Automotive

New Toyota TRD Models Arrive This Fall

Toyota Racing Development, the in-house performance shop for the automaker, has turned it’s benevolent gaze upon some vehicles you may not normally think of as performance oriented, and the results are good. In this case, the three cars that TRD has gotten their grease-stained, banged-knuckled hands on are the Tundra, Sequoia, and the RAV4.

Tundra TRD Sport

The new Tundra TRD Sport is offered on both 4×4 and 4×2 models in CrewMax and Double Cab configurations. Power comes from Toyota’s ever popular 5.7-liter i-Force V8 engine, which produces 381 horsepower. TRD has added Sport Tuned Bilstein Shocks and TRD front and rear anti-sway bars to the mix, and also had a go at exterior enhancements.

The mirrors, bumpers, and hood scoop are color coordinated; there are 20-inch silver sport alloy wheels, LED headlights with a smoked chrome bezel, daytime running lights, LED fog lights, mesh grille with body color surround, and TRD Sport bedside graphics. Snazzy! Colors for the Tundra TRD Sport are Super White, Magnetic Gray, Midnight Black Pearl, Blazing Blue Pearl, and Barcelona Red Metallic.

Those last two are also good candidates for band names and/or replacements for Peter Criss and Ace Frehley.

The interior features include a TRD shift knob and TRD Sport floor mats.

Toyota says the Tundra and Sequoia are ideal for adventuresome families in need of that unique combination of performance, utility, towing ability, and comfort. To build upon that, Toyota Racing Development (TRD) is introducing the new TRD Sport grade for Tundra and Sequoia later this year. Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Sequoia TRD Sport

The 2018 Sequoia SUV, called the Sequoia TRD Sport for this version, also comes in 4×4 and 4×2 and with the aforementioned 5.7-liter i-Force V8 engine. TRD Sport Tuned Bilstein Shocks and TRD front and rear anti-sway bars improve the ride and handling.

The Sequoia TRD Sport’s key exterior upgrades include a new front grille and bumper grille insert, metallic black mirror caps, 20-inch alloy sport wheels in black, a darkened rear tail light housing, black satin finish, TRD Sport badging on the front doors, and a metallic black and chrome Sequoia badge on the liftgate. Color choices for the Sequoia TRD Sport include Super White, Magnetic Gray Metallic, and the new Midnight Black Metallic.

Interior features include standard black fabric or optional black leather captains chairs (these are part of the optional Premium Package), TRD shift knob, TRD Sport floor mats, and TRD Sport sill protectors.

Select 2018 RAV4 models will include optional heat/power fabric front row seats, heated steering wheel, and wiper de-icer as part of a new Cold Weather Package. Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

RAV4 Adventure

The cute-ute of the latest TRD offerings is the RAV4 Adventure. The RAV4 Adventure will be available in front-wheel drive with an Automatic Limited-Slip Differential, or with Dynamic Torque Control all-wheel drive. Both come with a standard Tow Prep Package, upgraded radiator, supplemental engine oil and transmission fluid coolers, and a higher ride height suspension.

The RAV4 Adventure model will also come standard with Trailer Sway Control and Hill-Start Assist Control.

Exterior styling tweaks add large overfender flares and 18-inch five-spoke black alloy wheels, sporting the boss meat 235/55R18 tires. Lower body guards, black headlight bezels, black fog lamp surrounds, roof racks, and “Adventure” badging complete the set.

Color-wise, the RAV4 Adventure buyer will get to choose from five: Black, Magnetic Gray Metallic, Silver Sky Metallic, Super White, and one new color for the RAV4, Ruby Flare Pearl. I know, Ruby Flare Pearl sounds like a burlesque dance from the 30s, but just go with it.

The 2018 RAV4 Adventure along with the Tundra and Sequoia TRD Sport will arrive in September.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.

