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Lamborghini Huracan Performante's active aero is the secret to its speed

The most revolutionary real technology at this year's Geneva Motor Show didn't look like it on the show stand. If you squint at the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, it merely looks like a Huracan with a big wing. Up close, you can see the fractal texture of the forged-composite aerodynamic add-ons, but that still doesn't tell you why this car is so special. Lamborghini calls it Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA), or active aerodynamics. This is one of the biggest keys to the Performante's claimed production-car record lap time at the Nurburgring Nordschleife of 6 minutes, 52.01 seconds. The Huracan Performante's number is not without controversy, but I personally care very little about the obsessive phallic-measuring contests that are 'Ring lap times. What's fascinating about the Performante is that, if the lap time is even close to legitimate, it shows that ALA is a major step forward in automotive performance. More than just lap times, the Huracan Performante is an example of why Lamborghini remains special in a world of democratized performance. We sat down to discuss this with Lamborghini's Research and Development Director, Maurizio Reggiani. And one last note on the lap time: Reggiani says with the same temperature and exclusive access to a dry track, "that in this average of speed we can repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat." In previous conversations, Reggiani said that the key difference in performance would come not from horsepower, but weight reduction. For Lamborghini, that means plenty of carbon fiber. But the newest Huracan is not a Superleggera, the old title for the hardcore variant. "Superleggera is too much an objective, a description. Performante is really the DNA of the car. In Italian, Performante means really the best performance," he said. Reggiani continues, "Nothing happened by chance. It's really a building-block approach where you say this can give this contribution, this can give that. Where can you improve something and what is needed to improve something?" That brought them to the active aerodynamics solution, which channels air to stall the front or rear aero elements of the car to change the downforce and drag. Reggiani says, "This can be achieved only with a system that is really light, [has] fast responsiveness. Based on this ...

Mansory loads up the Lamborghini Huracan with more power, carbon fiber

Mansory drenched the Lamborghini Huracan in carbon fiber and cranked the engine to more than 1,000 hp. The result? Something called the Torofeo, which was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show. The name refers to toro, which is Spanish for bull, and the Super Trofeo Motorsports line. Mansory added new air intakes up front to improve cooling, widened the body, made the wheel arches more prominent and gave the supercar new mirrors. There's also a new rear spoiler and diffuser that enhance air flow. The tuner says the carbon-fiber pieces are even lighter than Lamborghini's stock parts. There are also enhanced daytime running lights as a passive safety feature. Under the hood, the 5.2-liter V10 gets two turbochargers and is rebuilt with new pistons, camshafts, connecting rods, a new fuel system and a water-cooled intercooler. There's also an upgraded exhaust system. The enhancements lift the Huracan to a claimed-1,000 hp, up considerably from the usual 600-plus hp. The cabin is upgraded with more leather, Alcantara-covered seats and a new steering wheel. It all rolls on forged alloy wheels that measure 20 inches in front and 21 in the rear. Sound good? Mansory also brought plenty of other cars, including a slightly less powerful Lamborghini, to Geneva, as well. Related Video: MANSORY TOROFEO –Lamborghini Huracan in an exclusive MANSORY-carbon fibre suit. March 2015 A radical, new interpretation of the Lamborghini Huracan is the latest development from the premium manufacturer MANSORY. Referring back to the Spanish "Toro" meaning bull and the Super Trofeo Motorsports Range, MANSORY have christened the sports car TOROFEO. Radical changes have been made to the body, engine and interior, making the "little" Lambo a real MANSORY car. And as you would expect from MANSORY, they didn't hold back in their use of carbon fibre. Where Lamborghini thought they had maximised the use of carbon fibre, MANSORY have added an extra touch based on their core competency. No other company in the market is as closely linked to the use of carbon fibre as MANSORY. These specialists manufacture and process this ultra-light, extremely strong material taken from the world of motorsport in their own in-house autoclaves, which means they don't have to rely on suppliers. This gives them complete freedom in the scope, fit and design of components. The best proof of this can be seen in the completely newly designed carbon fibre body.

Italian cops get a Lamborghini to haul some precious cargo

Three years ago, we told you about Lamborghini's gift to law and order: a Huracan LP 610-4 that was donated to the Italian State Police. That car went into service near Rome in 2015, replacing a Gallardo they'd been using previously. Now, a second Huracan has just been delivered for service in the region around Bologna. Law enforcement may be done a bit differently in the country that convicted, acquitted, re-convicted and re-acquitted Amanda Knox. But why would a police agency need a $200,000, 610-horsepower supercar? Firstly, no one in their right mind turns down a free Lamborghini. Second, it's a display of national pride, decked out, to quote the press release, in "the official colors of the Italian Police (Police Medium Blue), with the white areas and lettering specially executed to match the Huracan's dynamic look. The livery is completed by a stripe divided into the three colors of the Italian flag, which runs along both sides of the vehicle. As is true for all Lamborghini cars, the Huracan Polizia is equipped with P Zero Pirelli tires, but their sidewalls are tinted in Police Medium Blue and were specially created for the occasion." And third, they actually did dream up a role that suits its capabilities. In addition to the usual cop-car complement of police radio, tablet computer, gun holster, fire extinguisher and hand-held sign for directing traffic, the Lambo has been designated for medical responses and, like many police cars in the States, carries a defibrillator for medical emergencies. More to the point, its front trunk is equipped with a special refrigeration system for transporting human organs for transplant. The authorities describe two cases in 2016 in which a series of transplants had donor organs busily crisscrossing the Lombardy and Tuscany regions to various recipients – a situation in which speed is of the essence. Between organ transplants, presumably the car's primary duty will be to look good, serving as an ambassador of goodwill for both the Polizia as well as Lamborghini. Related Video: