The 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica follows in the footsteps of the Huracáns that came before it. The slightly wilder, less practical STO wowed us last year at the inaugural Performance Vehicle of the Year competition and finished in second place, whereas both the Huracán Performante and the Huracán Evo won our now-deceased sports car and supercar roundup event—Best Driver’s Car. Rest assured the Tecnica was a no-brainer finalist at this year’s showdown, though a few flaws kept it out of the top spot. Still, what a thing!

The Tecnica takes most of what’s exceptional about the STO (full power, rear drive, incredible tires, excellent steering and suspension tuning) and makes the car livable. The STO’s advanced aerodynamics, like the frunk-space-eating air extractors, are gone. Instead, a medium-sized opening under the front hood swallows a weekend bag, and you can opt for more comfortable thrones. We’ve jokingly referred to the Tecnica as the STO Touring, a riff on Porsche’s GT3 Touring. Although both the Tecnica and the actual Touring lose the boy racer wings (though the Tecnica does get its own subtler, smaller wing), the two Porsches are functionally and mechanically identical, whereas the STO’s performance envelope is somewhat higher.

“On the backstretch headed down to the reverse-bowl corner, I saw 128 mph in the Cayman, 129 in the Z06, 139 in the Huracán, and 145 in the McLaren.” That’s from executive editor Mac Morrison, making the point that on the track, the 631-hp Lambo clocked a full 10 mph faster than the by-the-numbers-mightier 670-hp Z06/Z07. It wasn’t far off the McLaren and its two turbochargers, either. It’s difficult to explain just how ballistic this Lamborghini is, so here’s hoping you get to experience the thrust one day. The grip is “insane,” technical director Frank Markus said, though it’s definitely a click behind the STO’s aero-assisted amazingness. “The limits are so high that mere hack journalists like me can’t really probe them safely.” Morrison and others disagree. Unless you don’t think a racetrack is safe.

So why isn’t the Huracán Tecnica our winner? It’s the little things—critique by 1,000 cuts. Features editor Scott Evans thought the ride was too stiff in Corsa mode. Mexico editor Miguel Cortina had a difficult time seeing out of it (and he’s tall). Many judges hate the transmission’s sluggish behavior in Strada mode, and Corsa mode—the one you want on the track—makes it mandatory you always shift manually via the paddles. “I don’t need the extra ‘driving engagement’ of shifting myself on a racetrack when I’m concentrating on lapping quickly,” Morrison said. Meanwhile, the brakes were way too grabby on the street. Oh, and Markus hated the steering-wheel-mounted turn signals, and Morrison despised the column-mounted shift paddles and wanted them relocated to the wheel itself.

All of that said, in our hearts most of us are with editorial operations director Mike Floyd. “There’s something about the Lambo that just makes me feel alive like no other car in this field does,” he said. “It’s the wailing V-10’s high redline, the darty steering that communicates every little input, the stupendous brakes (almost too much so at times), and the lightning-responsive transmission. What a car.” Amen, brother.