Practical and supercar rarely belong in the same sentence, especially when the supercar in question is a Lamborghini. They’re loud, low, and built to set fire to a racetrack or your local back streets. It’s the last car you’d expect to carry out a life-saving tactical mission.
But in Italy, where engines are as sacred as espresso, it did exactly that. In 2020, the Italian police used their specially outfitted Lamborghini Huracán to transport two donor kidneys across the country for life-saving transplants.
The journey began in Padua and stretched over 500 kilometres with one kidney bound for Modena and the other for Rome. Normally, that’s a six-hour trip by road, but the Huracán, with its 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine, wasn’t built for the ordinary.
Italian Police load up the Lamborghini Huracán to deliver life-saving kidneys / Italian Police & Lamborghini
It completed the journey in just two hours, averaging a whopping 230km/h. In less time than it takes to watch The Godfather, two kidneys were delivered to surgeons waiting with open arms.
Italian authorities at the time described the mission simply, “Deliver the best Christmas present.”, which is exactly what they accomplished. “We hope that two people and their families can spend a happier and more peaceful Christmas.”
Though a pretty badass feat, the operation wasn’t an emergency in the strictest sense. Helicopters typically handle 60% of organ transfers in Italy, but are reserved for unpredictable, high priority cases, and when the matter is less urgent, it falls on the responsibility of the supercar fleet. This option is available when the organ can survive outside the body for several hours, making it a more appropriate option and ensuring the same safe and efficient delivery.
There aren’t many police forces with cooler cars. This Huracán, a gift from Lamborghini to the Italian police in 2017, is fully equipped for medical transport. Instead of designer luggage, the trunk houses a specially installed refrigerated compartment designed to carry organ coolers.
It also features flashing lights, a police computer, radios, cameras, fire extinguishers, and even a defibrillator. It’s one of only a handful of Huracáns in service with the Italian police, most often used for highway patrol and high priority tasks.
With 602 horsepower, a 0-100km/h sprint in under three seconds and a top speed of 325km/h, it’s an absolute rocket of a vehicle, one capable of catching crooks and saving lives with incredible efficiency.