Yahoo Finance The Lamborghini Temerario Wasn't Supposed to Have a Twin-Turbo V-8
Lamborghini's of the past rarely followed traditional methodologies of delivering the most performance per pound, which made the introduction of electrification in the Revuelto, Urus SE, and now the company's Huracán successor, the Temerario, a predictable yet unusual move from the folks in Bologna. Fear not, however, as the electrification in the new supercar is all about adding unique character and grandstanding performance, not just following the crowd.
Lamborghini's Chief Technical Officer Rouven Mohr didn't want to transition entry-level Lamborghini customers from the Huracán's naturally aspirated, throaty V-10 to a simple twin-turbocharged V-8. Just efficient enough to meet emissions standards and with enough displacement to make big power with relative ease, the twin-turbo V-8 is basically the supercar standard these days. And Lamborghini's shouldn't be standard in any way, Mohr explained to Road & Track in an interview at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance's concept lawn last week.
"The best technical choice was the V-8 twin-turbo, but, unfortunately, all the rest of the world already has thousands of V-8 twin-turbo engines," Mohr said. "It's like a 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the mass market. I said 'Guys, this is not the way. We need to find our own character.'"
One reason the Huracán was so popular was its big-boned, 5.2-liter V-10 and its rough-and-tumble character. With a maximum of 631 hp in STO form, filling the shoes of the Huracán while increasing power and driveability was no small feat for the Lamborghini team, and the twin-turbo V-8 wasn't always on the table. In fact, Mohr said that company engineers pondered a V-6, turbocharged V-8, and even continuing with the naturally aspirated V-10.
The idea of using a six-cylinder engine in the Temerario was scrapped early on, with the sonic character of its new clean sheet engine being as important as power levels for the folks at Lamborghini. Similarly, a V-10 was highly desired among the engineering team but posed a market challenge against Lamborghini's other models.
"If we went V-10, we would have to increase to the power level through displacement, and then we would end up with a 6.0-liter naturally aspirated V-10, which is very close to the 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V-12," Mohr explained, emphasizing the potential market conflict with Lamborghini's Revuelto, which is also electrified. "The characters of the car would become very close. And, for the future, the power would be limited in potential."
Despite its ubiquitous reputation, the twin-turbo V-8 was the right choice, technically and for the brand's sales team, too. Even with a flat-plane crank and electric turbochargers, however, Mohr said that he wasn't satisfied with simply producing high-horsepower figures. Instead, he was lusting after a 10,000-rpm redline, aiming to keep some of the Huracán's naturally aspirated spark alive. The ultimate goal that led the engine design team to success was based on one edict: make "the most racey turbo engine in the world." This meant a strong focus on linearity and top-end power delivery for Mohr.
"We said, 'No one before us has done a V-8 twin-turbo revving up even to 9000 rpm, so let's do 10,000 rpm now,'" Mohr said. "At the beginning, the people said, 'Okay, you are stupid,' because to have a flat crankshaft V-8 get to 8000 rpm is already a challenge."
Getting a naturally aspirated engine to sing up to 10,000 rpm is difficult enough as is, but making the most of a vibration-happy, flat-plane-crank V-8 with forced induction is even harder. But, in the name of character and linearity, a solution was close by. With some inspiration pulled from the Revuelto, Lamborghini looked to electrification, specifically installing three axial-flux electric motors on the Temerario.
With two positioned up front to create an e-axle and the third wedged between the engine and transversely mounted transmission, the addition of electric power is what allows the Temerario to be responsive off the line and climb up to its 10,000 rpm limiter. While the electric motors are responsible for low-end torque, the displacement of the V-8 and the beginning of boost helps keep a meaty mid-range going, until the combination of full-boost (allegedly from the largest turbochargers in the entry-level supercar segment) and electric power push peak power all the way up.
"If you drive it, this gives you the feeling that the car is not ending accelerating in the linear part. You have the feeling that, on top, it's getting faster and faster and faster," Mohr said. "When I was driving the first prototype, I was shifting up too early because I already had the torque and it doesn't make sense to stay higher."
This invention of power is worthy of excitement in and of itself, but Mohr said that they didn't forget about driver feedback needs, either. Given the flat-plane V-8's propensity to shake, engineers actually left some of the natural vibrations in the car, allowing such analog feedback to come through the steering wheel and seat. It may be 2024, but Lamborghini is still looking out for its purist driver in the new era of performance.
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