As a car builder, life takes you to a certain point where you want to LS swap everything and we can probably say the same about turning each car you see into a go-kart by removing its body panels. Does this ring a bell? No? Well, we haven’t even gotten to the top of the eccentricity chart here, as the two paths can even be brought together, as it happened in the case of the Burntacan, the world’s only twin-turbo, LS-swapped manual Lamborghini Huracan.
The bits that set this Huracan apart from the other 20,000 units Sant’Agata Bolognese has sold since the 2014 debut of the model aren’t just limited to the wacky custom spec mentioned above.
The Raging Bull started out on life as a “standard” LP610-4 model, the one the Italians introduced six years ago. However, the Italian exotic was consumed by flames, thus losing the masterpiece that is its 5.2L N/A V10.
Back in 2019, Chris Steinbacher the enthusiast leading the B Is for Build YouTube channel, decided the mid-engined machine needed to rise from its ashes. As such, the Italian exotic was fitted with a Texas Speed 7.0L LSx wearing a pair of turbos, fitted to a manual gearbox and gated shifter liftedd off an Audi R8.
And while most of the body panels east of the doors are gone—hey, we can properly see the new tech side of the beast—the front end features a Huracan GT3 racecar-like widebody for good measure, with the preview for the project having been rendered by digital master Khyzyl Saleem, whose stunning 3D work we often feature.
This build debuted at the 2019 SEMA show in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, its maker put together many other projects, such as another Huracan gone off-roading monster (Jumpacan), an R34-bodied R35 GT-R (R69) and an ongoing mid-engined 1967 Mustang.
Then again, these cars also need to be put to use, which is why B Is for Build took the Burntacan to the 2022 LS Fest West last weekend. However, before bringing the one-of-a-kind Lambo back to Sin City for some action on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the crew had to rework certain aspects of the vehicle.
Many SEMA builds are not exactly streetable, being put together on an uber-tight schedule, with builder further tweaking them after their debut, so this beast is no exception.
The Lamborghini Burntacan gets Holley EFI for 2022
For 2022, the Lamborghini Burntacan received new, custom wiring (features like the headlights, the power windows and the custom air suspension still need to work), along with a new fuel system.
As such, the TT LSx V8 now works with Holley Dominator EFI (electronic fuel injection), PDM (power distribution module) included. The 13-gallon fuel cell, which is mounted behind the seats, now feeds the engine via new injectors, while this remains an E85 sipper.
While the tuner that had handled the machine in the past spent seven hours working out the new setup on a hub dyno, the engine, which is 1,500 hp-capable but makes around 1,000 hp in its current setup, still had some issues when the vehicle hit the track.
YouTuber Cleetus McFarland (on his real name Garrett Mitchell), who’s a building and drag racing addict, stepped in and further tuned the engine between drag strip runs.
The manual-swapped Huracan on the drag strip
Despite all these efforts, problems like boost creep (the engine delivering full power in all gears, which can bee too much at times) and backfiring were still present. As such, Cleetus had to skip second gear while flying down the 1/4-mile. Even so, the 12.6s run at 117 mph (188 km/h) still makes for a stick shift Huracan world record.
And if anybody complains about this being a non-contested record, we can only hope more manual-swapped Huracans show up to challenge the Burntacan. Meanwhile, we can count on B Is for Build to continue refining the project so it can reach its 9s potential.
For the record (no pun intended), the factory Huracan is a low-10s car, but if the story of this example has taught us anything, the experience is often worth more than the numbers.
PS: If you’re in a rush, you’ll find the engine’s first startup on the Holley EFI at the 5:50 point of the video below, while the drag strip stint kicks off at the 9:23 timestamp.
