We’ve seen some test mules for the upcoming Lamborghini Urus model a while ago, and while we all could distinguish the new front bumper air intake and vents behind the rear wheels, apparently Automobili Lamborghini SpA took a camouflaged one to the famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb track before officially unveiling the new super SUV at Monterey Car Week, with Pirelli test driver Simone Faggioli, holder of the rear-wheel drive record set in the 2018 ‘Race to the Clouds’ on Pikes Peak, behind the wheel, this evolution of the Urus just set a new record in the production SUV category by tackling the grueling 156 turns over 12.52 miles (or 20 km) in just 10:32.064!
This yet-to-be-released Lamborghini Urus version took the exact same route as would be taken during the actual Pikes Peak Hill Climb race, and Lamborghini even managed to get the entire road closed to traffic just for their attempt to set a new record in this category, the starting point is situated at an altitude of 2862 meters, Faggioli attacked all 156 turns for the next 20 km (12.42 miles) going,g uphill for about 1439 meters with an average gradient of 7%, and crossed the finish line at an altitude of 4302 meters (14,115 ft) after a mere 10:32.064.
But this attempt was not made during an official Pikes Peak Hill Climb race, however, the time was recorded by the official timekeepers of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, in the end, the Urus bested both the previous PPIHC sanctioned non-race day manufacturer record of 12:35.610 set by Paul Dallenbach in 2014, and the current race day record of 10:49.902 held by Rhys Millen, set in 2018, in a Bentley Bentayga, but it has to be mentioned the Lamborghini Urus used for this record-setting stint was slightly modified compared to a regular customer version.
The engine is still the already famous twin-turbo V8 unit, but the interior had to be modified to comply with safety regulations, a roll cage was fitted to the cockpit and the standard seat got replaced by a race seat, complete with six-point racing harness seat belts, while an additional fire extinguishing system was installed, just in case, and to really make sure the Lamborghini Urus could adhere to the track as good as possible, a new tire has been developed between Pirelli and Lamborghini, for the first time ever a Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slick was created specifically for SUV use.
“The decision to test ourselves at Pikes Peak reflects the Lamborghini spirit of ‘expect the unexpected, and demonstrates the outstanding performance of the new Urus model to be presented shortly,” said Rouven Mohr, Automobili Lamborghini Chief Technical Officer. “Pikes Peak is the most famous hill climb event in the world, as well as being extremely challenging for the car: the uneven track layout tests the chassis’ balance; the significant altitude differences stress the powertrain, and the weather conditions can change very rapidly between start to finish.”
In the FaceBook post by Giorgio Sanna he used the hashtag #urusperformante, so could this be a teaser on how Lamborghini will be calling this new model, could it be the Urus Performante edition? We’ll know for sure when the official introduction is done during Monterey Car Week in California, but for now, check out the official video of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb record run below, and enjoy some more photographs of this new Lamborghini Urus Performante underneath the video:
