Huracan

Segment
Coupe

Sometime next spring, Lamborghini will bring its new Urus SUV to the Nurburgring for the sole purpose of setting a new lap record. According to Car Magazine, the Italian supercar brand's R&D chief, Maurizio Reggiani, confirmed the news. But why wait until spring? Because the weather needs to improve. "We are doing it," Reggiani said. "We need to wait for a warmer season with good weather. We will be back in the spring." The Urus will need to go faster than the current SUV lap record holder, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV.

It recently achieved a lap time of 7:51.7 seconds. Chances are Lamborghini will achieve its objective. Powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 with 641 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque, the Urus is not only more powerful than the Stelvio QV, but it's also faster. Zero to 62 mph happens in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 189 mph. The Stelvio QV, by comparison, hits 62 mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 177 mph. Now, you may be wondering why Lamborghini and, for that matter, Alfa Romeo, even bothers spending the time and money taking its SUVs to the Nurburgring to set lap records. How many owners, realistically speaking, plan on taking these vehicles to the Nurburgring anyway? Only a small handful, at best.

The real reason to achieve a 'Ring lap record, like most other high-performance vehicles, is purely prestige. When something is fast, even better when it's the fastest at something, often translates to better sales, and that's what matters most, for better or worst.