MASERATI STRADALE GRANCABRIO

Specifications

The replacement for the Gallardo, Lamborghini’s most successful ever car, with over 14,000 sold since 2003. That gives the Huracan a suitably mountainous task, one that Lamborghini has chosen to tackle by playing against type and taking a safe option. The Huracan is no radical reimagining of the modern supercar. There are no hybrid systems here, for instance. In fact what there is, is familiarity. The 5.2-litre V10 is carried over, albeit heavily reworked, and it’s still positioned in the middle of the car and drives all four wheels. Unless you opt for the latest entry-level LP580-2 model, which is rear drive only.

There’s a new seven speed dual-clutch gearbox and an all new chassis, partially constructed of carbon, that’s 50 per cent stiffer than the Gallardo’s. Is that enough to return Lambo’s ‘entry-level’ supercar to the top of the class above the brilliant Ferrari 488 and McLaren 650S?

In a very un-Lambo manner, the first thing you notice is how well the Huracan rides, how well mannered it is. At a motorway lick the soundtrack is oddly anodyne, sounding busy not ballsy, while the suspension isolates bumps, thumps and staves off surface irregularities ably. Yes, a plush Lambo. All very comfortable and pleasant. All very unexpected.