Why the world needs the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder

It’s outrageously styled. It’s impossibly low. It’s impractically wide. And it’s breathtakingly expensive.

But no living, breathing human being can withstand the seductive charm and undeniable performance of the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder.   

As if supercars aren’t extravagant enough, the Sant’Agata-based luxury super-sports carmaker went up and rolled out a 324-km/h drop-top missile of a hairdryer.

And I flew to Hong Kong for the regional launch and to see for myself just how that fabulously complicated mechanism of fabric roof, aluminum levers, and electric motors conduct their well-orchestrated (and traffic-stopping) symphony of lowering and raising a car’s roof. 

“The Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder is the next chapter in the success story of the naturally aspirated V10 Huracán, and continues a Lamborghini tradition of open air motoring,” says Stephan Winkelmann, president and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “The Huracán Spyder combines the innovation, performance and appeal of the Huracán coupé, with new technologies and an added emotional dimension. Its predecessor, the Gallardo Spyder, was the bestselling open top model in Lamborghini’s history: we expect the Huracán Spyder to exceed its predecessor in every way.”

The naturally aspirated 5.2L V10 engine produces 610 hp (hence the name; the “4” is for “four-wheel drive”), rocketing the carbon fiber-and aluminum Huracán Spyder from 0 to 100 km/h in a stunning 3.4 seconds (and 200 km/h just six seconds later). The Spyder also includes new technical features of the 2016 model year Huracán family, including ‘cylinder on demand’ in combination with ‘stop start’ for improved fuel economy (like the owners care), and a new electronically controlled all-wheel drive set-up for even better handling.

Of course, the piece de resistance of the Spyder is its soft top. The roof is available in three different colors: black, brown and red. Even with the roof up, the lines of the Spyder differ significantly from those of the coupé. The lightweight soft top fits perfectly into the Spyder’s silhouette while up, and when down is hidden away into the most efficient space possible, maintaining the Spyder’s perfect center of gravity and revealing the athletic and equally powerful lines of the open car. Hidden automatic pop-up safety bars do not spoil the open car’s low silhouette.

The new electrohydraulic, lightweight soft top opens via a button positioned on the central tunnel in just 17 seconds up to a driving speed of 50 km/h. Whether the soft top is up or down, the driver can also electronically open the rear window, which functions as a windshield when closed and when open, as an amplifier of the unique engine sound of the naturally aspirated 8,700-rpm-redlined V10. Lamborghini claims of almost zero wind noise penetrating the cockpit when the roof is closed.

Lamborghini’s Doppia Frizione (LDF) 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox shifts at lightning speed. The fully electronically controlled coupling, which is actively cooled for maximum performance, can switch the torque freely between the two axles, with perfect weight distribution  of 43/57 front/rear, as in the coupé. At the rear, a mechanical differential lock ensures powerful traction.

As in the coupé, the ANIMA switch (Advanced Network Intelligence MAnagement) on the steering wheel allows various driving modes to be selected, from sporty and dynamic to extreme performance and handling. The three different programs “Strada”, “Sport” and “Corsa” impact the characteristics of the engine, sound, transmission, all-wheel drive and ESC handling system.

The standard carbon-ceramic brakes provide the Huracán Spyder with immensely powerful stopping power. There are lightweight aluminum double wishbone suspension arms at all four wheels.

An innovative cockpit dominates the interior. The 12.3-inch TFT display can be configured in several modes and offers the driver all key information in a virtual representation. The displays are razor sharp, brilliant and incredibly detailed: the virtual rev counter needle, for instance, is recalculated 60 times a second, ensuring it flows absolutely smoothly even under full acceleration.

The driver can control the display functions via the buttons on the steering wheel: the only other operating elements are the shift paddles. The buttons for the soft top and the rear windshield are on the center-tunnel console as is the start button for the V10 engine, located beneath a red cover as in a fighter jet.

The slender dashboard and center console contribute to the elegance of the interior design. The beautifully crafted interior, which can be extensively individualized, conveys refined quality and features Alcantara and fine nappa leather. There are five trim choices – Standard, Elegante, Sportivo with Alcantara, Sportivo bicolor with Alcantara and Sportivo bicolor with soft leather – as well as 17 interior colors.

Standard items contribute to the luxurious lifestyle personality of the Huracán Spyder.  These include LED head- and taillamps, 20-inch Giano wheels and the new multimedia Lamborghini Infotainment System II. Options include the exterior Style package and ranges through the audiophile Sensonum Sound system to the Lamborghini Dynamic Steering system.

All things considered, the Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder is way more than the sum of its parts—even considering its awe-inspiring eight-figure price tag. It delivers in absolutely every sense—much more than even the rarest and most expensive Swiss watch can ever command. Its beauty is as spectacular as its performance. Its luxury and craftsmanship are second to none.

And the world is all the better for it.