The average nine-year-old’s mind is in a constant state of flux. Log the details of their cranium over a period of say, half a century and you’ll find a variety of pop cultural references, bubble gum brands and literary preferences change over the years. The only constant is Lamborghini – the despot that has had carte blanche to occupy a disproportionate amount of space in our heads ever since. The wedge shaped manifestation of unadulterated id.
At a time when the naturally aspirated supercar is becoming an increasingly endangered species, a freshly launched Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2 is a sight for sore eyes. Unlike the standard all-wheel drive Huracan, this one’s rear-wheel driven, making it a negligibly less powerful and quick (0.2 seconds slower than the standard) and a lot more of a handful around a racetrack. Which is exactly where we happened to be. Unfortunately, helming Lambo’s latest was a task for another day, but pinch me with a set of pliers, are those eight Lamborghinis in the pit lane? Waiting to be driven?
The last of the fire-breathing V12 Lamborghinis, the Aventador is quite an eye-full to absorb – you’d need a hammer and a chisel to chip away at the image it sears onto your mind. A dream on a racetrack like the Buddh International Circuit and a nightmare at gridlocks, the Aventador is Lambo’s unsinkable V12 warship with scissor doors that point skyward. Access codes to this torpedo should logically be encrypted but Lambo has instead put a big red, foreboding switch, bang in the middle of the centre console, bless them. There’s a weapons-grade, mid-mounted, 6.5 litre, naturally aspirated V12 engine producing 690 bhp with the aid of a gearbox that can shift cogs in milliseconds.
Like all recent Lambos, the Aventador’s earth-spinning levels of power can be accessed via three modes – Strada (for the road), Sport and Corsa (for racing). Strada keeps things civilized with relatively slower gearshifts while Corsa turns it into a lunging, neck snapping little hooligan, girding its considerable loins and changing direction whimsically fast. It’ll give you a proper cardio workout this car will, feeling deceptively buoyant right until the consecutive downshifts remind you of the heft of its 690 horses.
For a lighter fare, might I suggest the lovely Huracan. Inasmuch as the term ‘friendly Lamborghini’ is an oxymoron, the Huracan comes the closest to embodying the idea. Although less powerful, the car is more willing to be toyed with around a track, even in ‘Corsa’ mode, its all-wheel drive system gives its essentially cylindrical tyres immense levels of grip. The Huracan just feels a tad bit livlier than the Aventador, even though it doesn’t possess the latter’s unholy fury on the straights. For better or for worse, the Huracan LP 610-4 is possibly the learner’s Lambo – whetting your appetite with an easy beeline to a very illegal 325 kph, without putting the fear of god into you, and sending you scurrying back to a fortified ‘Panic’ room, with the door bolted shut.
Perhaps to do this you’ll have to step into the Huracan LP 580-2, the last numeric signifying that it’s two-wheeled drive – the prefferred anatomic arrangement for any genuine driver’s car. It’s arrived in India merely 3 days after it’s global launch and it’ll set you back by Rs 2.99 crore, but its power goes straight to the rear axle as nature intended, so it’s aimed squarely at bonafide enthusiasts. Visually it remains the same, except for redesigned bumper. It’s also accompanied by a few other internal changes, such as the ones made to the suspension, steering and traction and stability control setup which has been recalibrated, as have the three driving modes which now favour oversteer, in true rear-wheel drive fashion. The car also weighs 33 kg less than its four-wheel drive counterpart and its weight distribution has been revised to. What remains the same is that 5.2 litre V10 engine with 75% of its torque available at 1000 rpm.
So there you go, a Huracan that abides by Lamborghini’s original dictum that “all cars that henceforth roll out of these gates, must be a bit mental”. Or something like that, except not completely made up. What you have essentially are three of the best modern day supercars, replete with digital alchemy, electrifying looks and if you seek it – a hint of danger.
