FEEL ΤΗΕ NOISE

Brand-new but old-school analogue: Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica meets Porsche 911 GT3

- Ben Barry

THESE CARS ARE NOT DIRECT RIVALS. THE SMALL matter of four cylinders, an entire market segment, and some 76k Rs 76 lakh) separates Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica from Porsche’s 911 GT3 or 122k Rs 1.22 crore with our as tested” options). What they share is philosophy and timing—driver engagement as if it has been concentrated through a magnifying glass, visceral thrills accented towards the track but accessible on the road, and the knowledge that we have only a limited window in which to enjoy analogue cars like these, at least as new.

Naturally aspirated engines shared largely unchanged from GT3 racers are key to this urgency. Four litres in the Porsche, 5.2 in the Lambo, they rev like circular saws and do their best work when most of the newer and cleaner turbo engines are clocking off; you need to monster them to unlock their full potential.

I am in the Lamborghini first, following Jake Groves in the 911 GT3 as he drops two gears for a tight corner, paddle-shift clicks unleashing two angry barks as the flat-six’s revs flick up. A raspish gasp of induction fills the vacuum of Vio noise when I follow suit in the Huracan, rolling into the corner hard before we both pin the throttle fractions of a second apart. The GT3 digs in and the Huracan locks on to its fat rump as if there is a gunsight at the centre of its fast-raked windscreen.

More than speed, it is the sound and build to peak power that defines these experiences—both cars amass revs and sonics with a long, frenzied fury up through the gears—the serrated wail and pompy brass of the Vio dominates the Huracan’s cabin but the GT3’s flat-six is a howling blare up ahead, low in the mix if ever present, like I am playing the root note and Jake is riffing further up the scale. Primal noise swirls like surround-sound.