Is the New Lamborghini Temerario the First Fearsomely Fast Hybrid?

Telemetry software in Lamborghini’s new Temerario supercar can record lap times and log data on race tracks, but also triggers a dashcam recording device to save video footage in the case of an accident on public roads, too. Look past the absurd powertrain stats of 907 combined horsepower from a twin-turbo V8 that can rev to 10,000 rpm, and this tech-heavy hybrid might just be one of the most complex vehicles ever built. Fiddling with dials on the steering wheel allows for the selection of—count ‘em up—13 discrete drive modes including the ability to skulk around in fully electric, as befitting the last step of Lambo’s Direzione Cor Tauri plan for Sustainability with a capital "S."

The Temerario launch program held at Estoril race track in Portugal even received ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event catering and energy production. But don’t worry, this next step in Lamborghini’s journey isn’t some overly sterilized hybrid for the greenie-weenies. Instead, as a track day at Estoril proved beyond a reasonable doubt, the Temerario finally delivers hybrid performance that’s really and truly spicy.

First Impressions of Estoril

As if to quickly educate me on just how spicy, at the end of my first full-throttle pull on Estoril’s long straight, I just barely crested 300 kph on the digital speedometer—or about 186 mph, my new personal best and about five miles an hour faster than the undeniably insane Corvette ZR1 that I drove at COTA earlier this year.

Now, in fairness to the Vette, Estoril’s last curve allows for a higher-speed lead out onto the straight from a wide right-hander. But the Lambo’s all-wheel-drive traction can also punch earlier and unleash all that instantaneous hybrid torque without risking a fishtail. On track, the Temerario even feels quicker than the V12-powered Revuelto that uses almost the exact same hybrid system. The same 3.8-kWh battery pack sends juice to two identical axial-flux front motors, but in this case, the rear motor mounts on the twin-turbo V8’s crankshaft rather than in the Revuelto’s dual-clutch gearbox.

CTO Rouven Mohr wanted the twin-turbo V8’s characteristics to mimic a naturally aspirated engine, and mounting the rear motor on the crankshaft lets electrons make up for turbo lag by filling in torque on throttle tip-in and during gear shifts. The turbos themselves whine a bit while ripping through revs, and the linear power delivery truly does swell and seemingly stretch on forever and ever, amen. Only above 9,500 or even 9,750 rpms does a bit of grunt fall off—and in fact, the engine will even allow up to 10,250 rpm in launch control mode.

We eventually tried out both a new-for-Lambo drift mode and the launch control. But for most track day, I stayed in “Performance” mode and hustled through the surprisingly technical circuit trying to catch the tail of the professional development driver playing cat and mouse ahead of me. And once I graduated to a Temerario equipped with the lightweight “Alleggerita” package that adds carbon fiber everywhere, a titanium muffler, and Bridgestone Potenza Race tires, finding the old familiar Lambo flow only took a lap or two of warming up.

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Taming A Boisterous Dance Partner

All of a sudden, the aluminum space frame chassis—a holdover from Huracán that contrasts with the Revuelto’s carbon-fiber monocoque, hoping to keep costs as “low” as possible—swung around in a tight tango. I tried cutting down corner apexes, tightening my line and trusting the all-wheel grip to lay down so much unbelievable power despite excess steering and slip angle. Sure enough, the Temerario took what I dished out, then more, and then more.

After each handful of hot laps, I needed to switch back into “Recharge” mode to let the rear e-motor feed off the internal-combustion engine and refill the battery pack. Four laps chewed through about half a battery worth, so once back in the pits, Lambo’s staff still wanted the cars to idle and keep topping up the electrons.

For one stint, I forgot to switch from Recharge back into Performance and suddenly struggled to stay on my lead-follow driver’s tail. And my top speeds on the front straight similarly flagged, dropping to the low-290 range. But once I realized my mistake and unleashed peak power again, I wound up hovering above 300 kph and even re-set my own PB at 308 kph—192 mph—on my second-to-last lap. That’s a solid 11 mph higher than the ZR1 on COTA’s long back straight. Though of course, the ZR1’s huge wing and maxed-out ZTK aero package contributes to more grip through faster turns and additional braking capabilities while hauling down from such prodigious top speeds.

The Temerario produces downforce, too, rather than lift. And the Alleggerita package simultaneously increases downforce and aerodynamic efficiency. Yet the smoother, classier exterior hints at the driving style that makes Lamborghinis fun these days: Namely, that Mohr loves rally cars and sliding sideways and flicking in quick hits of countersteering every time the rear tires step out.

