Having launched the Huracan with four-wheel drive, Lamborghini promptly went about ripping the front driveshafts out again to create the lighter, rear-driven Huracan LP580-2. Designed to make the entry-level bull attractive to drivers who want to pull lurid slides, it was an instant hit when it landed earlier this year. Now the rear-drive Huracan can be had without a roof, putting lucky drivers even closer to the its glorious V10 noise.
The transition from coupe to roadster is never easy, especially when the car in question is a supercar with almost 600 horsepower. Cutting the roof creates structural problems, almost all of which need to be solved with heavy braces and struts in the body and chassis. All this bracing adds weight, which in turn dulls handling and performance. That's not a problem for designers of most convertibles because most convertibles are boulevard cruisers, but it is a problem when your modus operandi is creating cars to show Ferrari up.
Despite being built around a similar carbon and aluminum chassis to the rear-drive coupe, the LP580-2 Spyder has really packed on the pounds in the process of losing its roof. With a claimed dry weight of 1,509 kg (3,327 lb) its a full 120 kg (265 lb) heavier than the coupe, and 89 kg (196 lb) portlier than the segment-leading Ferrari 488 GTB Spider. It is, however, still slightly lighter than the all-wheel drive Huracan LP610-4 Spyder.
Power comes from the same naturally-aspirated V10 found in the LP580-2 coupe, making the same 580 hp (433 kW), but the extra weight does make for a slower 3.6 second sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph). What it loses in outright pace, the Spyder should make up for in noise, though. Both the McLaren 650S and Ferrari 488 GTB have made the switch to turbo power for more power and better fuel economy, but Lamborghini has stood resolutely by its free-breathing V10, which is up there with the best-sounding engines in the world.
Taking the 17 seconds to drop the electric soft top only puts you closer to the engine's glorious wail, which should be enough to make up for almost any personality fault.
The car sits on a retuned suspension, with new spring and anti-roll bar tuning designed to better suit the livelier rear-driven chassis. About 60 percent of the total weight sits over the back axle which should help with traction, while the lighter nose has been set up for pointier turn-in and less understeer than you get in the four-wheel drive car. Critics fell in love with the rear-drive coupe when it first launched, so the Spyder is certainly building on a solid foundation.
Beside the extra headroom, there's not much to separate the Huracan LP580-2 Spyder from the rest of the range. A special air vent in the back of the cabin has been created to try and cut down on buffeting, but you can still expect to come out of a top-down ride with wild hair and ringing ears, especially if the speedo needle goes anywhere near the car's 319 km/h (198 mph) top speed.
The Huracan LP580-2 Spyder made its debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show, where New Atlas is on the ground covering all the big new releases. Check out the Lamborghini teaser video for the Spyder below.
Source: Lamborghini