Photos & Source: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

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2017 Dodge Charger Pursuit: Additional Eyes, Advanced Warnings

It used to be that a “Police Pursuit” or “Police Special Option” package consisted of heavy duty shocks and springs, an oil cooler, and a white paint job. Dodge aims to upgrade that by now offering an “Officer Protection Package” option on their Charger cop cars. Dodge, officially FCA US (that’s Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) teamed up with an outfit from Auburn, California, called InterMotive Inc., to deliver the new Officer Protection Package.

Dodge is doing it at no cost to police agencies that order the 2017 Charger Pursuit package.

Frankenstein Features

This is basically parts bin engineering at its finest. You know what parts bin engineering is, right? Just in case you don’t, parts bin engineering is when you take available cool parts your company is already making, and use them to make another car better; more efficient, perform better, upgrade this and that etc.

Most of the time parts bin engineering was focused on consumer level products, making them faster (stuffing bigger engines into smaller cars) or more luxurious (taking leather seats from an upmarket car and bolting them directly into a mid-level offering).

What Dodge is doing in this case is taking some bits and pieces that it already has in abundance; rear facing cameras and radar crash warning sensors, and installing them on police cars for officer safety.

Photo: FCA US LLC.

Additional Eyes

Dodge has taken the rear-facing camera and radar in its 2017 Dodge Charger Pursuit law enforcement vehicle and reprogrammed it to detect movement behind the vehicle. By this clever move, Dodge hopes to prevent an ambush of the officers and warn them if a subject is approaching from the rear.

Yes, police safety has been increasing for decades, but hey, if you’ve got the parts in the car already, why not tweak them a little bit, just in case?

“This technology is designed to prevent an officer from being ambushed from the rear while parked. While it does not replace vigilance, this technology acts as a second set of eyes and provides police officers with added peace of mind when they are in a parked Charger Pursuit,” said Jeff Kommor, Vice President for FCA U.S. Sales Operations, Fleet and Small Business Sales.

Fleet and small business sales are, of course, the people that make and sell things to taxi companies, delivery companies, and the like. Essentially anyone who buys cars or vans by the dozens – obviously, this includes cop cars.

Photo: FCA US LLC.

Advanced Warning

The Officer Protection Package is all about the concept of situational awareness. You know when you’re on the track, or the road, and even though you cannot see that other car in your mirrors, you know they are there. Change in air pressure, subconscious perception of a new shadow in your peripheral vision, increase in non-determined, aperiodic acoustical noise – that stuff leads to enhanced situational awareness.

You know what’s going on around you without having to look.

The Officer Protection Package is designed to improve an officer’s situational awareness further. So when a cop is parked and working inside the vehicle, filling out incident reports or logging something into the computer system, the Officer Protection Package makes use of the car’s ParkSense rear park assist system and ParkView rear backup camera to warn the officer if anyone is behind the vehicle.

The InterMotive portion of all this is a module plugged into the OBDII port. The module itself, the brain box of the operation, is secured under the dash. When the officer turns the thing on, the reverse sensors will be activated. If something comes across the sensor’s field of view, a chime will sound to warn the officer. This allows them to check behind the vehicle via the camera display. The system is also smart enough to lock all the doors, roll up the front windows, and will also flash the taillights.

Handy, no? It’s sort of like cars that automatically lock your doors for you when you hit 10 mph or leave the headlights on for 30 seconds so you can find your house keys.

The Officer Protection Package is already in the hands of “dealers” (i.e. fleet sales people have them in stock), and can be easily installed by the law enforcement agency’s motor pool mechanics, if departments want to go that route (think of slightly older cars and stuff like that).

The Officer Protection Package is available on all 2017 and future Dodge Charger Pursuit orders.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.

Photos & Source: FCA US LLC

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2017 Chevy Cruze Diesel Delivers Unprecedented Fuel Economy

Those looking for a fuel efficient car this year might be literally blown away by the 2017 Chevy Cruze Diesel Sedan. The car delivers an EPA-estimated 52 miles per gallon on the highway, the highest highway fuel economy of any non-hybrid/non-EV in America.

