2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica | PH Review
The tremendous Tecnica goes from summer in Spain to winter in Wantage without missing a beat (sort of)
It says a lot about supercars in 2022 that the new Huracan Tecnica feels almost in danger of being forgotten already. Partly that’s a situation of Lamborghini’s own making - launching something like the Sterrato so soon after will do that - but it’s also because there’s so much else going on. Maserati has created its first ground-up mid-engined supercar in 50 years, Ferrari sells an 830hp V6 berlinetta and McLaren seems to have delivered near-perfect PHEV supercar we all hoped the Artura might be. Into that mix, the Tecnica brings the same amount of power as an STO (itself only as potent as the old Performante), an aero overhaul and some racy door cards. With the Mad Max version (and its advert) dominating social media feeds, it's perhaps no surprise that the model already appears to have one foot in the history books.
Which is something of a shame, because as a celebration of all that is wonderful about a Lamborghini there really isn’t anything better. Now more than ever the V10’s howl is there to be savoured - because the only thing that’s better is a Lamborghini V12’s shriek. After all these years the interior still manages to feel special as well, with those giant paddles, a rev counter that extends all the way across the driver’s display (and to 10,000rpm), plus those toggle switches above the portrait screen for some old school supercar cool. Furthermore, despite having been around for so long now and with so many sold - the 20,000th Huracan was made this year, after eight years in production - nothing on the road looks quite as good as Lamborghini’s junior supercar in Verde Selvans.
A great-looking piece of Italian exotica is always to be celebrated, but especially so when it comes to the day of photographing the Tecnica. The bad old days of malfunctioning supercars are long behind us now, only for the Huracan to bong and bing and flash up a yellow warning light; there’s nothing wrong, it’s just with the temperature hovering around zero degrees it’s keen to warn about icy roads. And the car is on its bespoke Potenza Sport rubber, a tyre that is maker Bridgestone claims ‘has been specifically designed to support the Huracán Tecnica’s incredible performance and help the supercar to deliver technical purity, fun and driving performance.’ Bumpy Britain in December probably wasn’t a key development area. See here for how the Tecnica copes with a racetrack pasting, including on the Race tyre; for obvious reasons like not wanting to be blacklisted by Lamborghini or make the front page of the Newbury Weekly News, this must be a more sedate assessment.
That the Tecnica looked spectacular surrounded by other Lamborghinis augured well; out in the real world with real people and really boring cars, it’s absolutely stunning. That new front end for the Tecnica that maybe once seemed a bit fussy is aggressive and interesting, marking this new model out from the rest of the range without resorting to Sterrato-style silliness. The rear is perhaps even better, exhausts protruding with intent and giant rear tyres more visible than ever. Even Lamborghini points to how much lower and broader the Tecnica looks, a fraction longer than the Evo and all the better for it, especially with an optional black roof drawing your eye down. Even against the prettiest mid-engined Ferrari in years and a surprisingly handsome Maserati, the Huracan still ranks highly.
It was fascinating to drive the Tecnica on the same roads as the STO, albeit at similarly slow speeds. (One day we’ll drive a track-focused Lamborghini in warm weather!) This is undoubtedly a less intense experience, not quite as loud or as urgent to respond or as wildly involving. But these things are all relative; remember the STO doesn’t have carpets, and this car - as we suspected at launch - feels more like an STO calmed down a tad than an Evo ramped up. It’s only 40kg heavier than the Super Trofeo Omologato and retains the four-wheel steer that isn’t available on an Evo, which confers enormous agility onto the Huracan, every turn requiring precious little effort at the wheel. Yet perhaps because of those bespoke new tyres, there’s a bit more heft in the steering, and a bit more involvement than is typical for a Huracan. In these conditions, though, however unsuitable they are for such a vehicle, a little more feedback wouldn’t go amiss. In ideal weather, you know the front end has enormous purchase, but on sub-zero tarmac there isn’t quite the close connection a driver would want for complete confidence.
Needless to say then, this wasn’t the drive to push the Performance Traction Control to its limit or compare how the recalibrated LDVI (Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata, the brain for the car’s systems) really performs. Elsewhere, the usual complaint about a missing individual mode remains, though now it’s only for a bit more glorious V10 racket alongside the safety and security of Strada. One overzealous throttle application in Sport (which slackens the ESC a tad) is enough to wake you up - and while the Tecnica actually communicates through those gorgeous carbon seats pretty well, and it does nothing untoward, it really doesn’t take much for the threshold of those tyres to be broken. And the risks didn’t look worth the reward with snapper Harry standing on verges.
