Lamborghini Huracán STO – Track ready super car

Making a half bred GT3 car is becoming more and more common these days, and Squadra Corse has made the latest incarnation of the ultimate Huracán, surpassing the mighty Performante. STO stands for Super Trofeo Omologata, which if directly translated means Super trophy approved. How very Italian. Omologata means that it can be used both on street and on the track. At least some logic in the name. With tech taken from the Super Trofeo EVO GT3 EVO, it seems destined tfor the Nurburgring.

Still the same engine and power as in the Performante. That means 640 gp and 565 Nm from a naturally aspirated high strung v10, with corresponding performance numbers as follows:

• 0-100 km/h                   3.0 s
• 0-200 km/h                   9.0 s
• Top speed                     330 km/h
• Weight                          1339 kg

From afar, only the color scheme has changed, but looking closer, it becomes evident that the car has been elevated to the next level of performance. Although, it is still a true Lamborghini where form follows function.

The front has been heavily redesigned. The entire front can now be opened, and is called cofango. A combination of two Italian words, cofano (hood) and parafango (fender). Air ducts have been inserted on the bonnet which increases cooling and helps to control the airflow. A new air splitter which directs the air towards a new underbody. Louvers, holes above the fenders, helps to extract warm air from the wheel house, which reduces the pressure buildup.

The rear has also seen some major changes. It is now smaller, which has reduced the frontal area, reducing the drag and increasing the downforce. A NACA air intake stands for feeding the all too precious air into the engine. The most noticeable detail is the rood mounted air scoop, and the shark fin. The latter providing aerodynamic stability in corners, since it affects the yaw angle, as well as making the air less turbulent as it reaches the rear wing, which is also completely unique for the STO.

What do all of this aero changes result in? Downforce has increased by 57 %, and drag by 37 %. Lamborghini says airflow efficiency, which doesn’t really say that much. But if it is a reduction in drag, it would be mighty impressive. All of this might come in handy, since the STO is rear wheel driven. Yeas, you read that right. Rear wheel driven. Luckily, Bridgestone Potenza tires, different depending on if you will drive on the road or on track, stand for the grip.

As the STO is developed both for the track and the road. One of the key aspect is keeping the temperature under control after heavy track use. The brakes are now from BREMBO, and are off course carbon ceramic. Four times better thermal conductivity are huge improvements. But the brakes are also over twice as capable of absorbing stress… Oh a bit to technical. A bit simpler put, the brakes can go for longer and harder on the track. New brake ducts, together with the already mentioned louvers, and air intakes on the underbody will also help keep the brakes cool.

The last key detail of making a car faster, is to make it lighter. Carbon fiber has been used almost exclusively on the body panels. A lighter wind screen and magnesium rims finalize the weight cut. The result? 43 kg lighter.

Wider track, new anti roll bars and suspension bushings, retuned MagneRide 2.0 dampers, retuned throttle response, and so on. There is too much to mention, but the STO is not just some fancy body kit and a ridiculous price tag, since it costs 249 412 Euro. Yes, it is not free, but Lamborghini is now going its way compared to Ferrari. No 1000 hp cars here, yet at least. Instead, a lighter, more focused Huracan that I could argue delivers as much driving enjoyment as almost anything out there.