CARMEL, Calif. — Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann will be remembered as one of the most influential leaders in the Italian luxury automaker’s history.
A lot happened during his two tenures at Lamborghini, from the launch of the Gallardo supercar in the early 2000s to the hugely successful Urus SUV some 15 years later.
With the beloved supercar “Huracan” now in the process of being retired, Winkelmann’s latest creation is the Huracan’s successor, the “Temerario.”
While the Temerario lacks the Huracan’s hugely popular naturally aspirated V-10 engine, Winkelmann is confident that its evolution will tap into the passion of Lamborghini fans. The new Lamborghini’s twin-turbo V8 revs to an astounding 10,000 RPM. Paired with three electric motors (two on the front axle and one between the engine and gearbox), this produces 907 horsepower, propelling the Temerario from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 212 mph.
“We need to improve performance over the previous generation, and that includes handling characteristics, so the power-to-weight ratio is key to our success, because this is one of the hallmarks of Lamborghini,” Winkelmann told Yahoo Finance from Lamborghini’s stand at the Quail event during Monterey Car Week.
Winkelmann believes that reducing emissions through hybrid powertrain battery systems and improving performance through electric motors is “the right direction for Lamborghini”.
It’s a recipe the company has employed with the success of its Revuelto hypercar, the Temerario’s big brother with a V12 hybrid powertrain, which has already sold out for at least the next year’s production run, if not longer.