While that number is impressive, The 2017 Chevy Cruze Diesel is actually part of a larger initiative by the automaker.

“Chevrolet is dedicated to offering customers a wide range of propulsion options,” said Steven Majoros, Director of Chevrolet Marketing.

Transmission Options

Based upon the EPA highway estimate, the 2017 Chevy Cruze Diesel with the six-speed manual transmission can travel over 700 miles on a single tank of fuel. The six-speed manual returns an EPA-estimated city mileage of 30 with 37 combined. A new, highly optimized Hydra-Matic nine-speed automatic transmission is also available. When equipped with the latter, EPA estimates are 31/47 city/highway and 37 combined.

Engine & Emissions

The 2017 Chevy Cruze Diesel Sedan is powered by an Ecotec 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder turbo-diesel. It creates a solid 137 horsepower (102 kW) and 240 lb-ft. of torque (325 Nm). Chevrolet received a passing grade from the U.S. government for the engine, meeting the strictest environmental standards for validation, including Tier 3 Bin 125 emissions standards.

The vehicle also includes start/stop technology for additional fuel conservation.

Connectivity & Pricing

The 2017 Chevy Cruze Diesel comes with a variety of infotainment options too, including things like the available OnStar with 4G LTE connectivity and built-in Wi-Fi hotspot. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are also available and compatible with the Chevrolet MyLink system. Last year, Chevy owners took full advantage of such connectivity and tipped the scales on data usage.

Pricing starts at $24,670 including the $875 destination charge. The 2017 Chevy Cruze Diesel Hatch will follow the Cruze Diesel Sedan later this year, but arrive as a 2018 model.

“We know customers are looking for the right combination of fuel efficiency, driving dynamics, and more,” Majoros added. “With the EPA-estimated 52-mpg highway Cruze Diesel Sedan, they can get it all.”

Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.

Photos & Source: Chevrolet

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Chevy Redline Editions Announced

At the Chicago Auto Show, Chevrolet announced the introduction of the Redline special edition series. And by special edition, they mean slapping some badges and trim onto cars. Specifically, the Redline special edition is offered on nine Chevrolet cars, trucks, and crossovers, and Redline is the broadest cross-portfolio special edition ever offered by the brand.

And that, honestly, is saying a lot. Because making these half-baked “special editions” is something all American car companies have been doing ad nauseum since time immemorial.

Chevy’s Redline offerings come with black wheels with red hash marks, black nameplates with a red outline, blacked-out grilles, and black Chevrolet bowtie logos.

There’s more doo-dads and gee-gaws affixed here and there, depending on the model. The Silverado and Colorado Redline pickups have red tow hooks, for example, while the Camaro Redline gets black hash marks above the wheels. Chevy says it’s a design cue taken from their long heritage in motorsports, but everyone usually just calls them Grand Sports Stripes.

The various packages are offered on the Cruze LT (both sedan and hatchback), the Malibu LT, the Camaro LT/SS (both coupe and convertible), and Chevy’s crossover platform rides: Trax LT, Equinox LT, and Traverse Premier. For the trucks, it’s Colorado LT, Silverado Double Cab LT Z71, and Crew Cab LTZ Z71.

This whole idea of the Redline special edition has been knocking around since the 2015 SEMA Show in Los Vegas. Chevy says since everyone loved it so much at SEMA, they decided to make a production run and expand the Redline editions to cover nine vehicles in their car, truck, and crossover segments.

Brian Sweeney, U.S. Vice President of Chevrolet shard his views.

“Redline is another example of Chevrolet bringing SEMA concepts to showrooms. The SEMA show has proven to be a great way to identify customization trends in the industry, and quickly apply those trends to our most popular Chevrolet models. Based on the strong interest Redline attracted at the show, we believe they will be very popular with customers looking for standout cars, trucks, and crossovers,” he said.

