Between semiconductor shortages, pandemic-related factory shutdowns, and big dealer markups on Australia’s most-wanted cars, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s impossible to buy a new car.
Well, fear not. The track-ready Lamborghini Huracan STO is still available in Australia and New Zealand.
“While we have overall a very large order bank of the STO due to the great reception of the car among not only the colleagues of the press, but also the customers that have already had the chance to get access to the car… despite this large order bank, there’s still availability of the car,” said Tim Bravo, Lamborghini head of communications.
Anyone putting in an order now will have to wait, however, and won’t get their cars when the first batch arrives in the middle of 2022.
Pricing kicks off at $596,000 before on-road costs, and power comes from a variation of the 5.2-litre V10 engine from the standard Huracan Evo. It’s still unencumbered by turbochargers, and makes 470kW of power and 565Nm of torque.
The aerodynamics package takes lessons from the Huracan Super Trofeo racer and puts them in a road-ready package.
Forget all-wheel drive, it sends all its power to the rear wheels. But don’t think this is a regular Huracan Evo RWD with a big bodykit strapped on.
The track is wider, the suspension bushings are stiffer, and there are unique anti-roll bars working with the latest adaptive damping system.
Gone is the adaptive steering system. The STO has a faster fixed-ratio setup, although it still has rear steering.
The big numbers are:
- 470kW and 565Nm of torque from its 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10
- 0-100km/h in three seconds
- 0-200km/h in nine seconds
- 100km/h-0 in 30 metres
- 310km/h flat out
- 1339kg dry weight
Aerodynamics are at the forefront of the STO. Up front, the snout is dominated by what Lamborghini calls a “cofango”, a one-piece bonnet and front fenders inspired by the Super Trofeo racer, and heavily revised intakes to feed more air to the central radiator.
The one-piece snout is shaped to send air around the front fenders and away from the turbulent wheel arches, while the pouty front splitter channels air to the redesigned underbody and more prominent rear diffuser.
Down back, there’s a redesigned rear section with a new NACA air intake helping remove static pressure losses, and a roof scoop to boot.
The shark fin helps to straighten out airflow onto the manually-adjustable rear wing, which has two elements that can be brought closer together to increase the “suction intensity”.
Compared to the Huracan Performante, itself a trailblazer for aerodynamics from Sant’Agata, the STO is 37 per cent more aerodynamically efficient and has 53 per cent more downforce.
It’s also 43kg lighter than the Performante, thanks to the use of carbon fibre for more than 75 per cent of its body panels. That carbon has been formed using an aerospace technique that Lamborghini says allows it to use significantly less material.
Even the windscreen is 20 per cent lighter than the unit fitted to the Performante, while those magnesium wheels are stronger and lighter than the aluminium equivalent.
Inside, the STO is predictably stripped-back. There’s carbon fibre everywhere, from the floor mats to the door panels, while the race seats are made of carbon and feature four-point harnesses.
The rear is home to storage for crash helmets and mountings for the harnesses, hidden beneath an arch developed by Akrapovic.
The infotainment system has been tweaked with new graphics and a full track telemetry system, naturally.
