Raging storm from Santa Agata Bolognese

COYIUTO, Italian Ambassador Massimo Roscigno and ADB’s Michela Cazzola

PGA CARS, the leading luxury importer and distributor in the country, handling prestigious brands such as Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche, recently unveiled the all-new Lamborghini Huracán to the public.

VIP guests, captains of industry, and sportscar enthusiasts and aficionados swooped down into Lamborghini Manila’s showroom at posh Bonifacio Global City to be part of the unveiling of the all-new and latest Raging Bull from Italy, hosted by PGA Cars’ executive director Benedicto Coyiuto.

Guests of honor were Italian Ambassador  Massimo Roscigno, Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. Asia Pacific sales director Sebastian Henry, celebrity socialite Michela Cazzola from the Asian Development Bank, and, of course, Robert Coyiuto Jr., the affable chair of the PGA Group.

Huracán is Spanish for hurricane, and is also the name of the Mayan god of wind and fire. Likewise, it was the name of an unyielding Spanish bull from the Conte de la Patilla which fought in Alicante in 1879—thus inspiring Lamborghini to adapt its name for its new super sportscar.

AUTOMOBILI Lamborghini S.p.A. Asia Pacific sales director Sebastien Henry and Lamborghini Manila sales manager Enrique Jarlego II

Yes, it comes with typical Lamborghini brazen styling, that wild and tempestuous normally aspirated V10 engine, and an engine note that is best described as a dramatic opera: powerful, soulful and unforgettable.

The Huracán replaces the Lamborghini Gallardo, the Santa Agata Bolognese firm’s best-selling sportscar model, which had been in production since 2004 and has sold 14,022 units in its life.

The Gallardo was in itself a miracle. Lamborghini had been trying to create a junior model line below its V12 flagship supercars for decades until, finally, the Gallardo, under corporate parents Volkswagen and Audi Groups, came into fruition.

The Gallardo effectively breathed crucial life back into the then ailing Lamborghini, which pundits describe as having lost much of its “balls,” and what remained was the chest wig and depthless machismo.

THE HURACÁN combines absolute performance with easy-to-drive road behavior, and both luxurious and sport-oriented finish.

Fast forward a decade, and Lamborghini is back and meaner, angrier and wilder than ever; and with it, a real depth of strength and ability.

So you can imagine that the Huracán has very large, and very important shoes to fill. On paper, the all-new Huracán doesn’t disappoint. An Italian supercar’s soul is its engine, and the Huracán comes in  with a heavily revised V10, which saw previous duty in the famed Gallardo.

The Huracán is a 5.2-liter, 90-degree V10 with dual overhead cams and  40 valves, and features both port or indirect injection matched with direct injection called Iniezione Diretta Stratificata (IDS, Italian for direct fuel injection) for gasoline.

Dry-sump lubrication ensures that the Huracán can rev freely to its 8,500-revolution-per-minute redline, and withstand massive cornering and acceleration loads with ease, making the Huracán a favorite track refugee.

FULL LED lighting ensures higher contrast in night conditions.

These revisions allow the Huracán’s heart and soul to meet upcoming Euro VI emissions specifications, delivering 290 grams of carbon emissions per kilometer—half of what comparable super cars used to deliver a decade past.

The stratospheric 12.7:1 compression ratio is key to the reduced emissions, amazing fuel efficiency, power and responsiveness. Indeed, despite being wild at heart, the Huracán has to be environmentally conscious in the wake of climate change, and  a fitting citizen of the new world.

The LP 610-4 moniker gives you an idea of the output:  601.64 horsepower and 560 Newton-meters of torque; and power transferred to all four “4” wheels via Lamborghini’s all-new seven-speed Doppia Frizzione Lamborghini or LDF, which is Italian for dual-clutch transmission technology. The DCT helps improve responsiveness and acceleration and, crucially, comfort, convenience, ease-of-use and refinement, which will allow adventurous souls to  drive daily their all-new Huracán.

PGA AUTOMOBILE director Benedicto Coyiuto welcomes guests.

The chassis—a mix of high-strength and lightweight aluminum with carbon-fiber composites—gives the Huracán an amazing 1,422-kilogram dry weight, considering it has all-wheel drive and a luxurious interior. Aluminum panels and lightweight carbon-fiber composites also adorn the outer skin of this super car.

The suspension features forged double wishbone arms all around, and rides on forged aluminum 8.5×20- and 11×20-inch alloy wheels shod with 245/30R20 and 305/30R20 Pirelli P-Zero Corsa DOT-legal intermediate road-race tires, respectively.

There’s also an optional Lamborghini Dynamic Steering with variable steering ratios, helping  further improve steering feel, responsiveness and ease-of-use. This bad bull isn’t only fast in a straight line, but has been designed to corner quickly as well.

All told, the Huracán can accelerate to 100 kph in 3.2 seconds, has a top speed of 325 kph, and consumes fuel at a decent 8 kpl on a combined city and highway use. Expect it to plummet once the Huracán sniffs a racetrack or an unrestricted highway.

Inside, the flat-bottom steering wheel—reminiscent of race cars—greets you with paddle shifters to change gears on the move. The traditional gear-lever is replaced by a futuristic handle on the center console, and the engine start/stop button is protected by a bright red cover—looking ominous like the firing trigger of some weapon of mass destruction or, should we say, distraction!

On top sits a row of toggle switches to activate a variety of in-car accessories. The transmission’s and engine’s characteristics can also be controlled from mild to wild inside the cabin via a drive select system called ANIMA (soul in Italian), which stands for Adaptive Network Intelligent Management, so there’s a setting for traffic driving, highway blasting and, of course, the flatout track-attack sessions.

RICH leather and Alcantara with contrasting stitching cover most of the interior.

Rich leather and Alcantara with contrasting stitching, made by some of Italy’s finest craftsmen and women, cover most of the interior with swathes of carbon fiber, machined aluminum and piano-black plastics.

The Huracán is a snug fit but very comfortable, and, crucially, very ergonomically correct to sit in; previous supercars of old had slightly off-center and canted seating. A large 12.3-inch LCD screen displays vehicle and engine parameters ahead of the driver’s line of sight in lieu of traditional analog instrumentation, which adds to the Huracán’s otherworldly, futuristic feel.

Of course, the Huracán benefits from four airbags, ABS-EBD brakes, traction/stability control, the optional transparent hatch in the back, and a large X-brace that seems to want to contain the fiery V10 engine. The brace also helps stiffen further the rear section of the chassis.

The Huracán signals exciting times for the famed Italian marquee. Free from all troubles of past and with a bright future ahead, finally showcasing  new, groundbreaking technologies such as the dual-clutch transmission, direct fuel injection, advancements in chassis design and, crucially, ease-of-use, today’s Lamborghini is fit for everyone who can afford to buy it, and not just reserved for the few highly-skilled drivers.

Lamborghini has also forayed into motorsports with the Gallardo. It will do so again next year with the Huracán in its own One-Make Racing Series called the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Cup and in the Blancpain GT3 Endurance Racing Series, where it races against other brands in choice circuits all over the world.

Locally, the Huracán comes at a good time as people wanting to change up from their high-performance German and American sports cars desire for more exciting, more exclusive and more electrifying, thunderous and tempestuous experiences. Indeed, these are exciting times  to be a car enthusiast in the country.