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Lamborghini Huracan Evo Rear-Wheel Drive promises lots of oversteer

The debut of the Lamborghini Huracan EVO Rear-Wheel Drive can be seen as a propitious start to the Gregorian New Year, or a starburst finale for the Chinese Year of the Rat – either take works. Coming 12 months after the reveal of its all-wheel-drive sibling, and true to its label, the Huracan EVO RWD sends all of its firepower to the rear wheels. That means 610 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, spun from a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10, turning a set of 19-inch Kari wheels on Pirelli P Zeros. Lamborghini says putting the front axle on vacation lets the coupe "deliver the most emotive, fun-to-drive experience in both dry and wet conditions, and even snow." If our last experience with an RWD Huracan holds true, the driving experience – albeit a touch slower at the limit than the four-wheel version – is more fluid in every phase of handling that involves a crook in the road. Jettisoning mechanicals to drive the front wheels saves 73 pounds, the Huracan EVO RWD coming in at 3,062 pounds dry. The dash to 62 miles per hour takes 3.3 seconds, 0.4 seconds adrift of the EVO AWD, but the top speed holds steady at 203 mph. Engineers reprogrammed the Performance Traction Control System (P-TCS) for the new power delivery in all three driving modes; "Strada" minimizes slippage for everyday piloting, "Sport" opens up slip angles and drifting potential, "Corsa" balances slip and traction for ideal, kerb-kissing corner exits. When the driver's right foot demands more performance than the tires can provide, the P-TCS is calibrated for smooth cuts to and restoration of torque delivery  Designers differentiated the rear-driver from the all-wheel driver with a new, more conservative front fascia with three polygonal intakes above a new front splitter. In back, there's a new diffuser design under the high-gloss black bumper.    Deliveries begin in spring this year, the starting price in the U.S. $208,571, compared to $261,274 for the all-wheel drive coupe. Related Video:

Lamborghini walks us through improvements it made to the Huracan

LE CASTELLET, France — Lamborghini's updated Huracan EVO2 will make its competition debut during the 2022 season of the Super Trofeo one-make series. Visually, it gains a new-look design that blazes the path future models — including production cars — will follow in the coming years. There's more to it than a face-lift, and we sat down with Leonardo Galante, the man in charge of technical development for Lamborghini's racing arm, to get the full scoop on the changes made. "It's a big step from EVO to EVO2, and we focused on three main pillars," Galante told us at the Paul Ricard track. Design is the first; aerodynamics is the second, and it's closely linked to design; braking performance is the third. Customers and enthusiasts will notice design before any of the mechanical changes, so Galante's team worked directly with Centro Stile, the company's in-house design department, to update the Huracan. The lights are thinner on both ends, and the rear units are embedded in a housing that echoes the Countach's back end. Air curtains are now positioned on either side of the front fascia, while a redesigned diffuser dominates the Huracan's rear end. Centro Stile and Squadra Corse had an equal influence on these updates. "We learned a lot in terms of shapes, about how to make a car look beautiful, and designers learned a lot about the principles of aerodynamics," Galante explained. "We worked together to define the best shapes to generate an efficient aerodynamic profile. We want to generate as much downforce as possible while creating as little drag as possible." Sculpting a car's aerodynamic profile isn't as straightforward as merely adding wings, spoilers, vents, and ducts to keep it glued to the ground around a turn. Galante stressed the quality of the downforce generated by the various add-ons is just as important as headline-grabbing figures. His aim was to keep the car as stable and predictable as possible, even when the weight balance shifts under heavy braking from triple-digit speeds. Feedback provided by Super Trofeo competitors since the beginning of the series helped his team dial in the right amount of downforce. Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo 2 View 11 Photos "With my group, I design the car, but I'm also here on the race track listening to the teams. When something is very good, or when something is very bad, I get immediate feedback. This is a very good part of my job," he said. Braking was one of the areas he wanted to improve.

Creative minds build lightweight Lambos and Bugattis with cardboard and pedals

As manufacturers continue their quests to reduce the weight of their vehicles, they switch out heavy steel for lighter materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium, and sometimes even magnesium. But they've been ignoring a cheap alternative that is widely available: cardboard. Leave it to two visionaries from Vietnam to crack the code and build supercars and superbikes out of the versatile paper product. Vietnamese YouTube channel NHET TV, via CarScoops, might only have a year under its belt, but in that short amount of time, it has amassed more than 350,000 subscribers. What initially started out as a random collection of harmless pranks, trolls, and makeshift time-killers has blossomed into an entertaining channel of ultra-low-budget car and motorcycle builds.  The first video posted is a paper plane competition, but the second video shows the first appearance of a vehicle, a Ducati Panigale made out of cardboard and a bicycle. This isn't like Paper Mario with a two-dimensional silhouette, it's a close-enough three-dimensional replica. That project was admittedly pretty rough, but the work has only improved as the channel has matured.  Throughout the past year, NHET TV has stuck with high-performance transportation for inspiration. They've built projects that mimic a Lamborghini Sian, a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, a Ferrari LaFerrari FXX K, a Bugatti Chiron, a BMW S 1000 RR, and a Yamaha YZF-R6, among others. Some of the builds, such as the Bugatti, go beyond the typical cardboard-body-on-bicycle-frame. As seen in the video below, the NHET TV built a tubular frame for the car using spare bike parts that they welded together. The Bug even has a custom steering column and steering wheel, though the high-quality model continues to use bike chains and pedals for power. The SVJ might be the most advanced vehicle, as it has a real engine for power and has custom reverse gearing. These guys are creating fun out of the limited resources they do have, and that's what right now is all about. Enjoy the videos below and watch more on the full NHET TV channel.