Lamborghini Huracán STO – a race car for the road

Have you always wanted a Lamborghini Huracán but with the aggressive looks of the racing versions? Well, here’s some good news, because Sant’Agata Bolognese has pulled the covers off the new Huracán STO, which draws inspiration not only from the latest Super Trofeo Evo but also the GT3 Evo.

Its name, which stands for Super Trofeo Omologata, hints at the car’s purpose of being a race car for the road. To that end, it gets an entirely new aerodynamic package that is 21 mm wider than the standard Huracán Evo. At the front, the bonnet, bumper and fenders have been integrated into a single massive clamshell that opens forwards, reminiscent of the Miura and the Sesto Elemento.

This large panel incorporates the redesigned front splitter – which channels air to the revised underbody and the rear diffuser – and new brake cooling inlets. Sitting above the triple air intakes are a pair of sizeable bonnet ducts that vent the central radiator, improving cooling and increasing downforce. These ducts eat into the boot space of the standard car, leaving just a small compartment to stow a helmet.

The entire front end has been designed to direct airflow over the top of the fenders, where a set of louvres alleviate pressure in the wheel wells, creating yet more downforce. It also pushes the air around the front wheels to reduce drag.

But it’s at the rear where the bulk of the reengineering is centred. The fenders are adapted from the Super Trofeo and are flatter towards the back. This not only reduces the frontal area (and hence drag) but also increases downforce and improves overall aerodynamic efficiency. Fins along the top of the fenders channel air into the NACA engine intakes, which have shorter ducting to reduce static pressure losses by 30%.

The engine cover is also new, featuring a roof scoop and dedicated deflectors to manage the extra air, plus a giant fin that increases yaw stability and straightens airflow over the fixed rear wing. The latter has a slotted surface, distinctive curved endplates and a manually-adjustable front airfoil that is capable of adjusting the aero balance by up to 13%. You’ll find more intakes and optimised nolders underneath the car.

The result, says Lamborghini, is best-in-class downforce that enhances cornering performance. Against the already aggressive Huracán Performante, the STO is claimed to have 53% more downforce and 37% better aerodynamic efficiency overall.

More than 75% of the body panels are made from carbon fibre, with many complex structures (like the front clamshell) being produced in a single piece, increasing rigidity and reducing weight through fewer fixing points. Meanwhile, the rear fenders have been produced using an aerospace-style “sandwich” technique, using 25% less carbon fibre while retaining the same rigidity.

Elsewhere, the windscreen is 20% lighter than the Performante’s, while the 20-inch magnesium wheels save yet more weight. All in all, the STO is 45 kg lighter than the Performante (itself 40 kg lighter than the standard Huracán), tipping the scales at 1,339 kg dry.

This reduction in weight is also partly down to the fact that unlike the regular Huracán Evo, the STO is rear-wheel drive. Power from the 5.2 litre naturally-aspirated V10 is unchanged at 640 PS at 8,000 rpm, though torque is down 35 Nm to 565 Nm at 6,500 rpm; still, it’s 30 PS and five Newton metres more than the Evo RWD. The engine has been tuned for a sporty and responsive feel and makes a sharper noise at higher revs.

The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission has also been retained, but with quicker and more responsive shifts. So equipped, the STO gets from zero to 100 km/h in three seconds flat (just 0.1 seconds down on the all-wheel-drive models), blasts past 200 km/h in nine seconds and has a top speed of 310 km/h.

Also fitted are magnetorheological dampers, rear-wheel steering, new anti-roll bars and more direct fixed-ratio steering. The brakes get upgraded Brembo CCM-R carbon-ceramic discs, providing 60% greater stress resistance, 25% more braking power and seven per cent greater deceleration. The aforementioned magnesium wheels are available in road and track variants, both wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza tyres.

The race-ready attitude is continued on the inside. Here, it’s carbon galore – the STO comes with carbon fibre sports seats upholstered in Alcantara and Carbonskin (a form of pliant carbon fibre), along with carbon mats and full carbon door panels. The rear roll bar is made from titanium; developed by exhaust specialist Akrapovic, it’s 40% lighter than a stainless steel unit.

The 8.4-inch portrait touchscreen remains but comes with new graphics and a fully-connected telemetry system to allow drivers to record their racetrack performance and analyse it through the Unica smartphone app. Below the display is the Anima drive mode selector with three new settings – STO for road driving, Trofeo for the track and Pioggia (rain) for the wet.

In Trofeo mode, the Lamborghini Veicolo Dinamica Integrata (LDVI) vehicle dynamics system delivers maximum performance with dedicated torque vectoring and traction control settings and a brake temperature monitor. As for Pioggia, the LDVI goes the other way, optimising traction control, torque vectoring, rear-wheel steering and the ABS on wet roads, minimising grip loss and the cutting of engine torque.

The post Lamborghini Huracán STO – a race car for the road appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.



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