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Rear-wheel-drive Lamborghini Huracan coming to LA

We've got an invite to attend a "Lamborghini global product debut" in Los Angeles, and if an Autocar report is legit, it looks like that new car will be a rear-wheel-drive version of the Huracan. Despite touting all-wheel drive across its model range, Lamborghini did offer a rear-drive version of the Gallardo – the Huracan's predecessor – so a two-wheel-drive version of the new car makes a whole lot of sense. Autocar believes the RWD Huracan will be a lighter, more hardcore version of the already-good coupe. This new model is also tipped to be a limited-production car. The two-wheel-drive Gallardo was limited to just 250 units worldwide, and the same could be in store for this Huracan. Also, remember that Lamborghini does technically already make a rear-wheel-drive version of the Huracan: the LP 620-2 Super Trofeo racecar. What's more, Autocar says that Lamborghini could offer a rear-drive version of the topless Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder. Seems like an easy thing to do, especially if this RWD Huracan is, in fact, a more powerful, lightweight take on the entry-level Lambo. We'll know more during the Los Angeles Auto Show festivities, which kick off in just two weeks. Related Video:

2015 Lamborghini Huracan LP 620-2 Super Trofeo [w/video]

Pull a run-of-the-mill Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 off the Sant'Agata Bolognese assembly line, and you'll get a fearsome piece of machinery that can hit 60 miles per hour in as little as 2.5 seconds and reach a terminal velocity in excess of 200 mph. The stats are stunning, but the boys at Lamborghini want more – not just numerically, but more in the greater glory of an all-encompassing, brand-aggrandizing, Ferrari kind of way. Why compare the Raging Bull with the Prancing Horse in particular? Surely, any self-respecting gearhead knows that the two brands exude subtly different swaggers. But the gap goes well beyond the superficial: while Ferrari (not to mention competitors like McLaren and Porsche) has nurtured an enviable racing history from LeMans to Monaco, Lamborghini's history on the track is a bit scarcer. The Volkswagen Group recently thrust Bentley back into competition to reinvigorate the brand's past glories, and the next VW brand to win the racing lottery is Lamborghini. Behold: the Lamborghini Huracan LP 620-2 Super Trofeo. Born To Race While Lamborghini claims a long history of wedge-shaped exotica, the Huracan was the first production car in the brand's half-century history to be engineered from scratch with the racetrack in mind. As such, the street car's screaming, naturally-aspirated V10 and 3,135-pound curb weight are mere starting points for Dallara Automobili, the firm tasked with developing the racecar in conjunction with Lamborghini. For starters, the standard Huracan is alleviated of many of its pedestrian trappings like airbags, sound systems, and swanky power-operated leather seats. By jettisoning the unnecessary, the Super Trofeo manages to slim down nearly 330 pounds, to around 2,800 pounds. Don't let the mere 10 (metric) horsepower jump fool you: the LP 620-2's Motec engine management system not only adds data acquisition capabilities (which work alongside an eight-setting traction control system and a 12-setting Bosch ABS setup), it completely changes the power delivery characteristics of that 5.2-liter V10. More on that later. A good chunk of that weight loss comes from the removal of the entire front end of the drivetrain, which transforms this Huracan from an all-wheel-drive animal to a rear-drive beast.

Lamborghini still working on SUV, no decision yet

If Lamborghini adds another model to round out its supercar portfolio, it will be a sport utility vehicle, CEO Stephan Winkelmann said. "We are working on it, but there is no decision taken," he told Autoblog in an interview in April. The Italian automaker currently has the V12-powered Aventador and V10-powered Huracan in its lineup. Both are two-seat supercars that cater to a niche of sporting-minded enthusiasts. Lamborghini has flirted with several kinds of vehicles in recent years that could add to its volume and customer base, including the hybrid Asterion revealed at the Paris Motor Show last year, and the Estoque sedan that debuted in Paris in 2008. It also showed the Urus SUV prototype at the Beijing Motor Show in 2012. Seemingly a sure thing three years ago – the Urus even had sales projections of 3,000 per year – the project's future has remained uncertain to enthusiasts. "If we do a third model, then it's better to have the SUV as this is a growing segment, a more emotional segment, a segment which is very well-distributed in terms of volume all over the planet," Winkelmann said. And therefore this is a car which is more likely." While Lamborghini has focused on building high-powered, carbon-fiber intense supercars lately, it has also produced iconic grand tourers, like the Espada and 350GT. And of course, it once made an SUV, the LM002, from 1986-1993. The potential new SUV, however, would be different than the Rambo Lambo. The Urus had a contemporary design – more Porsche Macan or Cayenne than military grade – and it would appeal to Lamborghini owners that also have an SUV in their garage. It would also add significant volume for the company, which delivered 2,530 cars in 2014. The SUV offers Lamborghini a logical platform for a hybrid system. "Due to packaging, due to the weight of the entire vehicle, it's more likely that the hybridization is getting in place," Winkelmann said. "It's less a car which is about absolute performance. So this could be an opportunity." Put it all together and it seems likely a hybrid SUV is in Lamborghini's future. We're just not sure when. Related Video: