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This Lamborghini is the fastest production car ever to lap the Nürburgring

This Lamborghini is the fastest production car ever to lap the Nürburgring

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The Lamborghini Huracan is a fantastic supercar. But, like many great things, it can be made better — and that’s what the engineers at Lamborghini have done with the new Huracan Performante.

The Performante is 40 kilograms lighter than a standard Huracan coupe. It’s also more powerful, producing 640 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque from its 5.2-liter V10 — up from 610 hp and 413 pound-feet in the standard Huracan. Back in October, the Performante set a production car lap record of 6:52.01 around the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife. Zero to 62 mph happens in 2.9 seconds. Top speed is nearly 202 mph.

for $275,000, you can take corners really, really fast

The Performante has something called Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA). It’s an active aerodynamic system that allows for both high down force and low drag, depending on the driver’s needs. Another electronic system called Lamborghini Piattaforma Inerziale (LPI) “governs the car’s electronic systems,” activating the ALA to open and close air flaps at the front and back of the car.

In the corners, the Performante has an especially clever trick: the active air flaps can be opened exclusively on the right or left side of the car, depending on the direction of the turn. This increases downforce and traction on the inner wheels, meaning the car can take turns more quickly and with more overall stability. In other words: the car uses physics to go fast.

A dozen-page press release outlines all the changes and improvements, and the Huracan Performante itself debuts tomorrow at the Geneva Motor Show. It’ll be available this summer starting at $274,390.

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Photo: Lamborghini