed a new intake system titanium valves within the cylinders and ad restrictive exhaust system that in addition to sounding great helps the car make more power the total six hundred and forty horses and 443 pound-feet of torque now that is channeled through all four wheels VA 7-speed dual-clutch transmission it all works out to about 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds which is 1/10 of a second faster than the regular aircon and a top speed of 202 miles per hour now fans of the oricon will note that that's actually 9 miles per hour less than the standard aircon and that's because of extra downforce like things from this rear wing however you look at it it's fast so there are 2 key themes to the inside of the Lamborghini Huracan performance a lightweight materials and Alcantara evidently because it's used all throughout this cabin - the first one the lightweight materials so Lamborghini developed their own version of carbon fiber they call it forged composite so they basically take the chopped carbon bits and they fast cure it is in a resin and they can use it in a variety of different ways it will be used structurally in the future for right now kind of aesthetic and lightweight so they actually saved 88 pounds compared to the standard aircon in large part due to the forged composite so the cabin is you know a general place to be it's it's really tailored to the racing experience everything about it makes you feel like you want go fast including the fully digital display which can be reconfigured based on drive mode so they've got three drive modes get strata sports and Corsa and as you work your way through them they make the car more and more stiff and sound even better than it already does in standard mode so this digital display it can reconfigure from a standard you know tachometer on the left-hand side your navigation all these other things that can be infotainment that kind of features on the right-hand side too in Corsa mode a full tachometer so the thing you really care about is when you're going to be shifting on the track so that's front and center of the car all in all it's a really special place to be one of the first things to discuss is what they did to the suspension system this being the more hardcore car of course they made it stiffer it is 10% more stiff vertically 15% different horizontal II that defined with some super grippy Pirelli PZero Corsa tyres and of course as we just got that link Lamborghinis a la active aerodynamic system the car is more communicative got more grip you can really push it far harder than you can a standard Oregon I know of your business well all the different variations of that car and because of this aerodynamic system you can push it in plate you really don't think are palpable over a crest yeah there's grip they're coming around in off camber corner there's grip there the brakes are sensational stop you from really potentially catastrophic situations now we're at hit drink Lestrade here by the end of April to join a hundred and seventy miles an hour did I mention this in the past racetrack yeah well the only really as fast as the car you're in and that's my friend this is the fast car it fats in the way it accelerates in fact in the way grip the carrying speeds through corners step back there too I'm astounded at how capable this car is not a circuit like this and then there's a way of sound good lord this restrict exhaust is just not the shipment instant and the music is drunk and now the other thing that it's got is be steering system which is actually a variable ratio system but in Corsa mode it's a safe ratio so when you're driving it you're not surprised and it adjusting during ratio while you're driving it feels very similar to a hydraulic system even though it's electronic and that's just because the communication is amazing look how big the paddles are and they're always a place to pull and a place to change the gear the movements are so predictable you know exactly force to do we always strive with them yes the power-down infamously the torch that torch is available from a thousand rpms that's instuments right there Thank You natural aspiration stupid turbocharged system in every performance car these days you got nothing on this nothing at all this is really an unbelievable vehicle so what does it rival well the new Ford GT the Wow my mind went blank the mclaren 675lt both of which cost a hundred two hundred and fifty thousand and four dollars in this car and when they do finally release it the Ferrari 488 GTB oh and the Porsche 911 gt2 RS the next generation that card I don't know how those cars drive or will drive but I know how this one does and that is like a bat out of hell Charcot for months a everyone why thoughtfully like Avery Markham in the entire world\n"