Lamborghini Temerario PHEV Takes Over From The Huracan With 10,000-RPM Twin-Turbo V8

After 10 years in production the Lamborghini Huracan has gone to the great bullpen in the sky, and its replacement is a whole different sort of beast. Enter the new Lamborghini Temerario, a plug-in-hybrid supercar that has the first (and currently only) production engine that revs to 10,000 rpm. Lamborghini says the Temerario “redefines the very concepts of performance, driving pleasure and comfort.”

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The centerpiece of the Temerario is that high-revving engine, and somewhat surprisingly it’s a brand new engine developed in-house by Lamborghini just for this car. That’s right, despite being a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 like so many other cars in the Volkswagen Group, the Temerario’s is a clean-sheet design. On its own, the engine makes 789 horsepower from 9,000 to 9,750 rpm and 538 pound-feet of torque between 4,000 and 7,000 rpm.

Photo: Lamborghini

The turbos are arranged in a hot-vee configuration, and the engine has a flat-plane crankshaft. Lambo uses something called Diamond Like Carbon:

At the heart of the crankshaft housing is a flat-plane crankshaft with a 180-degree angle between the crankshaft bends. This crankshaft, which is typically used in racing engines, ensures optimal fluidodynamic behavior due to even firing orders in comparison to the cross-plane crankshaft, and a unique engaging sound. Titanium conrods reduce the rotating masses and offer excellent material properties in terms of strength and lightness, reducing weight. The engine casting material consists of A357+Cu, the same used in motorsport applications.

The particularly robust and reliable finger followers covered in DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) can withstand speeds of up to 11,000 revolutions per minute – a range previously reserved for racing engines in motorsport. This is also where the engineers drew their inspiration for the engine layout concept. As is usual in motorsport, most of the auxiliary units are located on one side, including the two water pumps for the intercooler and engine cooling, as well the electronically-controlled barrel valve for fine temperature control.

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An electric motor is positioned within the engine housing between the V8 and the transversely mounted 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission; it works as a torque gap filler to improve low-end response and make the engine feel as naturally aspirated as possible all the way up to that 10,000-rpm redline. Additionally, there are two more electric motors on the front axle. Each oil-cooled axial flow electric motor produces a peak output of 295 hp and a continuous output of 80 hp, and they weigh just 34 pounds. The motor attached to the V8 works without an intermediate clutch to deliver 221 pounds-feet at any speed, and it also serves as the car’s starter motor.

The battery pack is 3.8 kWh in size, mounted within the car’s center tunnel like in the Revuelto. It can be fully recharged in 30 minutes with a max current of 7 kW, or the battery can be recharged through regenerative braking. The Temerario can be driven in fully electric mode, and the setup also enables electric torque vectoring across the axles. Lamborghini isn’t saying how much EV-only range it’ll have; the Revuelto is only around 6 miles with the same battery, so it should be about the same. Lamborghini quotes the Temerario as having a dry weight of 3,725 pounds, only 591 pounds more than a Huracan Evo.

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All together, this makes the Temerario really freakin’ fast. Total output from the powertrain is 907 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque, which is 276 hp and 95 lb-ft more than the top versions of the Huracan. That’s only 94 hp and 245 lb-ft off the V12 Reveulto, too. Lamborghini says the Temerario will hit 62 mph in a scant 2.7 seconds, two-tenths quicker than the quickest Huracans, and top speed is 213 mph, versus the 202-mph top speed of the fastest Huracans. The Temerario is just a tad slower than the Revuelto. Wild!

The Temerario’s five different drive modes can be combined with Recharge, Hybrid and Performance modes for the powertrain for all sorts of different types of driving. In Recharge mode the V8 only delivers 715 hp, while in Hybrid and Performance modes it delivers the full 789 hp. There’s a new Drift Mode that lets the driver “generate controlled oversteer” using a knob on the steering wheel to select between three levels of allowable yaw angle.

Photo: Lamborghini

Lamborghini wrote ten paragraphs about the Temerario’s engine noise. Basically, the company says it sounds incredible, including things like “sound symposers” on the interior and “amplified air-intake harmonics.” The engine mounts and body are designed so the flat crankshaft can be felt at high engine speeds, creating vibrations that the sound engineers bring into the cabin. The faster you drive, the more intensely your seat will vibrate.

The Huracan design was getting pretty stale by the end, despite some great final edition makeovers. I think the Temerario looks awesome, both simpler and smoother in surfacing and overall ideas in a way more akin to the early Gallardo than recent Lambos, but with some really nutso futuristic design elements. Overall I’m a really big fan, but some might find it to be either too dSuper slim headlights are like a cartoon snake’s eye slits, and there are super cool hexagonal running lights in the front bumper.

Photo: Lamborghini

Its overall shape is similar to the Huracan, but the Temerario has a large intake ahead of the rear wheels like the Gallardo did, and intakes above the rear wheels. The rear end is like the Revuelto’s, with half of the rear tire exposed by the super cut away diffuser. The taillights are hexagonal too, and there’s one giant hexagonal exhaust tip mounted high up in the rear grille mesh. Also like the Revuelto (and modern Bugattis), the V8 engine is exposed to the elements, but the Temerario has a fantastic roof design that has echoes of Countach, with a profile that improves the car’s aerodynamics. Surprisingly, the rear wing is fixed — I would’ve expected an active spoiler.

An Alleggerita (lightweight) package adds carbon-fiber underbody panels, carbon body parts, carbon wheels, carbon interior door panels, polycarbonate windows and a titanium exhaust to reduce weight by 55 pounds. Lambo says the Temerario has 103 percent more rear downforce than a Huracan Evo, or 158 percent with the Alleggerita pack, as it adds a high-load rear spoiler with a larger curve to it. Those hexagonal DRLs work as aero elements to deflect airflow from the bumper to the side radiators, the sides of the engine surround send air to the spoiler, and the underbody has vortex generators.

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The Temerario’s interior design is even more similar to that of the Revuelto. Lamborghini went with a “feel like a pilot” philosophy, consisting of lots of hexagonal design elements, a wing-shaped dashboard, different angular door cards and a prominent starter button in the center console. A vertically oriented 8.4-inch touchscreen is in the center of the dash, there’s a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster behind the redesigned steering wheel, and the passenger has a slim 9.1-inch screen. There’s an advanced in-car telemetry system, and an integrated dashcam system with a “Memories Recorder.”

Lamborghini says the Temerario’s new spaceframe chassis gives it a lot more interior space than the Huracan, even with a low seating position. Headroom is up by 1.3 inches and legroom has increased by 1.8 inches, and visibility is improved as well. Lamborghini says someone who is 6-foot-six can fit even with a helmet, and you can get 18-way sport seats or carbon-backed buckets. The frunk has 4 cubic feet of storage space, double that of the Huracan, and there’s room for stuff behind the seats too.

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There will be more than 400 paint colors and liveries available through Lamborghini’s Ad Personam division, plus lots of different wheel designs, carbon-fiber trim options, interior schemes, and whatever else you can imagine could be personalized. Lamborghini has yet to talk price or on-sale date for the Temerario, but expect a price close to $300,000 now that the Revuelto costs more than $600K.

Oh, were you wondering about the name? Lamborghini’s 19-page press release doesn’t mention it. Google says Temerario means “reckless,” or maybe “fearless” or “bold,” or even “daredevils.” I’m going to be interviewing Lamborghini’s CTO in just a couple hours, so let me know what you want to know about the Temerario in the comments!

Photo: Lamborghini

Photo: Lamborghini

Photo: Lamborghini