TEMPEST

The Temerario, Lamborghini's replacement for the Huracán, swaps the iconic V10 for a downsized turbocharged V8 and three electric motors. But fear not. With a 10,000rpm red line and 907bhp, it's set to go down a storm

- SAM JENKINS

EVEN THOUGH MORE MODERN alternatives muster bigger numbers from lower capacity powerplants, there is no denying the appeal of Lamborghini's Huracán and its 5.2-litre V10. Naturally aspirated and with a soundtrack few can match, the V10's demise is undoubtedly a cause for regret. But now Sant'Agata Bolognese has lifted the covers on the Temerario, an all-new creation that Lamborghini deems a worthy replacement for its outgoing entry-level supercar. And early indications suggest it should more than live up to that billing.

The current trends for downsizing and electrification are too often associated with an increased focus on efficiency and a corresponding decrease in driver engagement. While the Temerario (Italian for 'fearless') embraces the same trends, it promises to be something of an outlier, its smaller-capacity engine and hybrid assistance meticulously engineered to deliver a driving experience on a par with some of our favourite pure-combustion Lamborghinis of years gone by.

Some manufacturers take an existing internal combustion engine and engineer a hybrid powertrain around it, but the Temerario is different. Mounted at its core is the result of five years of painstaking development: the ground-up all-new L411 V8. And while its cylinder count is inferior to that of its predecessor, its technical specification most certainly is not.

Peak power output of this new, 180-degree 4-litre V8 stands at 789bhp, putting it 158bhp ahead of the most potent Huracán sold, but raw power isn't where its USP lies. That power peak stretches from 9000 to 9750rpm, with the red line not arriving until 10,000, putting it 500rpm ahead of the Revuelto's wild V12. Such dizzying revs are achieved through the use of a flatplane crank and titanium con rods to reduce rotating mass, along with 11,000rpm-capable finger followers, parts you'd usually only expect to find beneath the shell of a Le Mans racer.