Lamborghini Temerario review: A drive on the wild side
This is the one: the car I’ve looked forward to driving most in 2025. Last summer, I had a Zoom call with the chief designer, who revealed how it would look. A year ago, at the press preview in London, I interviewed the lead engineer about its performance and technical spec. It feels like I already know the Lamborghini Temerario inside out. And yet, sitting behind the wheel for the first time, I’m still unsure what to expect.
The Temerario certainly has broad tyre tracks to fill. Its Huracan predecessor was the best-selling Lamborghini supercar of all time, shifting more than 20,000 units during its 10 years in production.
However, rather than follow the same formula, the new ‘baby’ Lamborghini does things differently. Out goes the Huracan’s naturally aspirated V10 and in comes a twin-turbocharged V8 bolstered by three electric motors. The raw numbers are impressive – 920hp, 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds, 213mph flat-out – but the proof will be in the driving. Can the Temerario be worth the long wait?
Behind the scenes at Lamborghini HQ
Before I can unleash the Temerario onto public roads (all first drives thus far have been track-only), I’m treated to a tour of Lamborghini HQ in Sant’Agata Bolognese. For the grown-up kid who had Countach and Diablo posters blu-tacked to his bedroom wall, it feels incredibly exciting.
We begin in the closely guarded Centro Stile design studio, where Lamborghini’s futuristic Manifesto concept takes pride of place. I’m handed a pair of Apple Vision Pro googles, which use augmented reality to reveal the technology inside the Temerario. One button on the floating menu makes the car’s body panels appear transparent, exposing the aluminum spaceframe underneath. Another shows the inner workings of its V8 engine and electric front axle. There are even moving graphics to illustrate downforce and drag at speed, created using real wind tunnel CFD data.
Then it’s time to visit the Ad Personam studio and configure a car. More than a quarter of new Lamborghinis now have some level of customisation from Ad Personam – Sant’Agata’s answer to Ferrari Tailor Made or McLaren Special Operations (MSO) – so this is a major source of revenue. The most expensive option ordered so far? Custom paint mixed with real diamond dust: yours for £220,000 plus tax.
Lastly, I’m taken to see the ‘super sports car’ production facility. State-of-the-art and scrupulously clean, it’s a far cry from the dusty and chaotic Lamborghini factory of old. Both the Revuelto and Temerario are built on the same line, the latter at a rate of 20 vehicles per day. Despite this, the order bank for the Temerario already stretches to mid-2027. Buyers will have to hope it’s worth the wait, too.
Following the Gandini lines
When Lamborghini design boss Mitja Borkert showed me those first sketches of the Temerario, I wasn’t entirely sold on it. Seen in the metal, however, this aggressively angled wedge meets his brief to “give an adrenaline a shape”.
In profile, the Temerario follows the ‘Gandini lines’ that have shaped most mid-engined Lamborghinis since the Countach. Hexagonal details such as its daytime running lights are a nod to the past, too: in this case Marcello Gandini’s 1967 Lamborghini Marzal concept.
From the front, the Temerario looks a tad ‘supercar by numbers’, but the view when it overtakes you is far more distinctive. The rear wings cut away to reveal the tread pattern of the 325/30 ZR21 rear tyres and the exhaust tailpipe (another hexagon) is mounted high and centrally like a superbike.
Unlike its big brother Revuelto, the Temerario has conventional doors rather than the upwards-opening type frequently referred to as ‘Lambo doors’. The handles are hidden inside the side scoops that shovel air to the mid-mounted V8. And with a 10,000rpm limiter, it needs all the cooling it can get.
All the way to 10,000rpm
Yes indeed, while the Huracan’s 5.2-litre V10 called time at 8,500rpm, the new V8 keeps going into five figures. In case you wondered, this V8 is unrelated to the one found in the Lamborghini Urus SUV. It features an aluminium block, titanium conrods and a flat-plane crank, developing 800hp at 9,000rpm by itself.
