The Lamborghini Temerario Looks Like a Generic Supercar From GTA, but That's a Good Thing

Why would Lamborghini do this? Well, they made a conscious decision to go with something a little more “timeless”, shall we say? I think that Huracan owners which absolutely loved the insane styling of their ride are going to need some convincing to make the switch – unless the increase in performance is reason enough.

Either way, I wanted to zag a little bit, because my feeling is that most people are “zigging” in the direction where the Raging Bull seems to have dropped the ball by not making a more aggressive-looking supercar in the Temerario.

Here’s my zag: Think back to the pre-Countach era, back when Lamborghini’s design language was very different, emphasizing elegancy, fluidity and refinement.

History lesson alert

It all started with the 350 GT, which came out in 1964. It was designed by Carrozzeria Touring, and it instantly became one of the most elegant two-door grand tourers in the world. This was in no way radical, but rather very well proportioned, and it went on to set the tone for Lamborghini’s approach to design in the 1960s.

At that point in time, they probably had no idea how ostentatious their future models would look.

Fast-forward to 1966 and the Miura was introduced to cause a worldwide dropped jaw epidemic. It worked, too. This thing was wider and lower than the 350 GT, looking like it was going fast even at a standstill.

In other words, yes, it represented a significant shift in Lamborghini’s design philosophy, introducing a more daring and avant-garde approach to car design, but the Countach was still just an afterthought at that point. Before Lamborghini became what they are today, additional “conventional looking” models were released in the Espada and the Islero, both of which were refined and understated, paying homage to the 350 GT with their appearance.

What came next were the Jarama and the Urraco, the former being a front-engine, 2+2 grand tourer, and the latter a mid-engine 2+2 coupe – both designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone. The Urraco sort of spearheaded that whole wedge-shaped design thing for Lamborghini, which would become a trademark for future models.

When it was time to draw up the Countach, it was clear that the carmaker had fully embraced this design philosophy. From elegance to aggression. This brings us to current times, and as we all know, trends can be cyclical and if I could just remind you that Lamborghini came out with a limited-production hybrid-electric Countach LPI 800-4 model back in 2021, which people loved. Perhaps we should have taken that as a sign of things to come – sort of like how the Reventon paved the way for the Aventador.

The Temerario is somewhat similar to the Countach LPI 800-4 in its design philosophy. It’s not quite as aggressive, but it does look like it could exist in pretty much any era. Its name means “fierce” and “courageous”, which is how you’d have to be in order to abandon what you’ve been doing with the Huracan and opt instead for a completely different direction.

Not only does the Temerario look nothing like the Huracan, or the Revuelto, or the Aventador, for that matter, but it also doesn’t drive (presumably) anything like the former. Why are we making such assumptions before anybody’s even gotten a chance to get behind the wheel? Well, because this doesn’t have a V10 engine anymore. It’s the first mid-engined V8 Lamborghini since the Jalpa (1981), not to mention the first turbocharged Lamborghini supercar (the Urus doesn’t count, because it’s an SUV). Plus, it’s a plug-in hybrid.

What does all this mean?

I guess it means that nothing lasts forever, and that everything is subject to change. It’s by no means an ugly car. It’s still stunning to look at – it's just not as overwhelmingly aggressive as what we’ve been used to seeing from things wearing a Lambo badge.

Also, the general consensus seems to be that the Temerario has a hell of a rear end. What’s underwhelming is the front end with those squinty headlights, and the profile section which to me looks very McLaren MP4-12C-ish.

I think the second you get behind the wheel and realize just how superior the Temerario is to the Huracan, you probably won’t even care what it looks like. Take the Porsche 911 for example. It’s one of the most understated supercars in the world, if not the most understated, yet nobody’s going to say anything bad about its appearance, unless they want their car enthusiast license revoked.

Then there’s the fact that sometime in the very distant future, when car designs will look very different to what they do today, people might start to appreciate something like the Temerario a lot more than they do the Huracan. How come? Because of the “less is more” effect. Less fuss, less aggression, and a bit more elegance – that seems to be the recipe for the Temerario.