You can file this in the "saw that coming" file, but Lamborghini is going to be making multiple versions of its new Huracán->ke4345 over the next few years, including a rear-wheel-drive model. This news comes courtesy of Autocar, who managed to get a few words with Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann after the reveal of the new Huracán Super Trofeo at Pebble Beach->ke2839 last week. The key phrase Winkelmann uttered was “why should we not do a rear-drive option?”

There was a limited run of RWD Gallardos that started with the special LP550-2 Balboni Edition. After the Balboni came another limited run Bicolore special edition, and finally Lamborghini just began offering a base level RWD car. It makes sense that the Huracán will follow this same tradition, but Autocar expects the RWD model to be a special, high-end creation that will carry a higher price and more limited production numbers.

Before the RWD model arrives, expect a convertible Spyder version to arrive next year, with a higher performance variant a year or two after that. There will inevitably be lightweight versions as well, and this may be where the RWD comes into play. Cutting the AWD system from under the Huracán is likely to save 100 pounds or more.

Autocar

Click past the jump to read about the Lamborghini Huracan0}

While Lamborghni’s are incredible things to drive, there is a certain dullness that is introduced to the experience by having AWD. With all four wheels gaining traction, there is less sense of excitement and there is a tendency for understeer at the limit. The dream you have of power sliding a Lamborghini around a long sweeping corner are not what most drivers can expect, and that is almost completely due to that all-wheel-drive arrangement.

By moving to RWD, the Huracán will cut weight, and become a livelier thing to drive. By removing the drive from the front wheels, the steering should also get more responsive due to less interference in what is happening between the road and your hands.

The only way that the Huracán will be lessened by a move to RWD will be in raw lateral grip and traction. An AWD system can use torque vectoring to keep a car in line, giving you a higher lateral cornering speed, and during hard launches or foul weather the extra traction can be beneficial. If you think going to a RWD platform sounds like a bad idea, just ask yourself how many AWD Ferraris->ke252, Lotuses->ke49 and Miatas->ke1185 exist.

Why It Matters

The Lamborghini Huracán is the latest entry-level model for the Italian company. It replaces the company’s best-selling car of all time, the Gallardo. Like the Gallardo that came before, the Huracán is an AWD coupe powered by a V-10 engine that is mounted in the middle of the chassis, right behind the seats. The 5.2-liter is naturally aspirated and uses both multi-point and direct fuel injection to produce 602 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of twist. Lambo claims that this new machine will complete the 0-to-60 sprint in 3.2 seconds and carry onward to a top speed of 202 mph. It may be the baby of the lineup, but it lives up the term supercar.

Along with the revised engine from its older sibling, the Huracán also uses a new transmission that is a dual-clutch unit with seven forward gears. Lamborghini is calling it the Doppia Frizione, and it is currently the only confirmed transmission available for the car. There is no current talk of a potential manual gearbox.

This new car also serves as the underpinning for the new Super Trofeo race car->ke148 that will be used to compete in the one-make Blancpain series for gentleman racers.