The 2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder is the perfect example of addition by subtraction. By simply removing the roof, Lamborghini has injected the already flamboyant Huracan Coupe with an added dose of style and drama.
In fact, Lamborghini doesn’t just refer to the Huracan Spyder as a topless sports car, but rather as a “lifestyle” car. Fitting, then, that Lamborghini hosted us in Miami, Florida, for the global launch of the 2016 Huracan Spyder.
Along came a Spyder
Following in the footsteps of other Lamborghini roadsters that came before it, the Huracan Spyder is launching about two years after the market introduction of its hardtop counterpart. That’s a calculated move on Lamborghini’s part as two years can be an eternity in the high-dollar sports car segment where image is king. More than just another convertible for the Lamborghini lineup, the Spyder is a way of keeping the Huracan fresh and interesting.
But that’s not to say Lamborghini completely disregarded the Huracan Coupe’s blueprint when designing the Huracan Spyder. Designers and engineers alike worked hard to translate the Coupe’s hexagonal greenhouse shape to the Spyder’s retractable soft top. It’s not an identical match, but it’s clear that the Coupe and Spyder are very close relatives.
The Spyder’s cloth roof stores neatly behind the front seats in about 17 seconds. The roof can be raised or lowered at speeds up to 31mph. The Huracan Spyder’s top end, however, isn’t capped by any such restrictions — Lamborghini says it can do 201mph with the top up or down.
Although the Huracan Coupe rides on an extremely stiff chassis made of aluminum and carbon fiber, some additional bracing was required for the open-top setup of the Huracan Spyder. As such, the Spyder weighs about 265 pounds more than the coupe. Weight distribution, however, remains essentially the same across the two cars.
That extra weight isn’t much of an issue for the Huracan’s 5.2L V10, which cranks out 601 horsepower and 412 lb-ft of torque. The Huracan Spyder is just 0.2 seconds slower than its Coupe counterpart to 60 with a clocked time of 3.4 seconds. It should also be noted that the Spyder’s 201mph top speed is 1mph short of the Coupe’s terminal velocity.
Likewise, that added weight dings the Spyder’s overall fuel economy, though we suspect few buyers will give much mind to the EPA’s final ratings.
Charting the changes
Although Lamborghini was keen on keeping the Spyder as similar to the Coupe as possible, there are a few key differences.
First off, the Huracan Spyder’s cabin feels noticeably more cramped than the Coupe’s with the top up. That’s not only due to the roadster’s inherent blind spots, but also because the roof’s triple-layer construction eats into headroom a bit. You also lose the rear window into the Huracan’s engine room when you opt for the Spyder treatment, which is something the 12-year old gearhead in all of us will surely lament. But while the top-up experience in the Huracan Spyder is admittedly compromised, those criticisms melt away when the sun is shining and the roof is stowed.
Flip the switch in the Huracan Spyder’s center console and in 17-seconds headroom is no longer an issue. And with the roof and its vast B-pillars gone, outward visibility is obviously much improved. The Huracan Spyder could still benefit from a blind spot monitoring system — which is blatantly missing from the car’s option sheet — but the roadster is easier to maneuver around city traffic than its fixed-roof sibling.
On the road
Despite being tagged as a lifestyle vehicle, the Huracan Spyder remains very much a driver’s car. On paper, the Spyder may be a little heavier and a little slower than the Coupe, but you’d never guess that from behind the wheel. Acceleration is brisk and steering is sharp. But more importantly, the Spyder feels just as solid as the fixed-roof Coupe.
Like the Coupe, the Huracan Spyder is surprisingly easy to drive. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is equally at home loafing through the center of town as it is banging through the gears on the open road. The Huracan is “right-sized” in any form, so it’s not particularly difficult to squeeze through small openings. The ride in the Huracan Spyder is stiff, but not uncomfortable. You can even order a front axle lifting system that ensures you won’t rip the Huracan’s nose off at every driveway junction.
The real differentiating factor between the Huracan Coupe and Huracan Spyder is not in the way the cars drive, but rather in the way they make you feel. In the Coupe, you’re locked into a cocoon-like cockpit, with the driving experience as the sole focus. In the Spyder, it’s all about seeing the world, and being seen in it. If you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle, it’s like the sensation of driving in the countryside rather than just through it.
The Spyder’s lack of roof also means you get an unobstructed earful from the Huracan’s quad-exhaust pipes, and what an earful it is. Angry and soulful all at the same time, the exhaust note sounds as if Lamborghini packed 10 tiny version of Luciano Pavarotti into the Huracan’s engine block. Best of all, those mini Pavarottis can carry a tune all the way up to 8,250rpm.
Adding it all up
Playing up on its lifestyle positioning, Lamborghini had us driving the Huracan Spyder mostly around the flashy streets of South Beach. And since we were in South Florida, we also had the pleasure of driving through rain that was borderline torrential at times.
Although city traffic isn’t the ideal backdrop for testing the limits of a supercar like the Huracan Spyder, it did give us an opportunity to use the car as most owners probably do. As we mentioned earlier, the Spyder’s cabin can be a little claustrophobic with the top up, but we were pleasantly surprised by the sound insulation provided by the cloth top. And although Lamborghinis of yore were often plagued by quality issues, we didn’t witness any such defects in the Huracan Spyder — the car’s cloth roof fit snugly without any kind of water intrusion. We were also happy to have the stability of all-wheel drive on some of the more rain-soaked stretches of tarmac.
Later in the day both the rain clouds and the traffic parted, allowing us to see a different side of the Huracan Spyder. And of course we took advantage of the Spyder’s 31mph roof operation speed, because it’s just so much cooler to lower the roof while on-the-go.
In order to cut down on wind turbulence in the cabin, the Huracan Spyder uses a small window in the center of the vehicle and two wind guards just to the sides of the headrests. The setup works well, allowing passengers to hold a normal conversation at cruising speeds. If you prefer the wind-in-your-hair feeling, the window can be electrically lowered and the side guards can be removed.
Leftlane’s bottom line
A supercar for the super stylish, the Huracan Spyder might be the fastest accessory money can buy.
But unlike some convertibles that can feel like watered down versions of their coupe siblings, the Huracan Spyder lives up to its Lamborghini badge. If anything the Spyder treatment only adds to the Huracan driving experience, which is the kind of math we can get behind.
2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder base price, $264,050. As tested, $302,150.
Blu Cepheus pearl effect paint, $11,900; Sportivo bi-color leather interior, $3,500; Contrast stitching, $700; Sport exhaust system, $2,800; Branding package, $1,000; Floor mats with leather piping, $700; Lifting system, $3,500; 20-inch wheels, $5,600; Front and rear parking sensors with rear view camera, $3,900; Navigation, $3,200; Black calipers, $1,300; Gas guzzler tax, $1,700; Destination, $3,495.
Photos courtesy of Lamborghini
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