Lamborghini Temerario 2026 review: International first drive

Lamborghini says it’s Fuoriclasse… outstanding… in a league of its own. 

And while, of course, there are other ultra-high-performance super sports cars in this world, it’s hard not to be impressed by the mind-blowing attributes that define this new Temerario, a classically exotic mid-engined machine from this iconic Italian carmaker.

The twin-turbo V8, three-motor hybrid is due in Australia in the first half of 2026, with a price tag close to $615,000 which makes it more expensive than the Huracán Evo AWD it effectively replaces and puts it in the same ball park as the Ferrari 296, McLaren 750S and Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

And CarsGuide was invited to its global dynamic launch at Portugal’s iconic Circuito do Estoril just outside Lisbon. So, prepare to strap in.

But first, just look at it! A typically dramatic, purposeful Lamborghini design. Maybe a little less aggressive than its Huracán predecessor but still featuring signature hexagon graphics integrated throughout, a ‘single line’ profile arcing from nose to tail, a super-cool high-mount exhaust outlet and a cut-away outer rear end showing the massive rear tyres like a sports prototype at Le Mans in the ‘70s.

It’s a fraction over 4.7m long, so not tiny. But at 2.0m wide and just 1.2m tall it’s a striking supercar wedge developed in-house at the Lamborghini Centro Stile, led by Mitya Borkert.  

Dialling up the take-no-prisoners stance are 20-inch rims at the front and 21s at the rear available in multiple designs in cast or forged alloy, as well as carbon-fibre.

And under the jaw-dropping skin sits a newly developed hybrid powertrain, consisting of a mid-mounted 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine supported by no less then three oil-cooled axial flow electric motors - two on the front axle and one between the engine and transmission.

This combination sends 677kW, or around 920hp, to all four wheels courtesy of the front motors and an eight-speed dual-clutch auto transmission driving the rears. Lamborghini hasn’t published a combined torque number, but the V8 alone pumps out 730Nm from 4000-7000rpm.

A small, 3.8kWh lithium-ion battery pack is housed in the central tunnel and can be recharged via 7.0kW onboard AC capacity (in 30min) or regen braking from the front wheels or directly from the V8 engine.

The Temerario is claimed to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds, which we experienced via multiple full-fat launch-control runs on the track. That engine has a rev ceiling of 10,000rpm, which is stratospherically high for a turbo V8 and if you’re game, maximum velocity is a lazy 343km/h!

But if that’s not enough for you, an Alleggerita or ‘Lightened’ package makes liberal use of carbon-fibre on the front splitter, mirror caps, sill panels, rear diffuser and wing as well as the door inserts, with a recycled carbon used for the smooth underfloor panels, plus a lightened rear windscreen, polycarbonate for the rear side windows and the carbon rims to reduce weight by more than 25kg.

From an ergonomic point of view, relative to the Huracán this car has been enhanced with increased leg, head, and shoulder room. Heightened areas on either side of the turret allow for extra headroom ‘divots’ in the headliner over the two seating positions.

Even at 183cm tall I was able to wear a crash helmet during track testing and still have enough headroom to avoid the all too common supercar neck twist syndrome. 

There’s even a pair of swing-out cupholders, a decent glove box and a large wireless phone charging bay, while luggage space has also been increased across a bench behind the seats and there’s a surprisingly generous 112-litre 'frunk' in the nose (although that’s 38L less than the Huracán’s).

Interior design is multi-layered and jagged with multiple hexagons making an appearance as well as an upright 12.3-inch display for instruments and car data, a vertical 8.4-inch media screen in the centre and what Lamborghini calls an ‘Entertainment Screen’ (9.1-inch) for the passenger showing speed, gear and other readouts. A swipe feature even allows content to be moved from the central monitor to the driver or passenger displays.

There’s the obligatory grippy, flat-bottom steering wheel (it’s brilliant) and proper alloy or carbon gearshift paddles as well as ‘jet switches’ and the signature red fighter-style ignition button cover. The sense of theatre makes just getting in the car a special occasion. 

So, time to venture out onto the circuit and Lamborghini encourages you to ‘feel like a pilot’ when you’re driving this car and they’ve tuned the exhaust system to sound more ‘like a racing motorbike’ and you can hear it. A high-pitched sound because, of course… 10,000rpm.

And what you have is three motors and the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 working seamlessly together.

If you just had the engine with those big turbos (producing up to 2.5 bar boost), it would undoubtedly be laggy, relatively unrefined and not as nice to drive. But put the motors with it and they all work together. There’s an algorithm governing which element of the powertrain takes the leading hand at any given moment.

The mid-range is huge in this car, so you’ve got mega torque between 4000 and 7000rpm and urgent top end power, the titanium conrods blurring up and down as the 180-degree flat plane crank screams towards 10 grand.

Lamborghini’s ‘ANIMA’ system, accessed by a rotary dial on the steering wheel, offers four main drive modes - Città (or city with electric propulsion to the fore), Strada (or street for daily use), Sport for dialling up the fun factor and Corsa/Corsa Plus for the track. Paired with different hybrid modes, up to 13 combinations are possible.

The rear motor is integrated into the engine housing before the transmission, so it’s putting drive directly onto the crank and it picks up the slack, smoothing power delivery.

And the compact eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is super quick and positive in ‘Manual’ mode. And even in ‘Auto’ you can feel it plucking gears with satisfying precision.

Suspension is by double wishbones front and rear, with steel springs and adaptive damping. Through the different drive modes not only the steering, transmission and engine are tweaked up, the suspension reacts as well. Combine that with seamless torque vectoring across the front axle and this car is properly telepathic in terms of the connection between car and driver.

Dry weight is 1690kg, distribution is 43 per cent front, 57 per cent rear, and the tyres are enormous Bridgestone Potenza Sports, developed (in Rome) for this car - 255/35 up front and 325/30 at the rear.

The body is an alloy space frame and it’s claimed to be over 20 per cent stiffer in terms of its torsional resistance than the Huracán. And you can feel it is an exceptionally stable platform with the powertrain operating in the same algorithmic way as it does for acceleration to enhance steering and cornering dynamics.  

You can often apply more steering lock than you’d ever think possible in genuinely fast corners. Just squeeze the throttle, look up the road and the Temerario puts its power down with absolute authority as you rocket ahead on exit. 

The brakes are immense; 410mm carbon-ceramic rotors at the front clamped by 10-piston monobloc calipers, with 390mm discs and four-piston calipers at the rear.

With a good line and drive out of the final corner onto Estoril’s long start-finish straight we were pulling an indicated 300km/h before braking for the sharp right-hand turn one. And the Temerario pulled up straight and steady for it and all 13 corners on successive hot laps, the friction point proving consistent no matter the speed on application.  

A ‘Drift Mode’, available via a steering-wheel dial, offers three levels from small to high side-slip angles and we had huge fun playing with it. Ott Tänak, eat your heart out!

And a telemetry package uses three cameras and myriad sensors to plot your track day progress with 100 circuits pre-installed in the system.

Safety includes a 2+ level ADAS pack featuring AEB, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and more. There are front and side airbags for the driver and passenger, with knee airbags available in specific markets.

Then ‘Lamborghini Connect’ - offers up numerous options including connected nav, remote vehicle status updates, Amazon Alexa Entertainment, an emergency call function, a dashcam and (lots) more.