Remember that crazy-ass off-roading supercar concept Audi showed off back in 2013? It was called the Nanuk and had a V10 diesel, and was essentially a lifted and toughened R8 or something. Well now the rumor mill claims the concept has been kicked over to Lamborghini to become a real thing in the form of a Huracan—now called the Safari.




This concept of an off-road supercar has been shuffling around Volkswagen Group for years, originally starting out as oddly intriguing Giugiaro Parcour from Italdesign and morphing into the Audi Nanuk concept. Now, as Automobile Magazine reports, this odd creature may exist in the future as a Lamborghini.


From Automobile:



According to the Sant’Agata grapevine, there is talk of shifting control of Lambo to Porsche. At the same time, the rumor mill in Wolfsburg suggests Audi will also move under Porsche’s control, joining Bentley and Bugatti. Such an arrangement would leave the individual brand identities untouched while creating a variety of synergy effects.﻿

In the meantime, the Huracán lineup will be given more muscle, with Speedster and Barchetta versions coming, along with a hardcore SV model and an even hotter GT3 Stradale. There’ll also be a Huracán Targa to complement the roadster and a lightweight Superleggera version. But the most audacious iteration by far will the Huracán Safari, which will feature height-adjustable suspension, bigger wheel arches, all-terrain body protection panels, all-wheel drive, and four-wheel steering. While not ready to tackle the Rubicon, Lamborghini R & D claims the almost go-anywhere Huracán—which will be available in coupe and roadster form—is absolutely unbeatable on rough Italian C-roads where ground clearance and wheel travel are essential.

What a wild fucking idea. Apparently that’s not the only insane product to be expected from Lamborghini in the near-future, as the report also goes on to describe an Aventador replacement with over 1,000 horsepower, utilizing a soft hybrid setup coupled with an 800 horsepower 7.0 liter V12. Again, all of this is just rumor-speak.

Interestingly, the mag also reports that the current Huracan’s V10 will bite the dust when that model’s replacement is introduced following the new Aventador. Instead, the new Huracan will get a V8 from Porsche with some model trims also adopting a soft-hybrid setup.


All of this sounds insane but extremely exciting. I very much want a Lamborghini rally fighter that isn’t the imminent Urus SUV. I’m also completely comfortable with an onslaught of insanely powerful hybrids. If any part of any of this is true, there’s going to be a lot of incredulous reactions over the next few years. Maybe Lamborghini finally has the guts to do what Audi wouldn’t.