“The best Lamborghini, I’ve driven in ten years.” That is probably all you need to know of Top Gear presenter, Chris Harris’ review of the Huracán STO but thankfully the Top Gear team continue to heap praise on the STO throughout the online review. “The STO is to track days what musical theatre is to acting. Flamboyant, expressive, a bit OTT, but joyous and raucous and fun,” said Top Gear’s Tom Ford.
Both reviews mainly focus on Huracán STO’s abilities on the track, and rightly so. Yes, it is a road car, but every single component has been conceived with the track in mind. It’s not about raw power – although it has plenty of that, capable of 0-60mph in 3 seconds dead – but rather about honed aerodynamics, sharpened handling and lightweighting. So, while it uses the same V10 engine as the rest of the Huracán range, and with the same 640hp as all-wheel-drive Huracán EVO models, it is much lighter. In fact, compared with the Huracán Performante – previously the most focused version – the STO is 43kg lighter.
The weight savings have been achieved through a switch to rear-wheel-drive – rather than four-wheel-drive – magnesium wheels and even a windscreen that is 20% lighter than the Performante’s. In the cabin, you’ll find lightweight door latches, carbon fibre-backed seats, carbon fibre door panels and even carbon-fibre weave mats in the place of carpet – all in the name of saving weight. At the rear is a new bumper constructed using an aerospace-inspired ‘sandwich’ technique, using 25% less material but with identical rigidity, and a manually adjustable wing.
That wing itself is part of a new package of aero upgrades to both improve airflow efficiency and downforce, boosting them by 37% and 53% respectively. At the front of the car you’ll find a new splitter, new bonnet ducts – for both cooling and downforce – and a redesigned underbody and diffuser.
The STO is rear-wheel-drive-only, just like the Super Trofeo cars, imbuing it with a handling purity that engineers could build upon with new STO additions. There is, for example a wider track, stiffer suspension bushes, a race-inspired anti-roll bar design, new F1-inspired carbon ceramic brakes and MagneRide 2.0 adjustable damping. That means, despite the firm track-ready set-up, the ride can become more supple for everyday use.
All of that comes together to create magic on the track, according to Top Gear. “This side of an Aventador SVJ – which is likely slower but completely bonkers – the STO provides the kind of slightly silly, joyous driving experience that feels like it’s about to hit its nadir. Cars like this won’t survive – and they certainly won’t be the fastest things available if they do – but for the sheer thrill of driving, of hearing a piston engine scream its way past 8,000rpm, the STO is absolutely magical,” says Tom Ford.
To watch the full episode, click here.
Or to learn more about the Huracan STO, click here.
