Hybrids are the Future of Sports Cars

Sports car boundaries are being pushed by electrification. According to Ferrari's Product Development Director, Gianmaria Fulgenzi, "it is impossible for an internal combustion engine to match the performance of a hybrid powertrain."

This is well understood in Maranello, Sant'Agata Bolognese, and Woking, the headquarters of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren, respectively. These manufacturers are behind the latest sports cars that utilise electricity to achieve performance figures unattainable with petrol alone.

For Lamborghini, their latest addition to the portfolio is the Temerario, the most accessible sports car in their range, replacing the Huracán. The new two-seater features a twin-turbo V8 engine, which, combined with its three electric motors, delivers 920 horsepower and can reach 100 km/h in under three seconds.

Lamborghini already offers a hybrid version of its Urus, the sports SUV that accounts for nearly half of its over 10,000 annual sales. Last year, they launched the Revuelto, a hypercar that pairs its legendary V12 engine with a high-performance plug-in hybrid system capable of reaching 1,015 horsepower.

"The Temerario represents the best our brand can technically offer," stated Gaetano Santoro, the Product Manager for the sports car in the European market, "and it features a powertrain never before seen in our arsenal, capable of reaching 10,000 revolutions per minute."

The new model was unveiled yesterday in Madrid, and orders are now open. It is estimated that the first units will arrive in the second half of 2025, and among sports models, it is expected to outsell the Revuelto.

Despite the hybrid system, Lamborghini engineers have put significant effort into developing a sound that is "unique and unmistakable" for Temerario drivers. Through ingenious measures, the exhaust valve and engine-to-chassis connections ensure the soundtrack is proportional to the car's speed.

The new model's battery offers 4,500 W per kilogram, with a capacity of 3.8 kWh, which never fully discharges and uses the combustion engine to fully recharge in under 30 minutes. In electric mode, it can travel a few kilometres, but its primary purpose, as with the Revuelto, is to enhance performance.