Lamborghini Temerario: 'I drove Lamborghini's new supercar around Leeds - it is exquisite but expensive'

This is the latest in the Italian company’s repertoire. It’s a high performance coupe but Lambo call it a “super sports car” with some justification. Not quite a hyper car but close.

It looks quick. It sounds quick. And after a spin around Leeds – not literally I hasten to add – I can assure you it is quick.

My mate Steve – a former police officer and press photographer trained to drive by the force – had fun for a few exhilarating hours without troubling his ex-colleagues and maintaining my zero points licence. A great day all round.

Well designed cars look like they’re moving even when standing still. But the excellent ones like this Lamborghini look like their belting along.

It’s the melding of art and science and it is paying off for Lamborghini which sold a record 10,717 cars last year for just over £3bn.

This is Temerario. Top speed 213mph and 0 to 60mph in under three seconds. It’s slightly longer, wider, higher and heavier than Huracan and actually quite a lot more sophisticated.

This is more than just handsome, it’s a groundbreaker too. It is the first super sports car in the history of Lamborghini to be fitted with a V8 twin-turbo engine and three electric motors.

In fact it’s the first super sports car since the Jalpa in the 1980s to have a V8 engine.

Its predecessors – Huracan (2014-24), Gallardo (2003-13) and Jalpa (1981-88) tended to be V10s, the latter ones with 5.0 litre engines.

But this Temerario – like most Lamborghinis named after an ancient bull – is a hybrid. But with 907bhp of power, this is no shrinking violet.

From the purring engine which turns into a vibrating visceral growl at the touch of a pedal, you can tell instantly this car is about controlled power combined with elegance.

You can turn on the ignition and go straight to electric which is quieter but you may prefer to impress the neighbours with the explosive V8.

So where to go with this excellent car? We headed from Lamborghini Leeds just off the M1 for motoring’s spiritual home, The Motorist near Sherburn.

It was a quiet Thursday morning but there were some impressive cars in the car park. But none quite as exciting as the Lambo.

It’s a mecca for car enthusiasts and we met Sam, a 6ft 7in student from Castleford who knows a thing or two about cars.

He welcomed a chance to squeeze his frame into the compact cabin and managed it easier than I. His younger bones must be more flexible.

The car drew some attention. It is beautiful. Some critics say it’s not as handsome as its predecessors but I disagree.

Huracan especially was a beautiful car from the less-is-more school of design but I don’t think you can fail to be won over by this latest model. It had a tough act to follow but it is lean and seductive.

Its designer? A German called Mitja Borkert who made his name creating Porsches.

He has used some bold touches on the Temerario but has kept faith with traditional Lamborghini design language which majors on geometric design.

The exterior is characterized by a new stylistic feature, the signature hexagon-shaped daytime running lights, which recall one of Lamborghini’s traditional shapes with a futuristic context.

Also unmistakable is the exposed engine, the heart of the vehicle, framed by a new style of spoiler.

Of course, it’s more than just looks. Technically this car has plenty to shout about.

Debuting is Drift Mode which is controlled through the racing-inspired steering wheel.

It is adjustable through three levels – from one which allows oversteer while maintaining a limited drift angle to three which is dedicated to expert drivers to allow a wide drift angle.

I’ll leave that to the experts on tracks. There is not much call for drift angles around West Yorkshire.

It’s interesting that Temerario is a plug-in hybrid. Even people paying a quarter of a million pounds care about the planet, it seems.

In fact, this particular model would set you back £347,000 which is enough to focus the attention of a man who drove to the Leeds Lamborghini dealership in a Skoda.

Temerario is the second Lamborghini after the Urus to be offered with a twin-turbocharged V8.

It revs at 10,250rpm, which makes it the first ever Lamborghini to safely rev past 10,000. To allow it to rev higher, it has titanium connecting rods and a flat plane crankshaft.

Quite how a car even of this substantial size can hold four “engines” is beyond me but Lamborghini did explain.

It has the V8 engine behind the driver and passenger and an electric motor between the engine and gearbox. The other two electric motors are on the front axle.

So, how does this Lamborghini shape up on the road? It’s great to drive, comfortably composed and well mannered.

You know of course than a dip of the right foot and you could leave anything – really, almost anything – in your wake.

You also know that without an abundance of care you could very quickly end up skidding up a motorway banking and becoming a YouTube sensation. I’m all for hits but I do draw a line.

You can’t blame the car though. It’s perfectly balanced and very easy to drive compared to some other super sports cars. It won’t be anyone’s everyday drive, unless you’re a footballer of course, but it almost could be.

This is an exquisite car but expensive. The basic price of £216,308 is just the start but that does bring you immense Bridgestone 21in tyres; active suspension; a fantastic multimedia system; keyless entry; powered seats; land departure warning; hill-holder and drift mode capability; and parking sensors.

The extras on this model are mind-boggling: the colour (Blu Delphinus) is £1,780, and is understated but classy. The Alleggerita Package is £51,550. Alleggerita can be translated as lightened and is designed to make the car lighter so it includes extensive carbon fibre to make the car less heavy and therefore quicker.

Getting in and out of cars like this often needs the ability and agility of a ballerina. Me and my physiotherapist are happy to report that this chunky six-footer entered with elegance and exited without embarrassment. And I didn’t appear as an “and finally” on News at Ten. Now, if only I had a half a million pounds.

Lamborghini Temerario: £216,308. As tested this model cost £347,448 which with VAT brings it to £416,937; 4.0 litre V8 biturbo 920ps petrol engine plus three electric motors and eight-speed automatic gearbox; Top speed 213mph and 0 to 60mph in 2.7 seconds; Economy 20mpg; Emissions 272g/km