No word specifically on how much the Redlines will run you, but you know, most of these things are never too terribly expensive. Silverado Redlines are the first available but orders can be placed at Chevrolet dealerships now for others in the lineup. All Redline vehicles will be available for purchase by the end of 2017.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.

Chevy Redline Edition Gallery

Photos & Source: Chevrolet

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Maven Expands Car-Sharing Services To Atlanta

Maven is General Motors’ personal mobility brand. Essentially, it’s the answer to outfits like Zipcar and car2go that the General set up a little while back. Maven has expanded its programs in Atlanta, from just the Lyft Express Drive program to Maven City car-sharing services.

Increasing Locations

In just over 11 months, Maven has launched three car-sharing or ride-based products and has expanded into 17 cities across the United States and Canada.

Those cities include Ann Arbor (the one in Michigan), Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Jersey City (the one in New Jersey), Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. You’ll note that these are all large cities, both in terms of population, but also size. Most of them also have pretty good public transportation systems too (most of them, Los Angeles I’m looking at you!).

These are all places where you don’t really need a car until you need a car. Most of your daily activities can be taken care of either on foot, or using ubiquitous public transit. Every so often though, you need a car. You go shopping and buy something big. Your beloved aunt Evie, still alive and kicking at 87, flies in for a visit. What, you’re gonna make her ride the bus?

No, you go get a Zipcar or a car2go or, GM is hoping, a Maven account, rent a car for a few hours, get the job done, drop the car off, and don’t worry about it any longer. So far it seems to be working out for GM and Maven. They have more than 20,000 members that have traveled 61 million miles. So if it works in far flung and exotic locales like Jersey City and Waterloo, Ontario, why not Atlanta?

The average Maven City trip is 121 miles and lasts more than 13 hours. Meanwhile, Maven City’s most popular vehicles are the Chevrolet Tahoe and Volt. Photo: General Motors.

Practical Expansion

“Atlanta loves cars,” says GM, and Maven gives urban Atlanta dwellers a nice selection of rides to choose from: hybrid electrics to sedans and SUVs. And, as is the case in this market segment, the cost of doing this is actually pretty low. Hourly rates start at $8 per, and that includes gas and insurance, so that’s not all that bad, when you consider all the costs are paid for up front.

At the moment, Maven in Atlanta has 50 vehicles at more than 20 locations throughout the city. Registered members can reserve one via the Maven app. In case your an Atlantan . . . Atlantian? . . . Aleutian? . . . Alsatian? . . . anyway, for a person that lives in Atlanta, Maven’s initial offerings can be found in Ponce City Market, Midtown, West Midtown, Downtown, Old Fourth Ward, Virginia-Highland, East Atlanta Village, and and Inman Park.

There are now more than 100 global Maven team members as the brand continues to attract top talent from the car-sharing, ride-sharing, and connected car industries, as well as some of the best minds from within GM. The Maven team has filed seven patent applications to help make car sharing more efficient. Photo: General Motors.

Global Markets

Your choice of rides includes the Chevrolet Cruze and Cruze Hatchback, Malibu, Tahoe, and Volt; GMC Acadia and Yukon, along with the Cadillac ATS and Escalade. At this point, GM treats Maven as a semi-experimental but ongoing thing. In addition to working in real world city environments, GM also has campus car-sharing locations at GM do Brasil headquarters in São Caetano do Sul, and at GM Australia/Holden headquarters.

São Caetano do Sul makes a ton of sense since it’s right in the Middle of São Paulo. Have you ever driven in São Paulo? Shoot, have you ever read about driving in São Paulo? The place is completely nuts. It’s like a chaos theory experiment gone horribly awry. Imagine the Ben-Hur chariot race scene and you get 90% of the picture. Also, have you ever noticed that most Brazilian race car drivers come form São Paulo? Coincidence? I think not!

