The Lamborghini Temerario is the automaker’s first V8 hybrid featuring three electric motors. This combination of instant electric torque and some rather risqué bodywork spells trouble for anyone following behind it. Matt Farah, host of The Smoking Tire, revealed that while filming the car, he managed to crack three windshields chasing it.
The Temerario stands out as one of Lamborghini’s hottest new hybrid supercars. Its powerful twin-turbo V8 engine alone is thrilling, but Lamborghini took things further by integrating not one, but three electric motors—a first for the raging bull. However, this bold design comes with an unexpected drawback that is causing problems for other drivers on the road.
Farah recently appeared on an episode of Spike’s Car Radio where he shared his experience filming the European-spec version of the hybrid Lambo. During the shoot, he was pelted by pebbles and ended up with three cracked windshields while chasing the car. The reason becomes clear once you look at the rear of the Temerario.
“You can’t get within 50 feet of one of these things,” Farah recalled. “We cracked three windshields.” He had host Spike Feresten pull up a photo of the Temerario’s rear and pointed out how exposed the rear tires are. The rear bumper is cut quite high, leaving about two-thirds of the rear tires completely exposed. Yes, it looks absolutely amazing, giving the car an aggressive, race-inspired appearance.
By removing bumper material, Lamborghini achieved this striking look but inadvertently created a rock-slinging hazard for anyone daring to follow the car closely. “I was shooting car-to-car,” Farah explained. “We had a shot on the windshield of the Corvette ZR1, and I was chasing the Lambo with the roof off the ZR1. I took a rock right to the face in a corner. It was a big one on my cheek—I’m so glad I was wearing sunglasses.”
So, what’s causing all this rock-flinging, and why is this even a topic for an EV blog? Beyond the bodywork exposing the rear tires—reminiscent of a semi truck without mudflaps—the Temerario’s three electric motors significantly amplify the car’s rock-slinging capability.
Two of the electric motors power the front wheels, which pose no threat. The third motor, mounted between the crankshaft and gearbox, supplements the car’s low-end power with 220 foot-pounds of instant electric torque. This motor enhances power delivery during throttle blips, effectively masking the usual turbo lag from the twin-turbo V8.
Tires are designed to grip the road. On dry pavement, warm rubber provides tremendous grip, and sportier tires grip even more to aid acceleration and cornering. However, this also means tires can carry small stones in their tread until centrifugal force flings them off. The massive instantaneous torque creates shear forces at the tire contact patch, potentially wedging stones deeper into the tread during quick acceleration from a standstill.
The actual launch of these rocks, when they fly free from the tire and head windshield-ward, is mainly governed by wheel speed. Rapid acceleration and the electric motor’s torque help dislodge these stones, sending them flying rearward. Since the Temerario’s rear tires are almost fully exposed, there’s nothing to catch the airborne rocks, launching them directly into the personal space of anyone unfortunate enough to be following closely.
Farah called the situation “crazy.” “I kind of like that they don’t care,” he said. “I’d be shocked if there isn’t some kind of class-action lawsuit because I didn’t know you could just sell a car with fully exposed rear tires. And they’re sticky, so they just throw rocks. It’s nuts.”
Adding to the challenge, Lamborghini also introduced a new “Drift Mode” on the Temerario. So, good luck to bystanders and anyone trailing this Italian beast.
Farah isn’t the first to anticipate such rock-flinging issues, but he might be among the first to experience it firsthand—three windshields cracked during a single shoot is certainly an insane amount of damage from one car. Most people don’t even crack their own car’s windshield three times during ownership.
Perhaps this phenomenon serves as a high-priced deterrent for tailgaters of the $390,000 supercar. But according to Farah, if you want to enjoy the Temerario, “You don’t want to be behind it—you want to be in it. In it, it’s not a problem. It drives so good.”
https://insideevs.com/news/776176/lamborghini-temerario-rear-wheels-rocks/
