Lamborghini shows us proof Huracan Performante 'Ring lap is legit
There have been accusations of trickery regarding the new Huracan Performante's record-breaking Nurburgring run, but this new info might just put those to rest.
When Lamborghini teased the Huracan Performante ahead of its debut at this year's Geneva auto show, it did so by releasing a lap time around the epic Nurburgring so fast it beat even the epic Porsche 918 hypercar -- quite a feat for a car with a lot less power and a fraction of the cost.
Many internet bench racers cried foul, analyzing the video, charting top speeds and ultimately concluding that lap time is faked. Lamborghini's Director of Research and Development Maurizio Reggiani, however, would like to set your mind at ease.
I spoke with Reggiani here in Geneva about the development of the car, and of course I would have been remiss if I didn't ask about the controversy surrounding the lap time. First, he explained, there's the tires. Reggiani confirmed that the Pirelli Trofeo R tires used to set the lap time will be available as an option. They aren't a magical one-off set made of some sticky variant of unobtanium.
Second, there's the sometimes glitchy speeds shown in the video. Reggiani confirmed that the speeds shown come from GPS, which can occasionally give inconsistent results.
Third, Reggiani said that just looking at peak lap times in corners and straights only tells a small portion of the story. As any racer will tell you, quite often it isn't top speed that matters, but how quickly your car gets there. The Performante has a lower top speed around the 'Ring than the Aventador SV, for example, but it gets up to that speed far quicker, and carries more speed out of the corners.
The full VBox log of the Performante's record-setting run. (Click here for a larger version.)
Finally, he opened up the full VBox GPS log from the record lap in question, showing what sure looks like a single session, not the multiple ideal segments glued together as some have speculated. See for yourself above and let us know in comments what you think.
Will this settle all doubts about the lap time in question? I doubt it, as conspiracy theories are certainly en vogue right now. Probably nothing short of sitting a hearty soul in the passenger seat and recreating the lap will silence all the haters. Should it come to that, I hereby volunteer as tribute.
Update, 5:20 p.m. CET: Film producer and car collector Jim Glickenhaus has strong feelings about the validity of the Performante's lap time. We interviewed him on the show floor here in Geneva.