Anyhoo, if you live in Atlanta, Maven looks like a viable car-sharing outfit.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.

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2018 Honda Fit Sport Review

2018 Honda Fit Sport Review
The Honda Fit gets a mild redo and a new Sport trim, which we have been driving this week. The Fit gets a few upgrades but keeps its best attributes of reliability, economy, performance, and interior versatility. It’s a good choice for city dwellers and a nice place to spend time commuting.
This week we drove the new Honda Fit Sport to see how it stacks up.
What’s New For 2018
The Honda Fit features updated styling and a new, mid-tier 5-Door Sport model. It also comes with more active safety technology and driver aids, an updated infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, re-tuned suspension and steering, and added sound insulation for a quieter ride.
Features & Options
The 2018 Honda Fit Sport ($17,500) comes standard with a rearview camera, remote entry, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, and driver-seat height adjustment.
The new-for-2018 Sport trim adds some “sporty” styling highlights, as well as 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. The Sport’s infotainment system is a seven-inch touchscreen interface that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also includes a six-speaker sound system with satellite radio. Total MSRP including destination: $18,390.

Interior Highlights
Stepping inside the Fit Sport reveals a cabin that feels bigger than a subcompact should. Most subcompacts feel tight and leave you with a feeling of claustrophobia. It features attractive cloth seats, some hard plastics, but still plenty of soft-touch surfaces. Controls are logically positioned and you don’t get the sense it’s an economy hatch. The fit and finish is good and the quality of materials is above average for this price point.
Fit is still a small car, but there’s a surprising amount of room in the front and back. We adjusted the steering wheel and height-adjustable driver’s seat and found the ideal driving position.
In the back, we were again surprised at how much legroom rear passengers are afforded, although headroom will be tight for 6-footers. The Fit comes with a 60/40-split folding rear seat Honda calls a Magic Seat. The rear seat can be positioned in a number of configurations, making the subcompact car able to handle more types of cargo than other typical hatchbacks. There’s also a handy hidden cargo tray for valuables under the rear deck. The rear hatch features a low-load height and it’s wider than others in this class, making it easy to pack larger items.

Engine & Fuel Mileage Specs
The Fit Sport is powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection, producing 130 horsepower and 114 lb-ft. of torque. Our Sport tester came with a smooth-shifting standard six-speed manual gearbox. EPA fuel mileage estimates come in at 29/36 city/highway and 31 combined mpg.
Driving Dynamics
We noticed two things about the Fit Sport after we got underway. Visibility is very good for a subcompact, and Honda’s engineers added more sound insulation which translates to a quieter ride on the highway. We also noticed the 1.5-liter engine is not particularly high-revving, and it takes awhile to get up to highway speed. We tested the Fit at altitude, however, so it will develop a bit more power at sea level.
The Fit Sport is nimble around the tight mountain curves, staying relatively flat when we took them fast, and is generally fun to drive. At highway speeds, the Fit is stable and composed. If you want a hot hatch, you will need to move up to the Civic, but the Fit is a capable commuter that’s easy to live with. It won’t leave you tired after a longer commute in traffic either.
The six-speed manual is a smooth-shifting gearbox for those who like to drive. Once you get used to the clutch uptake, shifts are precise and one of the better subcompact manual rowers we’ve driven.
Where the Honda Fit shines is in tight city streets and parking spaces. Thanks to the car’s small footprint, we were able to zip right into a small parking sport on the street without parallel parking. The Fit offers up nimble handling and a tight turning radius, allowing us to make a 180-degree turn around in the middle of the street. Overall, the Fit offers a fun and satisfying drive for urban dwellers.

