In the backyard of a $10 million private mansion outside Los Angeles, Lamborghini unveiled its newest convertible supercar. The Huracan LP-580-2 Spyder is a soft-top version of Lamborghini's "entry level" two-wheel-drive sports car.
This car is going to be a blast to drive. I happen to know because I've driven the hardtop version, which is already on sale, and this new Lamborghini is, for the most part, the same car without a roof.
This may sound backwards, but the Huracan LP 580-2 is less fast and powerful -- but more fun -- than original Huracan 610-4.
The $240,000 Huracàn LP 610-4, comes packed with a 602 horsepower V10 engine and all-wheel-drive traction. And it's fun.
The hardtop Huracàn LP 580-2, which I've also driven, costs about $40,000 less. It produces 573 horsepower and it's rear-wheel-drive, not all-wheel drive. This is one of those times when less really is more.
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Given all that power going to just the back wheels, the first thing you might expect is that there will be less traction so you could -- either on purpose or through a terrifying error in judgment -- make the back end slide out during a hard turn. For those who are into such antics, that can actually be a selling point.
But, for me, that's not what I love about the Lamborghini Huracàn LP 580-2, though. Not by far. The best thing is that this Huracàn that feels more like a real Lamborghini. It feels raw, machine-like and exciting.
Where the all-wheel-drive Huracàn feels, to me, a little too calm and collected, the 580-2 feels sharper and edgier with a slight aftertaste of danger.
It's still comfortable and the automatic transmission -- cars like this rarely come with manual ones anymore -- shifts gears sharply and smoothly. In Strada, or Street, mode the two-wheel-drive Huracàn is positively pleasant.
Then you flip a switch on the steering wheel so that it points toward Sport. This is when things get Lamborghini-like. And I mean that in the best way possible. The engine gets louder, the gas pedal gets touchier and the steering feels quicker. The transmissions still shifts smoothly, but the shifts take a little longer to come as the engine winds itself up to a full monstrous scream.
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It's in the steering wheel that you can feel the biggest difference. Lamborghini engineers tweaked the front suspension in this version just a bit to allow the 580-2 to turn more crisply. Slight changes have also been made to allow the back more freedom to wiggle, if you want. In all, it's a just right combination.
Now, the sorts of people who have private mansions outside Los Angeles will be able to enjoy this sort of fun out in the open air. Final pricing for the Lamborghini Huracàn 580-2 Spyder has not been announced but it will, of course, cost more than the 580-2 coupe.
