It’s always difficult for a successor to live up to its predecessor, and Lamborghini has a tall task ahead of it. The Italian automakers unveiled the Temerario GT3 on Friday at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The racing version of the upcoming hybrid sports car is set to replace Huracán GT3 now that production is ending of its road-going counterpart. The Huracán will be a hard act to follow after the venerable machine spent a decade in competition with major endurance victories at Daytona, Sebring and Spa.
The powertrain is the first significant difference between GT3 and production versions of the Temerario. Current GT3 regulations prohibit the use of hybrid systems, so the engine and its associated components had to be redesigned as a result. The GT3 car will still use the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine, but with smaller turbos and a redesigned airbox. While the road-going engine can produce up to 789 horsepower, the powerplant will be restricted to 550 hp for the ruleset’s balance of performance.
The Temerario’s focus on optimization is the standard in GT3
As with most modern GT3 machinery, Lamborghini focused on optimizing the Temerario for a playing field that constantly shifts to ensure parity. The production-based aluminum space was lightened and simplified with hot-swappable front and rear subframes. The manufacturer produced carbon composite bodywork to drape over the chassis, again, designed to be quickly assembled and disassembled. Lamborghini CTO Rouven Mohr said:
“The Temerario GT3 has been designed with the end user in mind. Everything has been considered, from the efficiency of the aerodynamics to the power curve to the way in which the team is able to operate the car. The car operates in a slightly different area of the performance windows, that are used to balance the cars of different configuration, compared to its predecessor. We are confident that it will be competitive in terms of lap time, while also nice to drive in a wide range of conditions, including at night and in the rain. The development team has worked hard to ensure the car has a wide operating window, and that the teams are better able to work on it.”
Lamborghini
It’s not uncommon to see manufacturers use cars that easily exceed GT3 performance specifications to pare them down for competition. With balance of performance, power output isn’t as crucial as handling characteristics, ease of repair and performance windows. However, Lamborghini is only the second automaker to ditch an entire hybrid system to go racing in the category. The first was Ferrari, of course. The rival Italian manufacturer introduced the 296 GT3 in 2022, before becoming the company’s first car to win the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2023.
