Lamborghini Huracan drops its top for new Spyder version

AS INCREASING numbers of car makers at the Frankfurt motor show revealed sensible electric cars for a future in which vehicles are silent and emissions are zero, Lamborghini remained as flamboyant as ever, dropping the top on a new Huracan Spyder.

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The 5.2-litre, naturally aspirated V10-powered roadster took centre stage on Lamborghini’s stand, squaring up as a rival to the new Ferrari 488 GTB Spider, also revealed at Germany’s largest car show. In either car, drivers will need to hold on to their hats.

Set to go on sale in the spring and priced from approximately £205,000, the Huracan Spyder model has a fabric roof that is electrically operated at speeds up to 31mph and folds away beneath an extravagantly styled cover in 17 seconds. The roof comes in black, red or brown.

The glass rear window, just behind the seats’ headrests, can be opened and closed, so drivers can choose to let in more engine noise when driving with the roof up in the rain, for example, or raise it when the top’s down to keep wind buffeting to a minimum. Sound familiar? Yes, the new Ferrari 488 Spider has a similar arrangement. And quite how effective such a windbreak will be at 201mph – the Huracan Spyder’s top speed – is open to question.

As with the coupé version of the Huracan, four-wheel drive is standard and the driver has a choice of three driving modes – Strada, Sport and Corsa – selected with a button on the steering wheel, known in Lamborghini-speak as Anima (advanced network intelligence management).

Driving looks forward to finding out whether the Spyder will have the magic ingredients that seem to be missing from the Huracan coupé, reviewed here.

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