Hybrids are the future of sports cars

The frontiers of sports cars lie in electrification. In the words of Ferrari's Director of Product Development, Gianmaria Fulgenzi, "it's impossible for an internal combustion engine to achieve the performance of a hybrid powertrain."

They know this in Maranello, Sant'Agata Bolognese, and Woking, the headquarters of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren, respectively. These manufacturers are responsible for the latest sports cars that use electricity to achieve performance figures not achieved with gasoline alone.

In Lamborghini's case, its latest addition to the portfolio is the Temerario, the most affordable sports car in its range and the replacement for the Huracán. The new two-seater uses a twin-turbo V8 engine that, combined with its three electric motors, delivers 920 horsepower and is capable of reaching 100 km/h in less than three seconds.

Lamborghini already has a hybrid version of its Urus, the sports SUV that accounts for almost half of its more than 10,000 annual sales, and last year it began selling the Revuelto, a hypercar that combines its legendary V12 engine with a high-performance plug-in hybrid system capable of reaching 1,015 horsepower.

"The Temerario represents the best our brand has to offer technically," said Gaetano Santoro, Product Manager for the sports car in Europe, "and it features an engine never before seen in our arsenal, capable of reaching 10,000 revolutions per minute."

The new model was presented yesterday in Madrid, and orders are now open. The first units are expected to arrive in the second half of 2025, and among the sporty models, this one will outsell the Revuelto.

Despite the hybrid system, Lamborghini engineers have invested considerable effort in developing a sound that is "unique and unmistakable" for Temerario drivers. Thanks to ingenious measures, the exhaust valve, and the engine-to-chassis connections, the soundtrack is proportional to the car's speed.

The new model's battery offers 4,500 W per kilo, with a capacity of 3.8 kWh, which never runs completely flat and uses the combustion engine to fully regenerate in less than 30 minutes. In electric mode, it's capable of traveling for several kilometers, but its main purpose, as in the Revuelto, is to increase performance.