Record-breaking Lamborghini Huracan Performante grips Geneva

Lamborghini has unleashed its most track-focused car yet at the the Geneva Motor Show, turning the heat up still further on supercar rivals

The Lamborghini Huracan Performante has already kicked up a storm – it set a new production-car lap record of a hair over six minutes 52 seconds at the famous Nurburgring race circuit – a feat that brings its maker a great deal of prestige.

As the ultimate version of the Lamborghini Huracan, the Performante boasts extra power and active aerodynamics. At £210,000, it isn’t cheap, but it’s barely a third the price of the deposed Nurburgring lap record holder – the Porsche 918 hypercar.

Lamborghini Huracan Performante details

The Performante uses a tweaked 631bhp version of Lamborghini’s 5.2-litre V10 engine – up from the regular Huracan’s 602bhp.

This increase is enough to bring the 0-62mph acceleration time below the three-second mark to 2.9 seconds – against the 3.2 seconds of the ‘normal’ Huracan. Accelerating from 0-124 mph is achieved in 8.9 seconds, with a top speed of 200mph if you’ve got a desert runway at your disposal.

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Top speed isn’t all you need on a circuit like the Nurburgring, and the Performante’s active aerodynamics played a big role in clinching that lap record. The Lamborghini airflow management system – named ‘Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva’ (ALA) adds downforce to hunker the car down in corners, boosting the already impressive grip of its Pirelli Trofeo R tyres – although less extreme P Zero Corsa tyres are standard equipment.

Four-wheel drive ensures that the grip of every tyre can be fully exploited, while the use of carbon-fibre and aluminium in the Performante’s construction brings a useful 40kg weight saving over the standard car – further aiding responsiveness in corners.

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The Performante isn’t just special on the outside – the digital cockpit display is adapted to control the ALA system, while special sports seats and Alcantara and carbon fibre trim set the track-focused mood.

The Lamborghini Huracan Performante goes on sale with a price tag of around £210,000 – or even more if you make use of the company’s Ad Personam programme. This allows the deep of pocket to customise their Huracan to suit any taste, adding even more show to the Performante’s considerable go.