Driven: Lamborghini Huracán Spyder LP610-4

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Photos Retouch: Karthik Nair

Name the car that I would buy just for the spine-tingling sound track…

Well, if only I was as rich as the Arab next door who owns a private island…

Will I survive? On an enclosed motorway, a raging bull streaks away from the scorching sun, vice-like grip on the steering wheel, heartbeat rising every second, right foot twitching as the speedo sweeps around 250, 270, 290. . .the numbers pile on relentlessly. I could see my co-driver sitting beside fighting the scariest moment of his life he has ever experienced! My only confidence lay in the carbon ceramic brakes along with my concrete grip on the steering wheel plus the enclosed straight stretch! In a blink of an eye, I missed a few numbers as the speedo has already crossed 310 and is soon approaching 320kmph! In a fraction of a second, the display showed 321kmph and there I am – almost at the end of the motorway – working hard to reduce the speed with the same pace by downshifting and braking at the same time! 321kmph! All you got to do is stop the car and soak in that feeling! That glee on your face because you just got your life back!

So far so good! The Huracan Spyder LP610-4 is the successor of the Gallardo Spyder which was the best-selling open top model from Lamborghini. The LP610-4 is the third model in the Huracan line-up after the LP610-4 and LP580-2 coupes. Lamborghini describes the Spyder as the ‘lifestyle’ model in the Huracán range, whereas the four-wheel drive coupe is the ‘performance’ model, the rear-wheel drive coupe is the ‘fun-to-drive’ version.

Driving the Huracan around the Dubai city isn’t very satisfying. It will sure grab the crowd’s attention but you will be looking forward to drive this baby supercar in an enclosed territory. The Huracan Spyder is exciting to look at from all angles. Design elements are the same as that of the coupe except the opening soft top. The roof is available in three different colours: black, brown and red.Our test car came with a silver body shade, which Lamborghini calls Bianco Monocerus along with a brown soft top. Why would someone choose a colour like that for a Lamborghini? Seriously uncool! While it would be lovely if our car came with contrasting colours like Red, Green or Orange, I would be dancing away if the test car came with a lime green colour! Coming back to the soft top, it opens via a button positioned on the central tunnel in just 17 seconds, up to a driving speed of 50 km/h. The best design element that I liked in the Huracan is the 20 inch forged rims that look dope. The rims are so good that even after 10 years, it would look like a brand new design.

The interiors are typical Lamborghini-ish. There is nothing new to specify. But for and as a first timer, this is something more than a dream! Lamborghini’s have the most kickass start engine button in a car ever. Step inside and you would mistake it for a fighter jet’s cockpit. All the toggle switches look as if they have borrowed it from the F-22 Raptor. Be it the drive mode selector or the roof opening button. Lamborghini has borrowed the 12.3 inch TFT virtual cockpit from parent company Audi. There is a droppable rear window to make the V10’s cracks and pops more audible in case you are battling UAE’s typical weather. Lamborghini has done a great job in managing the airflow around the cabin by fixing a number of fins and vents which divert air and release pressure when the roof is down.

The Huracán is built around an ultra-stiff aluminium and carbon fibre chassis. Removing the roof does, of course, compromise structural integrity, but Lamborghini engineers have been able to maintain a good level of torsional stiffness – in fact, the Huracán Spyder is 40 per cent stiffer and offers 50 per cent more down force than the Gallardo Spyder. The Coupé is 120kg lighter, 0.4sec faster to 62mph, but the customers wouldn’t even consider these facts as Lamborghini says the Huracan Spyder is a lifestyle car.

The best part of the car is the naturally-aspirated, long stroke 5.2-litre V10 which is the same unit available in the Audi R8 V10+. The 5.2-litre mill generates a peak power of 610bhp at 8250rpm and 560NM of torque at 6500rpm. In the era of downsizing and turbocharging engines, this is a great deal in the modern performance car engine fraternity. The car comes with three driving modes as available in other Lamborghini models: Strada, Sport and Corsa. In the basic Strada mode the car is very well mannered around city with a low-spirited exhaust note, a reasonably pliant ride, light steering and a refined gearshift while the cabin remains calm and quiet enough at speed with the roof down.

The Strada mode will be perfect if you are taking your girl for a romantic outing with the roof down on a Friday evening while you wish to hold a conversation during the drive. Post the dinner, on your way back (if you are wild enough as me), I suggest you use the Corsa mode which would offer a very sonorous sound track from the quad pipes and lighting fast gear shifts that will take you to your destination in no time. Make sure your girl doesn’t faint.

100kmph comes in 3.4 seconds and 200kmph comes in 10.2 seconds. This is something terribly scary and more than what you can expect from a ‘Lifestyle’ oriented baby supercar. Deploying the throttle needs immense care and make sure that the road ahead is empty for the next 3kms. To experience the raw power, we headed to an enclosed motorway and oh boy, this is blistering fast! Put it in Corsa mode with ESC completely turned off. Left foot on the brakes and right foot on throttle; at 4200 RPM, the dash will read “Thrust Mode Possible” and that’s it. Let go of the brake and that’s when you notice your co-passenger crying to the Almighty for mercy!

Overall, the engine is a joy with massive performance, spine tingling sound track and razor sharp throttle response. The major shortcoming in the Huracan in terms of driveability is its optional dynamic steering. Lamborghini says it will continue to develop and hone the system which reduces the steering effort needed at low speeds for easier manoeuvring; the steering still needs a little more tuning especially while attacking the corners.

The roof mechanism is located ahead of the firewall and it kills a bit of cabin space. In fact, at six-foot tall I found I couldn’t get the driver’s seat as far back as I’d have liked. I usually extend the steering wheel out as far as possible in every car I drive, but in the Spyder I could only set it at half extension.The seat itself is set too high, which means I was short on headroom when the roof was in position, and slightly uncomfortable over longer journeys. Taller drivers would be well advised to try out the seating position before committing to a Spyder purchase.

But no matter what, you will love the Spyder for the glorious 5.2-litre V10. You, your passenger and everyone else in a five kilometre radius are in appreciation for the baleful snarl of an engine. The only thing that bothers me is the head room for my 6ft tall body. And Ireally don’t care much about the Rs. 3.89 crore price tag, nor the mileage of 5kmpl.

Because hey, it’s that sort of car, for those sorts of buyers.

Specifications

Brand: Lamborghini
Model: Huracan
Variant: Spyder LP610-4
Price:
UAE: AED 982,730/-

India: Rs. 3.80 Crore (ex-showroom, Mumbai)

Engine

Type: Naturally Aspirated 5.2 litre V10

Fuel: Petrol

Power: 610bhp

Torque: 560NM

Performance

Acceleration (0-100kmph): 3.4 seconds

Top Speed: 324kmph(Limited)

Transmission