Conclusion
The 2018 Honda Fit Sport is a very capable subcompact offering hatchback utility, sporty driving dynamics, smart packaging, excellent rear passenger and cargo carrying ability, good looks, and fuel efficiency. Add in Honda’s reputation for reliability and longevity, and you’ve got all the qualities needed.
Denis Flierl has invested over 25 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. Follow his work on Twitter: @CarReviewGuy
2018 Honda Fit Orange Fury Gallery

2018 Honda Fit Crystal Black Pearl Gallery

2018 Honda Fit Official Site.
Photos: Honda North America (other trim levels also shown).

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Bugatti Chiron Sport: Yeah, So What

Bugatti Chiron Sport: Yeah, So What Hey look, there’s a new Bugatti here, the Bugatti Chiron Sport. I’m sure a lot of people will be excited by this news. I, however, am not one of them. There’s a new Bugatti Chiron Sport? So what.
Yes, yes, I know. The Bugatti Chiron Sport, like the “normal” Chiron or even the Veyron before it, is a technical marvel. There’s about as much technological sorcery and power packed into these things as an ICBM. The engine is a purposefully weird layout with enough forced induction blowers, coolers, intercoolers, and radiators to seem like something from an WWII fighter.
And all that power is put to the ground through a very sophisticated all-wheel drive system and tires the size of oil drums.
Talking Track
But again: So what? Bugattis are all wonderful, technical exercises, but why does that really matter? Would I be as impressed if someone built a steam car as fast as a Ferrari? Sure, but I wouldn’t care all that much. You built a prop plane that can break the sound barrier? Cool . . . but, so what? Who’s going to buy the thing? None of the world’s air forces, I can tell you that. So Bugatti does all this cool stuff and gets monstrous levels of performance. But they don’t race. And if you don’t race, it doesn’t count. Period.
Bugatti, the old man himself, even for all his affectations of a third rate maitre d’ from Leon, and being picky for pickiness sake, at least he Raced. These new guys, Volkswagen, essentially, they bought the Bugatti name and slapped it onto an Audi/VW/Porsche-drawing board and made a very good road car. But for me and my money, if you don’t race it, you don’t count.
Photo: Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
Handling & Torque Tech
Curiously, what differentiates the Bugatti Chiron Sport from the normal Chiron is weight. The Chiron Sport is supposed to be all about handling performance, but you don’t have to look very deep to see it’s mainly a trim package with some new wheels and a few bits and bobs here and there. You think this thing is going to handle? At more than two tons, 4,400 pounds actually, I’d bet any one of the new Lotus special editions would chew this thing up and spit out the pieces on a tight mountain road.
The new Chiron Sport, which has the same power output and performance data as the other Chirons, does come with a dynamic handling package, a stiffer suspension, and the new Dynamic Torque Vectoring function. Nice. Torque vectoring is important, and it really transformed the first road car its inventor, Ferrari, put it on more than a decade ago. Thanks for joining the party.
Photo: Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
Grocery Getter
The Chiron Sport also gets a new wheel design and four-pipe exhaust deflector. And by deflector, I’m guessing they mean diffusor. Which means Bugatti focused on blowing the underbody, and sticking the thing down on high-speed corners. And that’s all well and good, but it’s also a gimme. Of course they’re going to maximize high-speed grip. All they got is speed. Trying to get more handling at lower speeds would reap little rewards for a Holstein of a car.
Which explains this little tidbit from Bugatti: “Chiron Sport corners significantly faster: lap times on Nardò handling circuit five seconds better than with Chiron.” Have you seen a map of the Nardò handling circuit? I count one long straight, two high-speed wiggly bits, and more than a few very high-speed sweepers. Put this thing on a course where you need Handling and not just “handling,” and you’ll get what I’m on about.
To further understand this, clock to this: The weight has been reduced 18 kilograms, or around 36 lbs. That’s it. After all this, it’s dropped the weight of a bag full of groceries. If you dropped that much weight from oh, a Miata, you’d notice it, but on this tank, shedding less than one percent of the all up weight ain’t going to get you bupkis. Oh, and before I forget, the Chiron Sport is the first production vehicle in the automotive industry with carbon fiber windscreen wipers. Really. Talk about gilding the lily.
Photo: Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
Pricing & Availability
The base price of the new Bugatti Chiron Sport is €2.65 million net, or $3.26 million for the U.S. market, including transport, customs duties, taxes, and fees. And for that amount of yenom, the filthy rich customers can choose individual color and trim options to “give their car an even sportier appearance.” Larf. For that amount of money, I could choose several cars that would be more fun up a mountainside and back, and none of them would take the automotive equivalent of a papal bull to get serviced.
First deliveries are planned for the end of the year. I’d say get in line, but you already are if this is your sort of car. It’s obviously not to my tastes.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.
Bugatti Chiron Sport Gallery