Still, it says much of the Tecnica’s innate star quality that even driving it around at little more than pitlane speed is a joy. This isn’t a supercar that requires maximum attack for enjoyment, and somewhat ironically, it’s the subtlety of this green Lamborghini that’s most notable. The damping is superb, deft and limber, the Huracan gliding across even the worst surfaces on its enormous tyres without complaint. The seven-speed dual clutch remains one of the best around, lightning-fast and still a real event with those paddles. The brakes might benefit from a tiny bit more travel, though once used to their response you can meter out their phenomenal power with great accuracy. The Tecnica feels much like it is: the net result of Lamborghini perfecting the Huracan over 20,000 builds and eight years. And we can say that because the car wasn't brilliant to begin with, but absolutely is now.
As ever, it helps that the engine is epic. Even at middling revs the 5.2 V10 is absorbing, snorting through gearchanges and gargling its way menacingly along the road. There’s every reason to be confident about the PHEV era, when cars like the 296 have shown us the way forward - but the new plug-in V8 will really have to be going some to match its predecessor for sheer thrill. It’s a vibrant, hell-raising masterpiece, and as moreish as they come. Familiarity has bred no contempt whatsoever.
Consequently, the highest compliment that can be paid to the Tecnica is that the rest of the car feels as unconditionally brilliant as that engine. There have been more than a few Huracan models over the years; where once the rear-drive cars felt a bit tame for 600hp Lamborghinis and more recently the STO seemed a bit too wild for regular use, the Tecnica allies the civility and approachability that made the car so popular in the first place with the circuit crushing ability and raw exhilaration that’s come to characterise later iterations. It’s a formidable and wildly desirable combination of talents, and is almost certainly the high watermark for the Huracan. Just don’t expect the Tecnica fall in love with English winters. You might still need a Sterrato for that…
SPECIFICATION | LAMBORGHINI HURACAN TECNICA
Engine: 5,204cc, V10
Transmission: Seven-speed dual clutch, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 640@8,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 417@6,500rpm
0-62mph: 3.2 sec
Top speed: 201mph
Weight: 1379kg 'dry'
MPG: 19.5
CO2: 328g/km
Price: £212,000 (as standard; price as tested £234,374 plus VAT. All prices listed without VAT and additional costs, so base price £169,744. Options are Verde Selvans paints for £9,540, Damiso 20-inch wheels in black for £4,950, Roof and upper hood cover in shiny black for £8,110, Side mirrors painted in body colour/black for £1,350, Black brake calipers for £920, Lightweight windscreen for £920, Rear bonnet in visible shiny carbon fibre for £3,600, Tailpipes in matt black for £460, High Gloss Black Style Pack (?) for £1,980, Upper dashboard additional parts in Alcantara for £720, Roof and rear wall lining with lasered trim for £990, Verde Fauns as additional contrast colour for £2,710, Bicolour trim with laser graphic for £1,160, Dark chrome and carbon twill pack for £4,910, Door panels in carbon for £4,130, Aluminium footplates for £920, Multifunction wheel in Alcantara and central marking contrast colour for £650, Sports seats for £5,240, Rear view camera for £1,470, Lifting system for £2,750, Garage door opener for £270, Smartphone interface and connected services for £2,480, Lamborghini Telemetry for £3,670 and Electrochromic exterior mirrors for £730. Phew.)
It was as daft as anything and could any car be more incongruous in that setting on a grey winters day, and I grinned cos it was brilliant and my inner 8 year old was all happy.
Seeing this barmy green Hurracan would also make me grin.
I love that there is at least one car maker who creates special things that no matter how ancient I get to be, makes me all excited when I see one.
I’d imagine I’d be driving this being overtaken by all the above and not caring one bit as I’d be laughing out loud with the biggest school boy grin possible as the V10 screams ever louder on its way to 9k!
Surely (for most). I'd certainly place an order before this dinosaur is dead, if I had the money. A very lovely thing and a huge step on from the early Huracans. Whilst the Huracan is still the 'baby' Lamborghini, it's the best size for European roads and the one I'd like to take home.
So these things don't sell in Scotland then, with its wilder winters?
I thought PH was a UK-wide website....
...anyway, back to the car. It's fabulous looking, and a fitting end of line special. Love the colour, lose the black wheels.
I like them to look at, but they just have that `Youtube influencer` look about them.
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