Lamborghini has unleashed the Huracan STO, a $1.3 million racing car for the road; Singapore deliveries to start end 2021

SINGAPORE

Lamborghini previewed its latest offering, the Huracan STO, at an event held at the Suntec International Convention Centre on 4 February. Order books for the STO is expected to open later this year, and the car will cost an estimated S$1.3 million before COE, with local deliveries set to start by the end of 2021.

Lamborghini touts the STO as a road-legal version of the Super Trofeo and GT3 Evo racing cars that it uses to compete in various racing series globally. Indeed, STO stands for “Super Trofeo Omologata”, Italian for “super trophy homologation”, and Lamborghini has given the Huracan a series of modifications to emulate the race cars’ performance capabilities.

These include a variety of air vents and intakes, designed to enhance the car’s aerodynamics, as well as an major weight-saving programme, with extensive use of lightweight materials to help the car shave off the kilos.

Some 75 percent of the car’s exterior panels are made from carbon fibre, resulting in a car that weighs just 1,339kg, 43kg less than the already-lightweight Huracan Performante model. The windscreen utilises thinner glass to cut weight further, while the rims are crafted from magnesium, further underlining the extensiveness of the STO’s weight-saving measures.

A series of air ducts on the STO’s front bonnet assist with increasing airflow to the car’s central radiator, which improves cooling to the engine. The rear fender also features an air intake to generate and increase rear downforce, while the roof-mounted air scoop sends air into the engine to further aid cooling.

There also a manually adjustable rear spoiler that features a double airfoil that can be rotated into three positions to further enhance rear downforce. There are also new brake cooling ducts to improve cooling of the brake discs and callipers. All told, the STO can generate 53 percent more downforce than the Huracan Performante, allowing for improved performance on the track.

Power comes from a 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 engine that produces 640hp and 565Nm of torque, which is identical to the standard Huracan. The STO’s 0-100km/h sprint time of 3 seconds is identical too, but the reduced weight should give it an edge around the track.

We’ve driven the ‘regular’ Huracan Evo, and it was one hell of a bull ride

There are also new three driving modes: STO, Trofeo and Pioggia, each of which adjusts the Lamborghini Veicolo Dinamica Integrata (LDVI) vehicle dynamics system to suit various driving conditions. STO is the default, and is meant for road use. Trofeo mode sharpens up the car for track usage, while Piogga (Italian for rain) is set up for wet conditions. All of them varyingly adjusts the electronic stability control system, suspension settings and power delivery to adapt to the different conditions as is appropriate.

The Huracan STO debuts on the back of a challenging 2020 for Lamborghini, which saw disruptions in its production due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite that however, it managed to record its best ever six-month period of sales from July to December 2020 thanks to pent up demand. Lamborghini expects business to gradually recover in 2021, with early signs indicating that consumer interest is starting to return as the pandemic gets under control, with the company stating that half of this year’s production capacity have already been sold.

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