From the March/April 2026 issue of Car and Driver.
Lap Time: 2:41.7
Class: LL5 | Base: $440,367 | As Tested: $585,954
Power and Weight: 907 hp • 4200 lb • 4.6 lb/hp
Tires: Bridgestone Potenza Race
F: 255/35ZR-20 (97Y) L
R: 325/30ZR-21 (108Y) L
Never mind that Lamborghini’s latest entry-level supercar is substantially larger and heavier than the Huracán that preceded it. The Temerario’s new 10,000-rpm twin-turbocharged V-8 combined with electric assist brings 276 more horsepower than before. Boosting power by 44 percent has a way of siphoning time from a lap, and the Temerario opens up a sizable 2.2-second gap compared with the quickest Huracán we’ve run, a rear-drive 2023 Tecnica. Although that difference is explained almost entirely by the gains on VIR’s three longest straights.
Despite packing 761 more pounds than that Huracán (and 594 more than an all-wheel-drive Evo variant we lapped several years ago), the Temerario puts on an acceleration clinic down VIR’s Front Straight, climbing to 173.6 mph. It’s the third-fastest speed we’ve ever recorded, behind only the Corvette ZR1 (179.0) and the McLaren 765LT (174.6). This is despite the Lambo having a power-to-weight deficit of 12 percent compared with the McLaren and 24 percent versus the Corvette. It’s safe to say the Temerario’s powertrain is an overperformer, except in one regard: sound. While what’s there is great, there just isn’t enough of it, as our team listening to it sprint down the straight kept pointing out.
The expanded size and weight aren’t just wanton bloat; they bring a sea change to the interior dimensions. As proof, we assigned our tallest, six-foot-five pilot, who can’t get anywhere near comfortable with a helmet on in a Huracán, to the Lambo’s helm. The Temerario doesn’t feel heavy, and the all-wheel drive isn’t overly obvious as the car brilliantly slithers through corners, the assist from its three electric motors deftly integrated with the high-revving V-8. It’s balanced, natural, and trustworthy, making it easy to get into a flow state so sublime that thoughts of damaging a car with a sticker price this lofty are fully erased.
We’re a little surprised that the junior hybrid Lamborghini is but 84 pounds lighter than its V-12-powered Revuelto big brother, which we ran last year. That puts the Temerario at a slight power-to-weight disadvantage, and yet the two cars’ lap times were all but identical. With time differences of no more than 0.5 second, the Revuelto won Sectors 1, 4, and 5, and the Temerario took Sectors 2 and 3 to wind up just 0.4 second in arrears.
Back to Lightning Lap 2026
Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver‘s vehicle-testing efforts. Dave got his very lucky start at C/D by happening to submit an unsolicited resume at just the right time to land a part-time road warrior job when he was a student at the University of Michigan, where he immediately became enthralled with the world of automotive journalism.