Lamborghini revives its most patriotic name, the Tricolore, on the new Temerario
Some supercars whisper their nationality. This one wears the flag straight across the bonnet
Lamborghini does not hand out the Tricolore name lightly. It has appeared exactly once in the modern era, and now, for the first time in fifteen years, it is back, this time on the brand's newest supercar. The Temerario Tricolore broke cover at Monterey Car Week dressed head to toe in the colours of the Italian flag, an unashamed piece of national pride from a company that has never been shy about where it comes from.
A name reserved for special occasions
The last car to wear the badge was the Gallardo LP 550-2 Tricolore of 2011, a rear-wheel-drive V10 limited to 150 examples and built to mark 150 years of Italian unification. That makes the name genuinely rare, something Lamborghini reaches for only when it wants to make a patriotic statement rather than simply sell a special edition. Reviving it on the Temerario, the car that now carries Lamborghini's mid-engined torch, is a deliberate passing of that flag from one generation to the next.
Painted like the flag, inside and out
The execution is bold, as you would expect. The lower body is finished in deep Blu Marinus, the upper surfaces, doors and fenders in Bianco Monocerus white, and glossy Nero Noctis black picks out the mirrors, wheels, engine cover and tail, with Rosso red brake calipers behind the rims. The centrepiece is a green, white and red graphic running down the bonnet, an outright Italian-flag motif. Inside, Nero Ade upholstery is lifted by Rosso Alala contrast stitching, a hexagonal theme ties back to the exterior, a silhouette of the car itself is worked into the rear cabin trim, and Tricolore lettering is embroidered into the door panels. "Temerario Tricolore is a celebration of the values that define Lamborghini," says CEO Stephan Winkelmann, listing "visionary design, technological innovation, uncompromising performance and the excellence of Italian craftsmanship."
The Temerario underneath
Under the patriotic paint sits Lamborghini's newest weapon. The Temerario replaces the Huracan, and with it the beloved V10 is gone, swapped for a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 paired with three electric motors in Lamborghini's High Performance Electrified Vehicle setup. The numbers are ferocious: 920 hp, a 10,000 rpm ceiling, 0 to 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds and a top speed beyond 340 km/h. It is the sharp end of Lamborghini's move into hybrid power, and the Tricolore is the most flamboyant showcase of it yet.
A one-off, or a taste of things to come
For now this is a showcase rather than a model line. Lamborghini has not quoted a price or a production number, presenting the car through its Ad Personam personalisation department as a demonstration of what a customer can commission. That fits a pattern at Sant'Agata, which increasingly turns its own history and identity into one-off creations, much as it did with its recent Miura homage. Whether the Tricolore stays unique or inspires a small run, its job is to show buyers just how far the personalisation menu now stretches.
AutoNext Take
Plenty of supercars are Italian. Very few are willing to say so this loudly. There is something disarming about a 920 hp hybrid that is not embarrassed to look like a rolling flag, and in an age when so many fast cars hide behind moody greys and quiet menus, a Lamborghini painted like a national celebration is a welcome jolt of colour and confidence. Yes, it flirts with kitsch, but Lamborghini has always understood that a little theatre is the point.
The bittersweet note is what powers it. This is the first Tricolore of the hybrid era, and the howling V10 that defined the last one is now history. The Temerario's electrified V8 is quicker and cleverer than anything the Gallardo could manage, yet part of the romance the Tricolore is meant to celebrate lives in that old engine note. If this car is a farewell wave to one era and a flag planted for the next, it is a gloriously Italian way to do it. Understated it is not, and thank goodness for that.
