The 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante: Up Close with the Record-Breaking Nürburg-King

The King of the 'Ring 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante Makes Rare Appearance in Vancouver - here's a look at the specs.

The Nürburgring is a pretty special place. This 20.81 kilometre ribbon of asphalt and concrete features a demanding layout comprised of  154 turns and  high-speed straightaways.  The original long track was named the Green Hell, by none other than triple Formula 1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart due to the fact that the challenging circuit requires courageous pilots to rocket their cars through the scenic Eiffel  forests, a fact that added an element of danger.

With its long history of motorsport history now stretching a remarkable 90 years,  the Nürburgring has established  itself as a legendary place, but it also plays a very prominent role in the development and marketing of many of the world’s high-performance automobiles.  The best of the best from around the world make their way to Nürburg, Germany, on a pretty consistent basis to use the track facility as a dedicated  proving ground.  The reality is, that posting a phenomenal time at the ‘Ring goes a long way to boost both the image, and sales , of a new model.

Huracán Performante Sets Nürburgring Record

The most recent brand to claim the glorified number one spot  is Italian supercar icon Automobili Lamborghini.  The company recently revealed the 2018 Huracán Performante to the automotive world at the Geneva International Motor Show; a car that on October 5, 2016 established the blistering time of  six minutes, 52.01 seconds establishing a new record for a production automobile.  This time displaces the previous title holder, the Porsche 918 Spyder,  by an incredible 5 seconds.

2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante
2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante. Photo: Russell Purcell

Pre-Production Huracán Performante Models Lands at Lamborghini Vancouver

As a marketing follow up, a pair of pre-production cars paid a one-day visit to Canadian soil, one landing in Vancouver,  and the other in Toronto.

TractionLife was in attendance at the  invite only affair at Lamborghini Vancouver to capture some photos of what we like to refer to as the Nürburg-King, the latest performance offering  to be added to the company’s growing catalog of dream machines.

Huracán Performante Power: a 5.2L V10 with 640-hp under the hood

Beneath its rear deck resides a revised version of Lamborghini’s  5.2-litre naturally-aspirated engine that features  optimized engine fluid dynamics, reduced losses in the air intake, titanium valves and a new exhaust system.  With a prodigious 640-hp and 480 lb-ft of torque, this engine represents the most powerful Lamborghini  V10 ever produced.

The Performante was penned using the company’s  Super Trofeo race cars for inspiration, so it should come as no surprise that its design is graced with an array of  vents, air intakes and splitters.  The car’s  high mounted exhaust and aggressive tail treatment help reveal the true capabilities of this automobile.

2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante
2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante. Photo: Russell Purcell

Huracán Performante Styling

A number of unique styling elements help set the  Huracán Performante apart from its stable mates. The most prominent being the first use of the company’s patented  Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA) system, an innovative active aerodynamic package incorporating an aggressive rear wing, bold diffuser, and a number of spoiler elements that combine to reduce drag and generate vertical downforce to help the Performante slice its way through turbulence and keep it planted to the  road surface both at speed, and under barking.  Constructed using  naked Forged Composite, the ALA components look both high-tech and menacing.

The bronze manifold gleaming  prominently through the  viewing glass is also unique to the car, and represents a corporate nod to the heritage of previous special edition engines such as that used in the  limited edition Diablo 30th Anniversary Edition (SE30) back in 1993. Unlike that car however, the Huracán Performante is scheduled to be a regular production model.  Which is good news. Enjoy.

2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante Key Specs:

  • Layout:  All-wheel-drive
  • Engine: 5.2-litre V10
  • Horsepower (rpm):  640 @ 8,000
  • Torque (lb-ft):  442 @ 6,500
  • Transmission:  7-speed LDF dual-clutch transmission
  • 0-100 (km/h):  2.9 seconds
  • 0-200 (km/h):  8.9 seconds
  • Terminal Velocity (km/h):  325
  • Brakes:  Ventilated carbon-ceramic discs
  • Braking performance (100-0 km/h):  31 m
  • Weight (kg):  1,382
  • Weight-to-power ratio (kg/hp):  2.15

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Author:
Russell Purcell
Russell Purcellhttps://www.flickr.com/people/autoexposurecanada/
Russell Purcell is an award-winning automotive journalist and photographer based in Vancouver, B.C. His passion for automobiles was sparked at the tender age of six, when a family friend gave the wide-eyed first grader a ride to school in a track prepared Porsche 911 RSR. He continues to fan the flames by building an impressive library of automotive related books as well as a vast collection of interesting automobilia and motoring artefacts. Russell is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, and is active on Twitter as RoadTestRuss.