The other 120 horses come from a 3.8kWh battery and three axial-flux electric motors. The front axle has an e-motor on either side for active torque vectoring, while the rear wheels are driven by an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox that is mounted transversely behind the engine. Electric-only range is a mere five miles, but the Temerario defaults to EV mode on start-up, helping it achieve a vaguely acceptable 25.2mpg and 272g/km of CO2 in the official test.
Chassis hardware includes double wishbone suspension and huge carbon-ceramic brakes with 10-piston front calipers. All-in, the Temerario weighs 1,690kg without fluids – around 300kg heavier than a Huracan.
Inside the Lamborghini Temerario
Whatever the pros and cons of its new powertrain, the Temerario’s interior is a big improvement. There is more space, for starters – 34mm of headroom and 46mm of legroom – and quality takes a noticeable step up. Luggage capacity is also decent for a mid-engined supercar, with a deep ‘frunk’ and a narrow slot behind the seats.
The driver and passenger each get their own digital display, along with a 8.4-inch central touchscreen for infotainment. The steering wheel contains no less than four rotary controllers to adjust everything from hybrid settings to suspension stiffness, while the manual shift paddles behind it are slim and tactile. The traditional Lamborghini ‘bomb switch’ start button is also present and correct.
As in the Huracan STO, there’s an optional telemetry system with three cameras to measure and record your driving performance. You can even upload your videos to the Lamborghini Unica app and share them with other owners. Just be sure you don’t post anything incriminating – this is a very fast car…
Taming the Temerario
Oddly, it doesn’t feel like one at first. Whereas the Huracan’s bombastic V10 announced its presence like a thunderclap, the new V8 is more muted. Trundling through the industrial towns that surround Sant’Agata, it sounds a bit… ordinary.
Thankfully, blocky buildings soon give way to autumnal trees as the road winds upwards into the Apennine mountains. With enough space to explore the upper reaches of its rev range, the Temerario comes alive. The linear rush of acceleration gains a frenzied urgency beyond 7,000rpm, accompanied by a hard-edged metallic shriek. Changing up so late feels unnatural at first – I was instinctively pulling the right paddle at about 8,000rpm – but hold your nerve and the Temerario is as unhinged as you’d hope.
Blasting between bends in a convoy of Lamborghinis (yes, I’ve had worse days at work), the Temerario feels well-balanced and agile. Its handling is most playful in Sport mode, with all-guns-blazing Corsa mode focused primarily on lap times. You can even adjust your angle of attack using the drift dial. The steering is lighter than I’d like, but gearshifts are whipcrack-fast and the brakes feel mighty.
In tighter corners, the torque vectoring hauls you towards the apex, then the instant electric torque slingshots you onwards. Turbo lag? There’s not even a hint of it. You can sense the Temerario’s extra weight versus the Huracan, but don’t forget that harder, faster Performante- or STO-style versions are sure to follow. Interestingly, the Temerario GT3 racer does without the hybrid tech or four-wheel drive, and could influence a future road car. Here’s hoping.
Verdict: Lamborghini Temerario
The Huracan (and its sister Audi R8) had the most exciting road-legal engine of the modern era, but the V10 was doomed by emissions and noise legislation. Given those pressures, the fact that Lamborghini has bounced back with a screaming 10,000rpm V8 is remarkable. As one insider pointed out: “We have to meet Volkswagen Group quality standards. Lamborghini performs all the same durability tests as VW does on a new Golf.”
For me, both the Ferrari 296 GTB and McLaren Artura offer a purer driving experience, but the Lamborghini counters with a more powerful and exciting engine. If you have £260,035 to splash on a supercar (call it £300,000 with options), it should be on your shortlist.
Is it more exciting than a Huracan, though? In extremis, maybe, but the older car always felt like a live grenade, even when it was idling. The Temerario is more nuanced, and a better car in most respects, But for the keenest drivers, I suspect its best is yet to come.
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
Lamborghini Temerario
PRICE: £260,035
POWER: 920hp
0-62MPH: 2.7sec
TOP SPEED: 213mph
FUEL ECONOMY: 25.2mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 272g/km