Not that the Temerario approaches the braggadocio or boisterousness of the Huracán Sterrato—still quite possibly the most ridiculous and awesome supercar ever—but the hybrid powertrain only further enhances Mohr’s ability to play with purposeful drift settings. Pushing a button on the steering wheel cues up Drift Mode, which features three levels of computer programming to allow for precise 15-, 30-, and 40-degree slide angles, respectively.

Drift Mode, Launch Control, and Recharge

I skipped Level 1 and jumped straight to 2, hammered the throttle and then lifted off to initiate grip over the front tires. A little crank of the steering wheel and easy throttle again, and the whole chassis started to rotate—if my hands followed my line of sight, then a small drift kicked off. Starting the lefthand skid came easily, and I naturally wanted to flip sides and transition into a tight S-turn. But my pro in the passenger seat tried to keep the demo safe and the Temerario sound, rather than continuing the fun. Instead, I needed to then straighten out and here, I started to struggle and even spun a full 180 once.

Level 3 helped to widen my drift, but also kept the computer in a happier place by holding longer and sharper steering inputs without cutting back power. Bringing those massive 325-millimeter wide rear tires into line without snapping back into a spin now only took a bit more restraint and a steady liftoff from the go pedal. In seriousness, I am at the point in my driving experience where fully switching off computer intervention usually makes power delivery more predictable, but for anyone dead-set on drifting a privately owned Lambo—probably a half-million-dollar car with options—then putting trust into the machine brain is probably a good idea.

That brain in launch control sure works well, too. Back out onto the front straight, I stopped for a second, thumbed another button on the steering wheel, and covered both pedals as the 70-millimeter turbos spooled up to preload boost. Then I simply stepped off the brake pedal, the old rollercoaster stomach churn ramping up quickly as the Temerario pulled and pulled and pulled, ripping right up to and past redline as the eight-speed DCT shredded through gears, past 100 kph in the blink of an eye and onto 200 before I took another breath. Truly unbelievable traction management and relentless power delivery—and without a doubt better than me trying to launch the old-fashioned way without any kind of computer aids.

And in a way, launch control represents a microcosm of the Temerario’s magic. This powertrain makes the car arguably one of the most complex pieces of machinery on the market, with the twin-turbo V8 and three electric motors and a grand total of 13 different drive modes balancing algorithms that factor in driver inputs, traction levels, yaw rates, acceleration, braking, cooling, efficiency…. All adjustable and variable and predictive and responsive all at the same time, while allowing the e-motor to recharge when necessary, so owners never even need to plug in this plug-in hybrid.

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The Fiery Conclusion to Hybrid Development

Tacking on the Alleggerita package improves the steering, wakes up the exhaust note, and also adds manual seats that allow for a bit more adjustability. But the tires make the biggest difference, and Bridgestone claims that unlike the Revuelto, which absolutely torched tires at Vallelunga in only five or six laps, the Temerario can run 30 hot laps with only 4 percent wear and less than a second lost. By the time I started to find my flow with the Alleggerita, trusting all-wheel drive more and hitting full throttle almost immediately after apex and out onto the straights before hammering down into braking zones, bringing on a little tail squiggle, trail braking into the full dance of slip angle, I forgot the complexity beneath the skin that makes such unbelievable power and pace possible.

I wound up hitting 308 kph while needing to brake early lest I crawl up my lead-follow car’s backside—meaning that I left plenty more speed on the table. Not bad, and hence the decision to drop a V10, even if Mohr now sadly believes the hybrid system won’t quite match a potential future Sterrato variant. Because twin-turbo V8 torque creates a new kind of monster, one that takes the hybrid marriage to a new level beyond even the Revuelto. Want a gut punch? No problem. Want to sling along and torch tires? Likewise. Want ventilated seats for an autobahn stormer? Yes, finally!

Electric supercars now look further and further away on the horizon. But if the Revuelto set the stage for hybrid performance that can effectively outrun, out brake, and outdance the necessary weight gains, then the Temerario serves as an encore that effectively outshines the main event.

We’ve come a long, long way since my mother’s 2008 Prius, to say the least. And that’s just after experiencing the Temerario’s raucous character for one day at an unfamiliar track, which I left solidly under the impression that Lambo somehow turned out one of those fearsome creations that I need a whole lot more time with to comprehend in totality.

2026 Lamborghini Temerario Specs

• Powertrains: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve 4.0-liter V8/2 front AC motors, 1 rear AC motor

• Transmissions: Direct-drive/8-speed dual-clutch automatic

• Horsepower/Torque: 907 hp/590 lb-ft

• 0-60: 2.4 seconds

• Top Speed: 213 mph

• MPG: Gas and electric, 30 MPGe

• Price: From $390,000

Related: 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato: Off-road Supercar

Is the New Lamborghini Temerario the First Fearsomely Fast Hybrid? first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 28, 2025