Lamborghini’s Huracan Tecnica is a road car with track-focused intent

Lamborghini’s new Huracan Tecnica aims to adopt a middle ground between savage sportiness and everyday usability. Jack Evans find out if it succeeds.

Do you remember the Lamborghini Huracan STO? The hugely powerful, be-winged supercar with mad-hat decals and a trackhoned design that made it just a little harsh on the public roads? As one of the most extreme Huracan models ever made, we found it hugely exciting, but even we admitted that it was an uncompromising experience.

That’s where this car – the Huracan Tecnica – slots in. Designed to offer the same kind of involvement that you’d get with the STO but while offering slightly better on-road manners, it’s got the ingredients to be a hugely impressive model. But can it deliver? We’ve been finding out.

As well as some flavour from the STO, the Tecnica also draws a couple of influences from the Evo model. So there’s rear-wheelsteering to aid with agility at slower speeds while improving stability at greater ones, while torque vectoring and a complex traction control system allow you to extract the very best from the Tecnica at any given moment.

In fact, those driving modes really influence the type of character that the Tecnica adopts. Switch into Strada and you’ll find it leaning more towards the roadgoing Evo, while Corsa mode means you’re unleashing some of the madness from the STO.

Power for the Tecnica comes straight from the STO; mounted in the middle of this Huracan is a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 producing 631bhp and 565Nm of torque – around 30bhp more than you’ll get from the regular Evo. Zero to 60mph? That’ll come in a smidge over three seconds, Flat out, you’ll be doing 202mph.

But of course, the Tecnica is so much more than just straight-line speed. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is there to provide razor-sharp shifts so you get the right gear just when you want it, while a rear-wheel-drive layout means lower weight than the Huracan’s traditional all-wheel-drive setup. Full carbon ceramic brakes help to bring to the whole affair to a halt effectively, too.

The Tecnica might be less of a design overload than the STO from the exterior, but there’s no questioning the flamboyance of the V10 engine powering it when you first start it. The engine cackles into life with a press of the big red fighter jet-style button, but at slow speeds at least there’s very little to get worried about – the Tecnica is easy and simple to drive at modest pace.

Take things up a little bit, however, and you can quickly see that much of the STO’s DNA has been trickled into the Tecnica. It’s sharp, rewarding and next-level fast, with larger applications of throttle being accompanied by one of the best exhaust notes in the business. It’s relatively muted at low revs, but push harder and it very quickly comes on song.

As we’ve already touched upon, the Tecnica might not be quite as over-the-top as the STO, but it’s hardly undercover. ‘Our’ test car in bright green turned heads wherever it went, so there’s definitely no lack of impact with this model visually. Of course, much of it is dictated by aerodynamics which is why there’s a fully carbon fibre bonnet and a new front splitter which helps to boost downforce.

It’s just 6.1cm longer than the Huracan Evo, too, while a redesigned engine cover in carbon fibre helps to really celebrate the V10 engine. The fixed rear wing helps to generate more downforce than the Evo, yet without increasing drag at all.

The Huracan Tecnica’s cabin is unashamedly flamboyant. You’ve got theatrical touches such as the starter button we previously mentioned, alongside complex dials and a steering wheel which includes all of your major controls, including buttons for the headlights, wipers and washer fluid jets. You sit low in the car, of course, but the seats are relatively comfortable – though we did get a slight backache after a long motorway stint in the car.

Unlike the STO, there’s also a handy ‘frunk’ at the front of the car which is large enough for a few soft weekend bags or some shopping. See? It’s practical after all.

Much of the Huracan Tecnica’s specification is centred around making it as capable to drive as possible, but in terms of other features you’ve got 20-inch diamondcut alloy wheels as standard which take their design from Lamborghini’s Vision GT concept.

Lamborghini has also included a redesigned driver’s display – which is nicely clear and easy to read – while there’s a large centre console with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, this latter feature feels as though it’s been mounted far too low in the car, so trying to look at navigation instructions or changing a song is more distracting than it needs to be.

The naturally aspirated V10 engine celebrated in the Tecnica might not be long for this world – not without some form of hybridisation, at least – but while it’s here it remains one of the very best around. When coupled with a chassis as dynamic as the one you’ll find in the Tecnica, it makes for a very exciting package.

Quite often trying to find a middle ground brings compromise, but dialling into the balance between the STO and the Evo has meant that the Tecnica has become one of the very best Huracans ever made.