To be revealed in August 2024, the LB634 replaces the Huracan. It's a completely different animal from its predecessor, with Volkswagen Group-controlled Automobili Lamborghini switching from a free-breathing V10 developed by the Audi division to a flat-plane crankshaft V8 augmented by turbos.
The V10 in question is better known as the 5.2 FSI, a screamer of an engine differs from the even-firing V10 of the pre-facelift Gallardo. An odd-firing design, the 5.2 FSI premiered at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in the Gallardo LP 560-4, followed by the R8 Coupe 5.2 FSI quattro in late 2008 for the 2009 model year.
Carparazzo Mr. Grey of the NCARS YouTube channel has recently spotted a camouflaged LB634 in Spain, with said prototype making flat-plane crankshaft V8 noises. Because Lamborghini's test driver knew that he was being filmed, he refrained from pushing the prototype to the confirmed 10K-rpm redline.
Referred by Mr. Grey as the Temerario after a trademark filed by Automobili Lamborghini with the EUIPO in April 2024, the LB634 is based on a carbon-fiber chassis derived from the so-called monofuselage of the Revuelto. Speaking of which, the imminent premiere of the Huracan-replacing supercar will mark the bitter end of combustion-only powertrains for the Sant'Agata Bolognese-based automaker.
It's even more bitter once you realize that only the Revuelto features a naturally aspirated engine. Although the Italian manufacturer confirmed a displacement of 4.0 liters for the LB634, we don't know if said twin-turbo V8 is mechanically related to the cross-plane crankshaft 4.0 TFSI used by Volkswagen Group brands Audi, Porsche, Bentley, and Lamborghini in the plug-in hybrid Urus SE.
Photo: NCARS on YouTube
The spy video uploaded by Mr. Grey on his YouTube channel further confirms a tail-happy character at low engine speeds, which is likely attributed to a rear-mounted electric motor assisting the internal combustion engine. Lamborghini made it clear that LB634 uses three such motors, which is hardly a surprise.
Remember the Revuelto? It also packs three motors, with the rearmost unit being a radial flux motor positioned above an eight-speed transaxle of the dual-clutch variety. From the sounds it makes during upshifts and downshifts, the Temerario – or whatever it will be named – also features this transmission.
The other two motors of the Revuelto are tasked with driving the front wheels, therefore eliminating the need for a driveshaft in the center tunnel. In the V12-powered flagship, said tunnel is full of lithium-ion battery cells, with the Revuelto packing 3.8 kilowatt hours for a driving range that nobody cares about.
What everyone cares about – including prospective owners – is maximum output and how that maximum output will translate into straight-line acceleration performance. Although the latter is hard to guesstimate with our current information, big kahuna Stephan Winkelmann took to social media to confirm over 900 cavalli vapore, which means over 888 mechanical horses. Of those metric ponies, 800 are produced by the high-revving TT V8, which has 500 more revs to its name versus the Revuelto's NA V12.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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