Photos & Source: Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

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Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder: Open-Air Emotion

Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder: Open-Air Emotion Lamborghini just rolled out the latest version of its Huracán, the Huracán Performante Spyder. That’s just a very continental way of saying: Hey look, we made the Huracán into a Targa-esque thing. No, it’s not really a convertible. And no, it’s not really a Spyder either, but it will blow your hair back to the tune of a 202 mph blast of wind.
The Huracán Performante is the more, uh, performance-oriented version of the “regular” Huracán (not that there’s much “regular” about this little beastie to begin with). Although I’ve seen no official word, it seems “Performante” will be to Lambos what Speciale is to Ferraris: the factory hot rod version.
Aerodynamic Design
From a design standpoint, the Performante Spyder takes a number of cues from Super Trofeo race cars, and also from open-frame street fighter motorcycles. Okay, kind of childish, but that’s kind of what Lamborghini is known for. There’s visible carbon fiber running throughout and the aluminum bits here and there drop 35 kilos (around 75 lbs.) versus the original Huracán Spyder. The use of forged composites are found in the front and rear spoiler, engine bonnet, rear bumper, and aerodynamic diffuser.
All of those are functional aero elements within Lamborghini’s patented active aerodynamics system, first introduced on the Huracán Performante: Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva, or ALA. The ALA system varies aero-load for either high down force or low drag, as well as enabling aero vectoring in high-speed cornering, thus providing excellent dynamics on the road or track. And all of this ALA stuff is governed by the Lamborghini Piattaforma Inerziale (LPI) system in real time; tweaking the car’s setup as well as activating the ALA system in less than 500 milliseconds to ensure the best aerodynamic configuration in every driving condition.
The Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder has a dry weight of 3,322 lbs., with a distribution front/rear of 43/57 percent. Photo: Automobili Lamborghini.
Power & Performance
With its 5.2, V10 naturally-aspirated engine, the Performante Spyder accelerates to 62 mph in 3.1 seconds and to 124 mph in 9.3 seconds. Like the Performante coupé, the Spyder outputs 640 horsepower at 8,000 rpm, producing 442 lb-ft. of torque at 6,500 rpm. Lamborghini says more than 70 percent of that torque is readily available at 1,000 rpm.
The Spyder, like the Huracán Performante coupé, includes an enhanced suspension system, recalibrated ESC, a more responsive Lamborghini Dynamic Steering system, and a permanent four-wheel drive layout for maximizing traction. Lamborghini’s driver-mode system comprising of STRADA, SPORT, and CORSA allows you to customize the car to suit your tastes.
Open-Air Enjoyment
The roof part of the Huracán Performante Spyder is a lightweight, electro-hydraulic deal that complements the car’s distinctive lines, whether open or closed. It is also said to maintain rigidity and handling, since even as a convertible it maintains the stiffness of a sports car. The roof opens in just 17 seconds up to a speed of 30 mph, which is a totally cool move to pull when leaving your burger joint of choice.
Pricing & Availability
The first lucky customers will take delivery of their new Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder this summer with a suggested price of, gulp, $308,859. No, that is not cheap, but you weren’t really expecting it to be, were you?
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.
Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder Gallery

Photos & Source: Automobili Lamborghini.

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