Lamborghini Huracan successor won’t use new Le Mans race-car V8 engine

The replacement for the Lamborghini Huracan supercar due next year – expected to adopt plug-in hybrid V8 power – will not use the brand-new twin-turbo V8 developed for Lamborghini's new Le Mans race car.

The Italian supercar specialist has unveiled the SC63, the car with which it will make its debut in the top category of global 'endurance' motor racing – which competes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – next year.

It is powered by an all-new 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine combined with hybrid technology for a total output of 500kW.

This engine would be a good fit for the successor to the V10-engined Huracan – which reports claim is planned to combine a new twin-turbo V8 with plug-in hybrid technology – but Lamborghini executives have ruled out the possibility.

"To speak about the Huracan successor it's a little bit too early, but I can already tell you that this is a race-track engine only," Lamborghini chief technical officer Rouven Mohr told a group of Australian media including Drive.

"There are no plans to bring this engine on the road car because ... otherwise we would have to take too many compromises on the race-car side or the road-car side, so this we don't want to do.

"The answer to your question is no, you will not see this engine in a road car. What if there is some inspiration or technology transfer? I would not exclude [this], but the engine itself is specifically an LMDh engine.

Overseas reports have claimed the V8 engine tipped for the Huracan replacement will be all-new, and not shared with the Audi and Porsche-designed 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 used in the Lamborghini Urus SUV today.

When asked if the LMDh V8 is related to any existing engine, Mr Mohr said: "It's not derived from something existing, and it's also not one-to-one in relation to a street-car project of the potential future because it was specifically designed for this application."

Mr Mohr highlighted the turbocharger as an area where the design of the race engine differs from what would be required in a road-going car.

"I give you one example, on the race car engine the turbochargers are outside of the V [banks of cylinders], so it's not a hot-V engine [where the turbos are inside the V shape of the cylinders]. On the street cars you go for a hot-V engine because the packaging is a different story."

Although the race engine won't be used in a road car – and Mr Mohr confirmed hybrid components from the race car will also be off-limits to road vehicles – he said learnings were being taken from the LMDh programme for future road-going Lamborghinis.

"What we can learn, and are learning in both directions – both from the street cars, and also backwards from the race cars to the street cars – is the energy flow strategy, the interaction with the turbocharged engine and the hybridisation factor, the recuperation," the executive told media.

"Things like this for sure you can learn a lot, and this will influence the future street cars.

"It's not only one direction, you always take inspiration from the race track to the road, and sometimes also vice versa."

Testing of the Lamborghini SC63 race car is due to begin next month, before the car makes its competition debut next year.

It is due to compete in the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) – which includes the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans – and the GTP class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in the US.

It will compete in the WEC Hypercar class alongside other cars developed to LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) – as well as LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) – regulations from BMW, Porsche, Toyota, Ferrari, GM's Cadillac luxury brand, and Honda's US luxury marque Acura.