Car porn alert: Lambo’s new Spyder

Published Sep 15, 2015

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By: Dave Abrahams

Frankfurt Motor Show - Lamborghini is about to blow your hair back like it's never been wind-tunnel tested before.

Growling on to centre stage at the Messe is the Huracan LP610-4 Spyder - all 5.2 litres, 449kW and 324km/h of it.

Every petrolhead knows that there is more to building a Spyder than sawing the roof off a coupé but Lamborghini was more fortunate than most in that the carbon-fibre tub of the Huracan - so much stiffer than that of its predecessor the Gallardo - lent itself to the exercise.

Front and rear sub-frames and the outer skin are aluminium, but a lot of the panels are different from the coupé.

Two movable fins rise out of the housing for the folding roof, defining the line from the seat backs to the rear of the car, creating an integrated duct that reduces air turbulence in the upper section of the cockpit.

The fins also channel airflow into the engine compartment through a special slatted engine cover.

Removable lateral wind guards damp out airstream pulses, making it possible to hold a conversation in the cockpit even at high speeds without any spoilers cluttering up the top edge of the windshield.

The electrically operated soft top, available in black, red or brown, can be opened or closed in 17 seconds at up to 50km/h; when it's down the top is completely hidden in a compartment behind the cockpit.

Even when it's up, however, the silhouette of the Spyder is noticeably different from that of the coupé - in fact the car stands just 1180mm tall.

The rear window isn't part of the roof but is mounted on to the body, so it can be operated independently of the roof as an additional wind deflector.

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Mechanically the Spyder is as per the coupé, with the long-stroke 5.2-litre V10 tuned for 449kW at 8250 revs and 560Nm at 6500 rpm, driving all four wheels through a seven-speed double-clutch gearbox, an electronic centre coupling and a mechanical limited-slip rear differential.

On the Spyder, which is marginally heavier than the coupé at 1542kg dry, that represents a power-to-weight ratio of 291kW per ton, good enough for 0-100 in 3.4 seconds, 0-200 in 10.2 seconds and 324km/h flat out.

The specification includes all the 2016 updates, notably idle stop and 'cylinder on demand' which shuts down one bank of the V10 under partial load, and a new electronically-controlled all-wheel drive setup.

First deliveries of the Huracan LP610-4 Spyder are due in the second quarter of 2016, starting at €186 450 (R2.85 million) ex factory, before taxes.

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