This Is the 640-HP Lamborghini Huracan Performante, Your New Nurburgring Champ

From Road & Track

Rumors swirled for weeks. Spy shots arrived from the Nurburgring. Then, an official video showed a 'Ring lap time of 6:52.01, a new world record for production cars with a five-second victory over the Porsche 918 Spyder.

Now, it's officially here. Feast your eyes on the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, the highest-performance version of Lamborghini's V10 supercar.

Let's start with that engine. The naturally-aspirated 5.2-liter is the most powerful V10 Lamborghini has ever produced, kicking out 640 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and Haldex all-wheel-drive with a mechanical limited slip rear differential put that power to the ground. The sprint to 62 mph comes in 2.9 seconds; top speed is quoted at 202 mph.

But horsepower alone doesn't get you a world-record lap time. The Huracan Performante debuts Lamborghini's Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA), an active aero setup that can adjust the front and rear spoilers in less than 500 milliseconds to minimize drag for acceleration and top speed, while dialing in maximum downforce for cornering. Lamborghini claims a nearly unbelievable 750-percent increase in downforce as compared to a standard Huracan coupe; more importantly, the system allows aero vectoring, adding downforce to the inside wheels while cornering, a first in any high-performance car.

Thanks to extensive use of lightweight materials, including Lamborghini's "Forged Composite" short-strand molded carbon fiber, the automaker says the Huracan Performante weighs in at just under 3050 lbs, for a power-to-weight ratio of 4.76 lbs per horsepower and a 43/57 front-rear weight distribution.

Chassis improvements include an available new magnetorheological active suspension, 10-percent stiffer spring rates, and variable-ratio steering. The Performante rolls on Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires, which can be mounted on optional center-lock forged wheels; Pirelli Trofeo R ultra-performance tires are also available for track use. Carbon-ceramic brakes are of course standard.

All of this improvement comes at a price: $274,390. That sounds like a lot-but if we're going by Nurburgring lap times, the Lamborghini saves you $114,000 per second compared to the Porsche 918, making it the obvious value buy.

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