‘A Different Kind of Hybridization’

For years, Lamborghini was all about all-wheel drive—it was the one thing separating the Italian automaker from its chief rival, Ferrari. Only occasionally did the company offer rear-wheel drive on a limited special edition.

But Lamborghini began embracing rear-wheel drive near the end of the Gallardo’s run. For the Huracan, the company would offer rear-drive in both base models and specials like the STO and Tecnica. Soon, the Temerario could follow in the same footsteps.

Speaking to the UK’s Car magazine at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Lamborghini CTO Rouven Mohr hinted at a rear-wheel drive Temerario. “I’m not saying in the future you couldn’t see a [two-wheel drive] version of the street car, and then perhaps a different kind of hybridization,” he said.

Currently, the Temerario is only offered as an all-wheel drive hybrid. It has a mid-mounted, twin-turbo V-8 and an electric motor driving the wheels, with two additional motors for the front wheels. In theory, it seems Lamborghini could delete the front motors, leaving just the V-8 and single rear electric motor.

A car like this could still be very powerful—the engine on its own makes 789 horsepower, and the electric motor is capable of 147 hp. In its current all-wheel drive iteration, the Temerario makes 920 hp, as the engine and electric motors make peak power at different points.

Car seemed to suggest to Mohr that a rear-drive hybrid Temerario may not need a battery as large as the all-wheel drive car’s 3.8-kilowatt-hour unit, and that it might not need to be a plug-in hybrid either. “This [sort of hybrid] is already available today,” he said, referencing the Porsche 911’s hybrid system. He called it a “super example of a completely different hybrid approach.”

Photo by: Lamborghini

The 911’s hybrid system is pretty different than what Lamborghini may do, however. Porsche uses an internal-combustion engine designed around an electric turbocharger, whereas the new Lamborghini V-8 uses conventional turbos. 

While Mohr didn’t confirm anything, we’d be shocked if we didn’t see a rear-drive Temerario. Lamborghini tends to keep its models in production for a long time, introducing many variants to keep things fresh. Rear-wheel drive supercars are also a well-established part of its business now, and the prospect of a lighter, simpler Temerario has us excited.

But don’t expect to see a non-hybrid version. Lamborghini just revealed the Temerario GT3 race car, which deletes the hybrid system to comply with current GT3 regulations, but Mohr says he “wouldn’t bet” on a non-hybrid street car. That said, he doesn’t completely rule out the possibility—but the reality of current emissions regulations makes building such a car unrealistic.