Elegant, topless supercar
“Performance and lifestyle under the open sky.”
“Electrohydraulic, lightweight soft top for pure Spyder feeling.”
“Superb aerodynamics for supreme open-top driving comfort.”
“An elegant, topless supercar not just to get through the circuit, but to have heads turn as you drive by!” said Issam.
Where would you find the picture-perfect city to drive a supercar? There are glamorous cities where money talks: Los Angeles, New York, Paris, London, Shanghai, and Tokyo, to name a few. Our first drive of the Huracán Spyder took place in Miami, Florida. I asked myself, why Miami of all places? I couldn’t really answer that question at first, but when I saw how many Lambos were cruising around Miami Beach, I knew why the Italian automaker chose this city precisely for their drive event!
In the Middle East many say that it is the home base of supercars. I agree. I see as many supercars each day as I see Toyota Camrys. The perfect season to drive a topless car would be between November and March (at least in the GCC); Lebanon and Jordan could probably go topless nine months of the year! As many of you know, the Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder was first shown at the Frankfurt International Motor Show last year.
Exterior and the new soft top resolution
The Huracán Spyder demonstrates the latest evolution of Lamborghini’s characteristic design language. It provides outstanding visual impact while adhering to the Lamborghini principle of ‘form follows function’: the Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder is as exciting to look at as it is to drive.
The most distinctive feature of the Huracán Spyder is its new soft top. The roof is available in three different colors: black, brown and red. Even with the roof up, the lines of the Spyder differ significantly from those of the coupe. At 4.46 meters long and 1.92 meters wide, the Lamborghini Huracán Spyder stands just 1.18 meters high. The lightweight soft top fits perfectly into the Spyder’s silhouette while up, and when down is hidden away into the most efficient space possible, maintaining the Spyder’s perfect center of gravity and revealing the athletic and equally powerful lines of the open car. Hidden automatic pop-up safety bars do not spoil the open car’s low silhouette.
The new electrohydraulic, lightweight soft top opens via a button positioned on the central tunnel console in just 17 seconds and at speeds of up to 50 km/h. Whether the soft top is up or down, the driver can also electronically open the rear window, which functions as a windshield when closed and when open, as an amplifier of the unique engine sound of the naturally aspirated V10.
With the roof down, a distinctive design solution with two movable fins has been developed. The fins become visible during the opening process, rising out of the folding roof casing and perfectly defining the design of the open car. Enhancing the car’s low, powerful appearance, these rear fins that start at the seatbacks continue the roofline to the rear, perfectly shaping the side view of the Spyder. An integrated duct reduces turbulence in the headroom during open-top driving.
For added comfort there are two removable lateral wind guards damping the lateral aerodynamic pulsations, thus ensuring perfect acoustic comfort that allows a conversation even at high speeds. Aerodynamic studies have resulted in leaving the upper part of the windshield free from any wind nets or mobile spoilers. A simple wind brace is discreetly embellished tone-on-tone with the Huracán Spyder’s logo, and can be additionally personalized.
Last but not least, the two fins contribute to optimizing airflow through the engine compartment, which is covered by a slatted engine bonnet specific to the Spyder. The air intakes of the engine compartment are painted in black.
Chassis
The hybrid chassis of the Huracán Spyder LP 610-4 combines aluminum components front and rear with extensive carbon fiber elements in the occupants’ cell. The exterior skin is made from aluminum.
This lightweight chassis provides exceptional torsional stiffness for an open-top car, improved by 40 percent over its Gallardo predecessor, and delivers the handling precision of a race car while forming the backbone of the lightweight engineering concept. The new Spyder boasts a dry weight of just 1,542 kilograms, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 2.53 kilograms per horsepower.
The Huracán Spyder’s outstanding aerodynamics includes a fully flat and smooth underbody, while a large diffuser dissipates air beneath the rear end and a fixed spoiler is integrated into the tail. In terms of downforce, the Huracán Spyder exceeds its Gallardo predecessor by 50 percent and, with the roof closed, benefits from a very low drag coefficient with wind noise virtually eliminated.
Drivetrain
The naturally aspirated, long-stroke V10 engine delivers its full, engaging potential in the Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder, especially with the top down. Offering the same technical qualities as in the Huracán coupe, it is a sports car engine at its very best. It is extremely responsive, revs up to 8,700 rpm and composes a richly tuneful and unmistakeable symphony of sound. From its 5.2 liter displacement, it generates 610 horsepower at 8,250 rpm, delivering 560 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm. The top speed of 324 km/h and the acceleration figures – 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, 0 to 200 km/h in 10.2 seconds – confirm the uncompromised performance of the two-seater Spyder. Thanks in part to the new stop-start technology and cylinder on demand (i.e. the deactivation of one cylinder bank under partial load), its ECE standardized fuel consumption is a mere 12.3 liters per 100 kilometers. The Huracán Spyder’s CO2 emissions have been reduced by 14 percent compared to the Gallardo Spyder, despite a significant increase in performance.
It comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that shifts at lightning speed. At the heart of the transmission is a hydraulic multi-plate coupling. The fully electronically controlled coupling, which is actively cooled for maximum performance, can switch the torque freely between the two axles, with perfect weight distribution of 43/57 front/rear, as in the coupe. At the rear, a mechanical differential lock ensures powerful traction.
As in the coupe, the ANIMA (Advanced Network Intelligence MAnagement) switch on the steering wheel allows various driving modes to be selected, from sporty and dynamic to extreme performance and handling. The three different programs, Strada, Sport and Corsa, impact the characteristics of the engine, sound, transmission, all-wheel drive and ESC handling system. Working in the background is the LPI (Lamborghini Piattaforma Inerziale) system. Six sensors supply information on the car’s movement; the LPI then sends the information at lightning speed to all handling systems.
The standard-fit carbon-ceramic brake system provides the Huracán Spyder with immensely powerful and reliable deceleration. The front discs measure 380 millimeters (14.96 inches) in diameter and, as an option, Lamborghini also offers painted brake calipers in a choice of colors. There are lightweight aluminum double wishbone suspension arms at all four wheels.
Lamborghini offers the optional LDS (Lamborghini Dynamic Steering) system, which adapts its ratio to the road speed, and magneto-rheological damper control, which changes the damper characteristics in accordance with driver preferences and driving style.
Interior
An innovative cockpit dominates the interior. The 12.3-inch TFT display can be configured in several modes and offers the driver all key information in a virtual representation, including the optional navigation map. The displays are razor sharp, brilliant and incredibly detailed: the virtual rev counter needle, for instance, is recalculated 60 times per second, ensuring it flows absolutely smoothly even under full acceleration. The TFT display is part of the new standard-fit Lamborghini Infotainment System II.
The driver can control the display functions via the buttons on the steering wheel – the only other operating elements are the shift paddles. The buttons for the soft top and the rear windshield are on the center tunnel console, as is the start button for the V10 engine, located beneath a red cover as in a military jet. The electric seats of the Huracán Spyder are equipped with an ECU that ensures all movements are made without engine wall contact.
The slender dashboard and center console contribute to the elegance of the interior design. The beautifully crafted interior, which can be extensively individualized, conveys refined quality and features Alcantara and fine Nappa leather. There are five trim choices – Standard, Elegante, Sportivo with Alcantara, Sportivo bicolor with Alcantara, and Sportivo bicolor with soft leather – as well as 17 interior colors.
The soft top is available in black, brown and red, complementing a choice of eleven external colors. The Ad Personam individualization program offers further alternatives, including five matte exterior colors.
Standard fit items contribute to the luxurious lifestyle personality of the Huracán Spyder. These include LED headlamps and rear lights, 20-inch Giano wheels and the new multi-media Lamborghini Infotainment System II, with operating terminal on the center tunnel console. In addition, the new options on offer reflect the high-tech character of the new Spyder. These include the exterior Style package, and ranges through the Sensonum high-end sound system (available in select markets), to the Lamborghini Dynamic Steering system.
Verdict
The Huracán Spyder LP 610-4 is built to uncompromising quality in a state-of-the-art production facility at the Automobili Lamborghini headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese. The soft top makes it an exceptional supercar in terms of looks, versus both McLaren and Ferrari. Rivals might drive better, but I personally prefer the cutting-edge designs of the Lamborghini – an awesomely compelling package! It will be available mid-2016 at a starting price of approximately $207,256 USD plus tax.
Pros: Excellent performance, head-turning exterior design, exquisite interior, soft top
Cons: Poor rear visibility, expensive addition of options
Rivals: Ferrari 488 Spider, McLaren 650S Spider
One word: Topless
4 stars
Specs
5.2 L, V10, 610 hp @ 8,250 rpm, 560 Nm @ 6,500 rpm
7-speed LDF dual-clutch transmission, shift characteristics variable via Drive Select Mode, AWD
0-100 km/h: 3.4 secs, top speed: 324 km/h, fuel consumption: 12.3 L/100 km
Weight: 1,542 kg