Big Lambos need big, wide roads. Heck. Even small Lambos need big, wide roads. And that’s precisely why we’re on the section of National Highway 3 that connects Mumbai to Nashik and beyond. Wide, largely smooth and free from much traffic (if you time yourself well), it’s a road you’re also probably familiar with through the pages of this magazine. It’s where we went supersonic in the mental Lamborghini Aventador a few winters ago. With us today, however, is Lamborghini’s latest — the Huracán. As most of you will know, it’s the successor to the mighty Gallardo. For the others, here are just some of its otherworldly details and numbers to get you up to speed — 5.2-litre V10. 602bhp. 0 to 100kph in 3.2 seconds. 325kph top speed. Gulp. But I’m not going to put either performance figure to the test today. I’m solely here to play matchmaker between a great car and a great road.
The day starts early in Thane, north of Mumbai. It all begins with a compressed orientation programme by a staff member from Lamborghini Mumbai. Lambos, after all, aren’t typically cars you just sit in and blast off. In fact, getting into the low seat is an event in itself. I do listen intently to all I’m told, but unexpectedly, find myself at home in the space-age cabin quickly. Weren’t Lambos supposed to be all about painful ergonomics and temperamental switches? The only unusual touches here are the reverse gear that’s activated by a handle and the window switches that you push down to get the window up and vice versa. Even the steering-mounted buttons for the lights and indicators seem intuitive enough. Less things to worry about on the move, then.
With that out of the way, there’s just one thing to do. And that is to lift the red flap on the centre console, push the start button and wait for the V10 monster behind the seats to erupt to life. Its initial bark is loud enough to have the few stray dogs around the car run for cover. As the engine warms up, the noise level goes down but my heart rate keeps soaring. Must. Keep. Calm.
