Lamborghini Huracan coupe 2015 review

Lamborghini's Huracan shows how far supercars have come.

I suspect that very few Baby Boomers admit to having a poster of Gary Glitter on their bedroom wall when they were just starting out as a musician. But if you were a motorhead - lowercase "m" - chances are there was some duco choice between Blondie pin-ups. Wheels, which are not ashamed to admit now.

If you saved up enough paper money, you could invest in a Blondie album (note to Gen Y readers: music used to be on dinner plate-sized pieces of plastic). At least go to a concert.

But if your last name wasn't Rinehart, you were forced to admire the Ford GTHO Phase III from afar, in the unlikely event that you saw it at all.

Even more incredible and achievable, like moondust, were the European supercars of that era, exotics from Ferrari and Lamborghini.

One car embodied their brooding futurism like no other: the Lamborghini Countach.

Supercars are something else now

The Countach had a powerful V12 behind the cockpit, but it seemed to run on antimatter. Starship Enterprise in the TARDIS parking lot. He left an indelible mark on many young minds.

Now some of the boys and a handful of girls who have admired this piece of chenille fantasy are lining up for Lamborghini's newest addition: the Huracan. One dealer admitted that he could not resist the customers, and, with rare exceptions, they had one answer: yes, there is a Countach poster hanging above my bed.

Lamborghini has come a long way since the 1970s and the Huracan is a very modern car. Modern as the Countach could never be. At its peak, the Countach boasted a 5.2-liter V12 engine with 335 kW and 500 Nm - impressive even by today's standards. If you mean today's standards, let's say a moderately fast Audi.

But supercars are something else now.

Huracan's life statistics suggest he may have a vicious streak.

The Huracan is equipped with a 5.2-liter V10 engine with 449 kW and 560 Nm. Although it is larger (in all but width), it weighs less than the Countach, and if it came to drag racing, he would just leave it at a traffic light. The fastest Countach accelerated to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. The Huracan can do this in 3.2 seconds. If the Countach accelerates to 295 km/h, then the Huracan can accelerate to 325 km/h.

What's more, I've never met anyone who tested an old Lambo and said, "It was a trifling ride at speed. Hands like in a dream.

I have never driven alone, but if I did, it would be in awe.

Huracan's life statistics suggest he may have a vicious streak. Some say it's faster than the flagship V12 supercar, the Aventador, although Lamborghini denies this.

I can't say, but this is undoubtedly one of the fastest cars I've driven. Legal speeds feel like walking pace. Ask him for more - you only need to whisper to the gas - and he calmly and ruthlessly gives out. Shifting is a great whistle, and it cackles politely when overspeeding.

Turn up the volume and it will show the entire vocal range of the engine. There are over 8000 revolutions to explore.

Most revealing is the way it is handled. He enters corners with a subtle urge, and then corners just evaporate thanks to his grip and intuitive steering.

Tires protest long before they give up. Most of the time, road noise is about the same as you'd expect, while the squeaks, rumbles, and odd mechanical clanks - constant companions of only the previous generation of supercars - are (almost) absent. It's civilized. Even visibility is good. And no one gets into a supercar to enjoy the view.

From the outside, it's amazing. He gives a thumbs up and smiles in approval. Although something is missing. Obviously, the lack of scissor doors is a feature of the Countach. For that, you have to buy the big one: Aventador, Lamborghini's flagship V12 for $761,500. But there is also no shock value. Countach surprises from every angle, no matter how often you look at it.

Painted a $20 matte black Huracan, the test Huracan has a sinister side to it. I love it. But, unlike the Countach, it does not repel with its audacity. Demonic is not.

Instead, there is the impeccable quality of the exterior, the perfect rendering of the car as a drama. This also applies to the cabin, which has gorgeous leather and Alcantara expanses that invite you inside.

At least that's true up to the point where you think the plastic parts are too plastic, which happens from the moment you hold on to gun-style doorknobs to the second you touch the controls on the steering wheel. They are fragile in action, inexpensive to the touch.

Lamborghini operates under the Audi umbrella within the Volkswagen group, and like the Gallardo that replaces the Huracan, there is evidence of parental control. Audi electronics are everywhere, from the button layout to the annoyingly illogical operation of the main control knob.

Among all this playfulness, there are some real gaffes. The indicator and wiper controls are on the handlebars and work like a motorcycle, but they are poorly located and the indicator is impossible to find, let alone use when the handlebars are turning.

To lower the window, you press the switch up. Of course, this is Ergonomics 101. And the control screen, located directly in front of the driver, where the real dials once sat, may be too small to be easily read. Especially when using the navigator.

Some of the bespoke switchgear looks old-fashioned, like a massive row of toggle switches and a stop-start button hidden under a flip-top red cover.

Countach is a punched card; we all have smartphones now

These warnings weaken the attractiveness of the car. A little.

But I see that in general it will be pleasant. Flip the cover. Press the button. Take off! There is a sense of chance that the moon shot will eclipse. And on the road it delivers.

If you're looking for a modern supercar, the Huracan should be listed alongside Ferrari and McLaren.

If you want the equivalent of the Countach in terms of design, Lamborghini can still provide.

But right now you are really on a very esoteric level. With cars like the Reventon or the Veneno that come in pairs or triples and cost the same as the Luxembourg.

If you want something scary as well as dramatic, then you are in the wrong place. Or rather, the wrong decade.

Countach is a punched card; we all have smartphones now.