Federico Foschini is one hell of a salesman. When I ask Lamborghini's Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at The Quail in Monterey if fans will miss the Huracan's V-10, he tells me: "It's not V-10 to V-8, it's 10 to 10,000." Point taken.
He, of course, is referencing the Temerario V-8's 10,000 rpm redline. Even though Lamborghini's new engine is two cylinders down on the Huracan's lauded V-10, the company is confident fans will fall in love with this unit just the same. Foschini especially.
One of the Temerario's biggest selling points is that it doesn’t share engines; You won't find its twin-turbo V-8 under the hood of any Audi. Lamborghini built it from the ground up exclusively for the Temerario, something the company knew it had to do from the beginning.
"There is no other engine with these kinds of characteristics," Foschini tells me. "We didn't come with a normal V-8 bi-turbo four-liter, we came with something that is—let's say—unexpected…. Yeah, we could have absolutely grabbed the V-8 from the portfolio and just shoved it in there, and I think it probably would have done a good enough job. But building it from the ground up, that was mandatory from day one."
Every element of this V-8 is unique. It has a 90-degree "Hot Vee" layout, a flat-plane crankshaft, and two turbochargers that produce a maximum pressure of 36 psi. Aluminum-alloy cylinder heads and titanium connecting rods help keep the engine lightweight, and Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coated finger followers help keep the valvetrain reliable to redline. The end result is 197 horsepower per liter—a hearty 789 horsepower before hybrid assistance kicks in.
'It's not V-10 to V-8, it's 10 to 10,000.'
With 920 horsepower all told, the Temerario quietly creeps into hypercar territory—which also means into Revuelto territory. The V-12 hybrid hypercar has 1,001 horsepower by comparison. But Foschini isn't worried about Temerario eating into Revuelto sales—in fact, many customers will probably take home both.
"At the end of the day, we have almost a 100-horsepower difference. We have a different acceleration, different top speeds, and I have to say that the car, in terms of customer requirements, two different needs," Foschini says.
"One is the iconic car of Lamborghini… the other is the more fun to drive car, but also more versatile and more usable than the other. So they are answering to different needs, and it’s clear that many customers are going to buy both…. But they are two different cars… So, I think that is the strength of our portfolio today, we have two products that are very much differentiated, but at the top of the range."
Alongside the Revuelto, Lamborghini's lineup is now completely electrified. The Revuelto pairs a V-12 with electric motors and the Urus recently moved to a V-8 PHEV setup. For Foschini and his team, a fully electrified Lambo lineup is a big step in the historic automaker's history.
"Today is the closing of the execution of the hybridization of the full portfolio," he tells me. "So you see the three models now in a row. We started in March with the Revuelto. We went on in April in Beijing with the Urus, which is now a hybrid. And we are closing the product lineup hybridization with the Temerario…. It’s historical for Lamborghini. We’ve never had a lineup strong like it is today."
But more batteries means more complications with weight and weight distribution, something Lamborgini had to contend with on the Revuelto. Here on the Temerario, Lamborgini cleverly shoved the 3.8-kilowatt-hour cell into the center tunnel and mounted it as low as possible to keep the car’s center of gravity low. Foschini assures me that the car is "perfectly balanced," as all things should be.
At 3,725 pounds dry, the Temerario is on the heftier side compared to the lightest Huracan, which weighed under 3,000 pounds without fluids. But even with the added weight, Foschini assures me the Temerario is still plenty capable on a track. And in some cases, even better than the Huracan.
"On one hand, you have the effect of the weight, which is maybe a negative effect of the electrification," he says. "But on the other hand, you have the super positive effect of the two front [motors] acting as active torque vectoring, so they can give you perfect handling on the track, on a very powerful car… So I think the combination is giving you an upgrade in terms of the track experience compared to the predecessor."
The Huracan and Gallardo were both top sellers before the Urus SUV came along, proving to be two of the most popular sports cars of their time. Foschini believes the Temerario will be even more successful than those two. But that doesn’t mean Lamborghini will start producing Temerarios at the same rate Toyota makes Camrys.
'We’ve never had a lineup strong like it is today.'
"In the past, we increased our sales from Gallardo to Huracan… We are probably increasing [with Temerario] a little bit but in a very conscious way. We are not aiming for volume record, we are aiming for exclusivity, keeping the residual value on a proper level, and keeping the marginality at the right point. So at the end of the day, there is natural growth."
The Lamborghini Temerario goes on sale early next year. The company hasn’t officially announced a price, but we expect the supercar to start somewhere in the $400,000 mark—a slight bump over the outgoing Huracan.
Whether or not fans embrace the V-8 remains to be seen. But it’s hard to see how they won’t. A beautiful bespoke engine, two turbos, electric assist, and nearly 1,000 hp should have the Lamborghini faithful flocking to dealerships.
