In conjunction with dRTB’s Health & Happiness Issue 2021, I introduce you to the newest offering from Automobili Lamborghini, the tangerine dream machine that’s this Huracán EVO RWD Spyder.
The Happiness part of this car is obvious. How could any lover of insanely speedy supercars not break into a mile-wide, Julia Roberts-style grin at the very thought of wrangling this 610-horsepower, V10-engined rocketship?
The endorphins this car produces are up there with hearing Pavarotti hit the high notes on Nessun Dorma, quaffing a 2015 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, or being given a basketful of kittens to cuddle. Happiness doesn’t even come close.
The Health part? Let me get back to you on that. Suffice it to say, anyone who’s weak of heart, suffers shortage of breath or might get nervous at the prospect of being catapulted from a Ringling Brothers circus cannon, may not fully embrace this hip-high thunderbolt.
That said, if you’ve ever wanted to feel truly alive, feel as if every synapse in your body is dialed up to an 11, then this is your car.
There really aren’t enough superlatives in Webster’s to adequately describe the the way this hurricane-force Huracán can slingshot itself off the line.
Nothing prepares you for the mayhem as the car spins its rear wheels like a Fourth of July pinwheel and lunges at the horizon in a smoky haze of flambéed rubber. I’ve driven plenty of fast cars before; this one scared the snot out of me.
I’ve driven plenty of fast cars before; this one scared the snot out of me.
Time, maybe, for a few CliffsNotes on this raging bull from Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy.
The Huracán was introduced way back in 2014 as the first rung on the Lambo ladder. Over the years it has evolved, first into the Huracán Performante, then the EVO. But it always stuck with all-wheel drive to help control all that power.
For purists that has been a big bone of contention. They argued that it desensitized the car, taking away some of the raw, driver-focused, laser-precise responses. Me? I kinda liked the added safety four-wheel-drive offered.
But last year, the wraps came off the Huracán RWD, with that honking, mid-mounted 5.2-liter V10 spinning just the rear rims. Lighter, more nimble, more tail-happy, it became arguably the most fun-driving Lambo money could buy.
And talking of money, the “base” price of our Florida orange Spyder convertible came in at $229,428, or around $15,000 less than the $214,366 Coupe. Though with a raft of must-have options — the $7,100 front-end lift system to avoid pricey front spoiler scrapes is a must — plan on $250,000 and up.
Toggle a switch and that tight-fitting canvas roof powers back and disappears beneath a hard cover in a mere 17 seconds, and at speeds up to 31mph. Aaaah, sunshine.
Top down, it makes a terrific convertible, with hardly any wind buffeting even at close to triple-digit velocities. And with the top dropped, it’s all the better for inhaling that insane, manic, Guns N’ Roses V10 soundtrack as the tach needle bounces off the 8,700 rpm red line.
Inside, you sit in hip-hugging, carbon fiber-shelled seats gripping a wheel that looks straight out of a race car. And the theater of operating this mean machine is pure joy. Flick up a big red flap to hit the start button, pull back on an oversized lever to engage reverse. Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick would feel right at home.
And the true beauty of this latest Huracán is the way it can reflect your driving mood. Don’t want to run 0-to-60 in 3.3 seconds, or hit that 201 mph top speed on the Courtney Campbell? Select “Strada,” or street mode, and the exhaust calms, the suspension softens, and shifts on the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic turn oily smooth.
But this car isn’t about Lexus-style luxuriating. It’s all about the thrills. So simply hit the “Sport” setting, or go full metal jacket with “Corsa” — that’s track in Italian — and be ready for some slip-sliding, rear-end drifting.
This is, without doubt, the best all-round Lamborghini I’ve driven. It has a truly appealing, more balanced combo of true supercar thrill-ride and easy-going daily driver.
And, as any doctor will tell you, orange is good for your health.
Test drive the Huracán EVO RWD Spyder at Lamborghini of Sarasota. And look for auto editor Howard Walker’s online column “Weekend Wheels” every weekend at dupontregistrytampabay.com.
