6:52.01 - Lamborghini Huracan Performante Sets New Nürburgring Lap Record

UPDATE: Lamborghini Huracan Performante Launched in India at Rs, 3.97 crore, ex-showroom Delhi

The latest and greatest Huracan has not even shed its camouflage yet and it's already making headlines. Lamborghini will unveil the Huracan Performante at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show on March 7, and, to drum up some more excitement, it has now announced the blistering lap time the car has set on one of the world's most famous racetracks.

The previous lap record set by a production car was by the Porsche 918 Spyder in September 2013. It covered the 22.810km-long Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6 minutes and 57 seconds. The Huracan Performante did it in an astonishing 6 minutes and 52.01 seconds! 

The Porsche 918 Spyder has a hybrid powertrain that develops 887PS of maximum power and 1280Nm of peak torque and has a kerb weight of up to 1704kg. The standard Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 has a 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 motor that develops 610PS/560Nm and weighs 1,422kg. Was witchcraft involved in making the Huracan Performante go as fast as it did? Read below to find out.

The Performante ('high-performance' in Italian) is the road-going track-ready version of the Huracan. It boasts of features such as a heavy use of carbon fibre parts, a fanatical attention to weight savings, a retuned V10 motor, faster-shifting 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, all-new Pirelli semi-slick road tyres, stiffer suspension and the very important 'Aerodynamica Lamborghini Attiva' (ALA) active aerodynamics system.

The increased use of forged carbon fibre composite and aluminium makes the Performante about 41kg lighter. A familiar naturally-aspirated V10 motor powers the new car; it is rumoured to be developing around 625 to 640PS of maximum power and 590Nm of peak torque in the Performante. The 7-speed dual-clutch transmission is also carried over but has been 're-optimised' for faster shifts. The Huracan Performante is only offered with all-wheel drive.

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There is witchcraft involved in making the Huracan Performante as fast as it is - that of manipulating air flow. The ALA system uses an electronically actuated flap in the front splitter and two flaps that direct air through the rear wing. The flap at the front, when closed, forces the front splitter to provide maximum downforce for better grip around corners and when open, allows for better top speed due to low drag.

The rear flaps are more interesting: these are placed at the base of the large, GT3 car-like, fixed rear wing and, when open, allow air to pass through the wing uprights and under the wing via some ducts. When closed, the fixed wing acts as it supposed to - providing maximum downforce for better handling. When the flaps open, the extra air it forces to pass under the wing negates some of the downforce to help the Huracan Performante go faster. These flaps can work independently of each other too - to help 'aero-vectoring' at corners.

All the above-mentioned tech have allowed the Lamborghini Huracan Performante to beat cars like the Porsche 918 Spyder, Mercedes-AMG GT R, McLaren F1, Lexus LFA etc., to name a few. Is this the new hypercar killer?