Lamborghini Huracán LP580-2 track drive

Lamborghini maintains that AWD is the best way to make the most of a lot of power, but quietly admits to us that RWD is still the best way to have a blast.

Published on May 24, 2016 06:00:00 AM

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Don’t be fooled by the LP580-2’s apparent composure in the photos; moments later, it was dancing all over the place.

Lighter nose means it dives into corners much easier.

Make : Lamborghini

Model : Huracan

We’re no strangers to the Lamborghini Huracán here at Autocar India; in fact, we’ve spent a lot of quality time with it. There was our thorough (and exclusive) test of it when it was launched, we’ve hot-lapped it around the BIC, we crowned it our ‘Performance Car of the Year’ in 2015, we’ve taken it to a number of exotic locations, including Khardung La; heck, we even raced it against an IAF Sukhoi fighter jet. So why have I come all the way to a race track in Taiwan to drive it again?

The simple answer is – ‘well, wouldn’t you?’ But the real reason is that this Huracán is not like any of the others we’ve driven before. It’s the new LP580-2, and if you speak fluent Bolognese, you’ll know exactly what that means. It’s the inevitable, lower-spec variant with less power and a lower price tag. But for one crucial reason, it’s an even more tantalising proposition than the current top-dog Huracán, the LP610-4.

Rear. Wheel. Drive.

It would be ridiculous to describe any Lamborghini as ‘safe’ in the handling department, but it has to be said, the front driveshafts of the AWD LP610-4 are a sort of safety net, which gives you the confidence to push harder. This one doesn’t have them, and all of its 580hp and 540Nm go straight to the rear wheels, just as god intended. Or rather, just as Ferruccio intended, because as the guys from Lamborghini are quick to remind us, most of their greatest hits – the Miuras, the Countachs and the early Diablos – sent their power to only the back. The newer cars have AWD to help put their power down better and be more usable for more people, but for the few hardcore drivers out there who want the purity of a rear-drive supercar, this is the one. And, while its predecessor, the Gallardo LP550-2, was retro-actively converted from AWD to RWD towards the end of its life cycle, the Huracán LP580-2 was conceived and developed alongside the regular car from day one. This, says Lamborghini, means it is far better sorted dynamically than the old Gallardo LP550-2, and more fun from behind the wheel than the Huracán LP610-4, which is what we’re here to verify, using the scientific method of barging around a track at attack speeds.