Lamborghini Huracan Performante sets new Nurburgring record

There's a new lord of the 'Ring, with the new Lamborghini Huracán Performante setting a new and lighting-quick lap record, obliterating the Nurburgring's 20.6km in 6min 52.01sec.

The Huracán Performante crushed the record back on October 5, 2016, and while rumours were buzzing ever since, they were finally confirmed this morning. Even more impressive, Lamborghini test driver Marco Mapelli had just 15 minutes - or one flying attempt - at the record, from 5pm after the open-track sessions had finished, and was driving a car still draped in its design camouflage.

The time doesn't just lay the gauntlet at Porsche's feet, but effectively smashes it across the bonnet of the German's 918 supercar, with Lamborghini shaving a stunning five seconds off Porsche's previous blitzkrieg lap record of 6min 57secs.

"This was an incredible and emotional moment," says Stefano Domenicali.

It will forever be a defining moment in their careers.

"Together with Maurizio Reggiani we agreed during the car's development that with the technical and performance prowess of the Huracán Performante, not only was a sub seven-minute lap at the Nordschleife possible, but the lap record, too.

"We wanted to achieve the Nürburgring victory in advance of the Performante's launch, which was a challenge in terms of weather and availability of the Nordschleife. Not only did we take the lap record, we took it by some seconds!

"To make this happen is something that every one of the R&D team who worked on this car can share in: it will forever be a defining moment in their careers. I am so proud of everything achieved by Lamborghini people that day and extremely privileged to have witnessed it."

The Huracán Performante will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show later this month, but is heavily tipped to feature a beefed-up version of the Huracán's V10, with figures rumoured to climb to around 480kW and 630Nm, producing a zero-to-100km/h sprint of three seconds and a screaming top speed of 340km/h.

Those numbers join all-wheel-drive and what Lamborghini calls its Active Aerodynamics - a pair of motorised flaps housed in the front bumper and rear wing that can be deployed to maximise track performance. It's also been put on a strict diet, with Lamborghini rumoured to have ripped at least 100kgs in weight out of the existing Huracán.

While the standard Huracán is seen to play very much second fiddle to Ferrari's orchestra of awesome 488 GTB, the Performante version will surely narrow the gap. The 488's Ring time is a comparatively pedestrian 7min 01sec.