Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2 | Spotted
What might be Lambo's last rear-wheel drive car looks an intriguing secondhand supercar
Even at launch just a few years ago, the two-wheel drive Huracan looked an odd departure for Lamborghini. A welcome one for those few who dreamt of rear-wheel drive Lambos, or the even smaller group with experience of similarly configured Gallardos, but a strange move nonetheless. A strange one because Sant'Agata's 21st century success had been built on the relative accessibility of its supercars compared to the old ones, and the four-wheel drive of Murcielagos, Gallardos and Huracans had contributed a good chunk of that. It seemed a bizarre departure to cater for what must have been a pretty narrow band of buying enthusiasts.
The LP580-2 looks even more incongruous in 2019, with four-wheel drive having led Lamborghini to Nurburgring notoriety not once, but twice, and new levels of success with the Urus. Following the launch of the new Huracan Evo, and with four-wheel drive versions having dominated sales thus far, it seems unlikely that the rear-drive variant will continue. There would seem little point, ideologically or commercially.
Should the Huracan LP580-2 represent the end of two-wheel drive Lamborghinis - a pretty significant moment in of itself - it would be something of a shame. Not just because it would mean the demise of another traditional supercar (big engine in the middle, loads of power, rear-drive), but also since the 580 was a really lovely Lamborghini. Far from being an intimidating, unwieldy car, it was damn near as approachable and benign as the standard 610-4. That it steered more sweetly, went just as fast and could do really quite naughty powerslides, made it all the more appealing. If anything it was a bit softer and fuzzier than many expected from the purist-spec Huracan, the hope from launch late in 2015 for a GT3 homage, making the most of that layout to create a true road racer.
Of course that never happened, the stunning Performante soon becoming the Huracan flagship. Doesn't stop you wondering what might have been though, a stripped rear-drive car along the old Super Veloce lines to rival 911 GT3 Tourings and Aston Vantage manuals. It could have left the Performante to the lap times, focusing instead on the experience of that magnificent engine with not much mass and two-wheel drive.
Anyway, that hasn't happened, and not all that many appear to have been sold - of the dozens of Huracans currently for sale on PH, just nine are rear-wheel drive. This one appeals in particular, a modest spec - which is always quite interesting on a Lamborghini - and just 3,000 miles in its year on the road. £150,000 is obviously a huge sum of money, though saving a little from list given the options. And with the inexorable rise of four-wheel drive and turbochargers, the 580's stock should only rise given its rarity and combination of traditional supercar formula with modern sensibilities.
Alternatives? Obviously McLarens and Ferraris are turbocharged, unless you're willing to go back to a 458, and though the R8 RWS is very similar in layout (as well as cheaper), it lacks a bit of cachet against the Lamborghini. So while the RWD Huracan is a little different from the Lamborghini norm nowadays, it's more interesting because of it. And a thousand times cooler than an Urus.
SPECIFICATION - LAMBORGHINI HURACAN LP580-2
Engine: 5,204cc V10
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 580@8,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 397@6,500rpm
MPG: 23.7
CO2: 278g/km
First registered: 2018
Recorded mileage: 3,000
Price new: £160,000ish
Yours for: £149,950
If I wanted that engine / noise I think I would go down the R8 V10 route.
If I wanted a better all round package a Maclaren 650S spider would be my choice.
The Mclaren even has more theatre to look at and the funky upswing doors.
Good spot on wheel size - the 580-2 has as standard wheels that are 1" smaller in diameter than the 610-4.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff