Page 89 - Sharp September 2024

AUTO
CLOSED CIRCUIT
Open back roads and a selection of Ingolstadt’s finest epitomize the Audi experience
By Tristan Banning
It is often said that the reward for a Canadian winter is a Canadian summer. To best capture this fleeting reward, Audi thoughtfully curated a little slice of summer heaven near Goderich, Ont., which bills itself as “Canada’s prettiest town.” The good people at Audi also generously closed off a series of nearby roads to let SHARP explore nature and test drive some of Ingolstadt’s finest new machinery.
First up was the R8 GT, the brand’s soon-discontinued-but-not-forgotten supercar. There are only nine in Canada, and its V10 engine is one of the world’s great aural delights. Launching from 0-100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, the R8 got our heart pounding as few supercars can.
Next up was the RS e-tron GT, an all-electric sedan that — in the right hands — can keep up with the R8. The e-tron GT has the exact same 0-100 km/h time of 3.3 seconds and even more power (637 hp) and torque (612 lb-ft) than the R8. Couple that with the inarguably smooth and comfortable drive, the roominess of the interior, and the 5-80 per cent charge time of less than 30 minutes; it becomes clear why Audi EVs look like the future of automobiles.
When it was all said and done, we didn’t want to leave Audi’s slice of heaven. If there’s any better way to spend a Canadian summer than blasting through lush landscapes on closed roads in fast cars, well, we’ve yet to find it.
KEEPING IT UNREAL
LAMBORGHINI DESIGN BOSS MITJA BORKERT GIVES US THE INSIDE SCOOP ON THE WILD NEW 10,000-RPM HYBRID HURACÁN SUCCESSOR
By Matt Bubbers
MOST PEOPLE THINK MITJA BORKERT HAS A DREAM
job, and he does, at least if you ask him. But for someone less confident, less grounded, his job would be a nightmare. His task as Lamborghini’s head designer since 2016 has been to follow-up on the work of Marcello Gandini, who defined not only Lamborghini, but the supercar itself, with machines such as the Miura, Countach, and Diablo.
Yet in his usual cheery fashion, Borkert stepped out of a friend’s wedding earlier this summer to jump on a video call and treat us to a private unveiling of a top-secret, then-unreleased supercar known internally by its codename “634.” To the rest of the world, it was known as the Huracán’s successor, and it was unveiled at Pebble Beach in August.
The car Borkert and his team came up with is striking. The surfaces are cleaner, stronger, but the overall form feels somehow lighter and more cohesive compared to its big brother, the V12 Lamborghini Revuelto. From the rear, it’s all fat tires and sharp angles. Maybe there’s a hint of Countach in the silhouette?
“Lamborghini has to follow its DNA, the silhouette, but there must always be something unexpected,” Borkert explained. “Each
car that was designed under my responsibility has its own character,” he added, “and that is, I think, the fact that I’m most proud about.”
Like the Miura and Countach before it, the Huracán’s successor is breaking new ground. The naturally aspirated V10 is gone — for obvious emissions-related reasons — and replaced by an all-new V8 that spins to a stratospheric 10,000 rpm. The controversy comes from the fact the new motor is attached to a pair of turbochargers and aided by a tri-motor plug-in hybrid system.
Asked how the new high-revving hybrid engine sounds, Borkert would only say, “You will get goosebumps.”
While we’re left waiting (impatiently) to find out whether Lamborghini’s plug-in hybrid future lives up to its storied past, Borkert is all smiles as he waves goodbye and runs back to his friend’s wedding.
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