The Lamborghini Huracan STO is a celebration of the brand’s racing pedigree, but Lambo is also looking forward to a greener future

SINGAPORE — Lamborghinis are loud, brash and expressive, and the brand’s latest Huracan STO supercar fulfils that brief perfectly, down to its eye-catching paintwork and aggressive aero kit.

It’s not just for show too, and to demonstrate the STO’s performance prowess, Lamborghini invited the media and customers down over three days in early December to experience putting the STO through its paces on a temporary ‘circuit’ at the Changi Exhibition Centre.

But first, a brief recap. The Huracan STO is basically a road-legal version of the Super Trofeo and GT3 Evo racing cars that Lamborghini uses to compete in various racing series globally. The letters ‘STO’ stand for “Super Trofeo Omologata”, Italian for “super trophy homologation”, and it is effectively a GT3 race car for the road.

Here’s what a ‘regular’ Huracan is like to drive on the road

We’ve covered the main details of the car during its local launch earlier this year in February, but essentially Lamborghini has put the Huracan through a weight loss programme to create the STO. With carbon fibre everywhere, as well as the use of magnesium for the wheels and thinner glass, the STO weighs a mere 1,339kg all in.

There are also plenty of air ducts everywhere to help with airflow and cooling, and the giant rear spoiler tacked onto the back is manually adjustable, such that you can optimise the car’s aerodynamics for whatever driving situation you find yourself in. Lamborghini certainly weren’t messing about with this road-going race car business.

We were only given a brief couple of laps around the temporary Changi circuit that Lambo set up, but it was enough to get a glimpse of what the STO is all about. There was certainly no wanting for power, with 640 horses on tap from the car’s 5.2-litre V10 sent to the rear wheels only. That meant it had a propensity to oversteer and kick its tail out, although it was also just as easy to get it back under control if you didn’t go overboard.

More seriously impressive though are the STO’s braking system, which features carbon ceramic discs and its very own cooling system, and a pedal that has been optimised for maximum reactivity.

The resulting effect is sensational, with the STO’s braking power immediately evident the moment you so much as brush the pedal. It certainly helped with the car’s controllability, despite the STO’s raw and unbridled character.

An amazing machine undoubtedly, but it’s quite likely that the STO could very well be the last of its kind. At the sidelines of the event, Francesco Scardoni, Lamborghini’s regional director for Asia-Pacific, said that, like many carmakers, electrification is very much in the future for the brand in the coming years ahead.

He shared with CarBuyer that the replacement for the flagship Aventador will be Lambo’s first ever hybrid model. Details are still scarce, but Scardoni reveals that it will still have a V12 engine, mated to an electric hybrid drivetrain, and will launch in 2023 to coincide with the company’s 60th anniversary. In the meantime, the Aventador is already making its farewell rounds with the limited edition Ultimae model.

Lamborghini’s farewell to the Aventador is a S$2 million 780hp monster that’s completely sold out

The Huracan meanwhile will soldier on until 2024, when its replacement will arrive, also featuring a hybrid powertrain. Scardoni states that it too will have a V10, like the current Huracan has, and promises that there will be ‘a surprise, so stay tuned’.

2026 will mark the debut of Lamborghini’s first fully-electric model, which Scardoni says will take the form of a 2+2. That’s all he could reveal though, along the fact that it will be the fourth model in the Lambo lineup alongside the Urus and the Aventador and Huracan replacements. “We’re excited to enter this new segment which we’ve never been in before,” enthused Scardoni.

It will certainly mark the start of an all new era for Lamborghini, and while the Huracan STO will turn heads today with its striking green paint job, the Lamborghinis of tomorrow will definitely grab attention with their bold green credentials.

• 
  New BYD showroom at Robinson 77, run by newly-appointed dealer, Harmony Auto
• 
  The new Category A Volkswagen Tiguan lessens pain in bum
• 
  Top 5 common EV charging problems and how to avoid them
• 
  2024 Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo Review: Electric Dream
• 
  First Look: The controversial, bullet-resistant Tesla Cybertruck