2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2 India track drive

POSTER CHILD

Let’s face it though, a Lamborghini is as much (arguably more) about showing off as it is about going quickly. The look has been called ‘safe’ before, but I’m sorry – safe compared to what? A chainsaw? Perhaps the headlamps are a little on the tame side, but even those have V-shaped LED signatures that will stare into your soul. The LP580-2 has different bumpers from the LP610-4 and, personally, I prefer them. Even the rear aero and venting system looks more aggressive on this one, and don’t you just love the black slatted engine cover? And that flash value continues on the inside. The driving position is low and flat, as is the windscreen, and the Sci-Fi dashboard rises up and envelops you. Honeycomb patterns, toggle switches that are throwbacks to aviation, and the most ferocious-looking gearshift paddles I’ve ever seen.

And as I ignore, for one last time, the crew on the radio asking me to come back to the pits, I remember how Lamborghini’s marketing team described the Huracán LP580-2. It’s the one for those who want to push their car, and themselves, a little bit more. The AWD 610-4 is meant to get the most out of the V10’s power, but this one is meant for the driver to feel the nuances of the carbon-aluminium chassis. Sure, it has a nose-lift kit to help you tackle speed bumps better, a smooth automatic gearbox and as many creature comforts as the average living room, but it’s still a no-nonsense supercar at the end of the day. It’s stiffly sprung, impossibly low and wide, and you’ll break out into a nervous sweat if you try doing a U-turn on a busy road. Mistreat it even slightly and it will rip you to shreds. The last lap is one I won’t soon forget – harder, faster and edgier than I’d ever have dared at the start of today, but constantly on my toes with 100 percent of my concentration. And my respect. The rear fidgets about, the steering rumbles in my hands and I may have lost some of my hearing; I’ve never felt more alive.

THE SWEET SPOT

It’s perfect – there’s just no other word for it, and that’s because it works on so many levels. Far be it from me to ever use the words ‘Lamborghini’ and ‘value’ in the same sentence, but Rs 44 lakh is nothing to scoff at, even when you’re paying in crores. That’s the price difference between the LP580-2 and the LP610-4, and it does make you question stumping up the extra cash for the latter. If you simply must have the ‘top-of-the-range’ Huracán, pick the Spyder convertible; you’ll definitely get a lot more attention out of it too. Perhaps it’s that extra 30 horsepower that you just cannot do without; well, if you’re able to tell the difference, you, sir, are a nobler man than I. Perhaps it’s the four-wheel-drive, and yes, this will prove a valuable safety net for many owners exploring the limits of a supercar for the first time, especially out on a circuit. But most Lamborghinis in India never see a race track, so unless you’re a reckless idiot pushing your car too hard on public road, the LP580-2 is safe and friendly enough with all the electronic aids engaged. At its price, it also sits in a tiny little cubbyhole between the sub-supercars like the Porsche 911 Turbo, Jaguar F-Type R, Mercedes-AMG GT and Audi R8, and full-on exotica like the Ferrari 488 and yes, the LP610-4. But I implore you, Mr Hotshot Crorepati, if you must pick a Huracán, pick this one because it is simply more fun to drive, once you’ve agreed to respect its ferocity, of course. And if anyone tells you Lamborghini played it too safe with its latest small supercar, they haven’t had a go in one of these yet.