The First Manual Lamborghini Huracan is On Its Way
While most of car manufacturers gradually drop
manual models from their line-ups, some companies find a great source of income
in swapping automatic-only models in manuals. Thus, the team of bright-minded
and enthusiastic engineers from “B is for Build” came up with the idea to
convert a Lamborghini Huracan into a classic manually-shifted sports car (the
1-st of its kind in the world). The original 7-speed DSG transmission is to be
replaced with a 6-speed manual transmission from an Audi R8.
The automaker offers the Huracan model equipped only with a DCT transmission. There is no doubt that this sophisticated transmission ensures high speeds and comfortable driving, but still there are some ardent admirers of manuals who are missing three pedals in their Lambos. It is said that the manual Huracan will be a bit slower than its automatic analog, but will provide an unforgettable driving experience in exchange. As for the swap procedure itself, no major challenges should arise, as the Audi R8 and the Huracan models share the same engine.
Learn more about the project directly from B is for Build
The only issue lied in the price and
availability of spare parts. Many of the components required for the conversion
are both extremely difficult to find on the market and quite costly – the most
affordable OEM transaxle from an R8 on eBay can be yours for $12,000. Luckily, the
guys have been grantees of a wide range of promotional products from ECS Tuning
and Mullins Auto.
As for the carmaker itself, currently the
Italian brand has no plans to add a manual option for the Huracan due to the
fact that in today’s auto market conditions for this type of investment is too
risky. The last manual Lamborghini model was the Gallardo released 6 years ago.
“B is for Build” isn’t the only company in the
promising niche of converting automatic-only sports cars into manuals. For
example, the company from Texas named EAG has recently excited the auto world
with its 2020 Toyota Supra swap project. Moreover, these Texans also consider
the Huracan manual swap as one of its future projects.
Check out the world’s first manual Ferrari 430 Scuderia from EAG
For fans of classic manual sports cars it is a real tragedy to see how the carmakers such as Lamborghini give up on manuals in the pursuit of profit, it’s good to know that tuning companies invest in swap projects and keep stick shifts alive.
