Lamborghini Huracan STO lands in Oz

Pricing for the 2021 Lamborghini Huracan STO has been officially set at $596,000 plus on-road costs as the road-legal supercar arrives in Australia ahead of first deliveries in the third quarter of this year.

Of the 49 units allocated for the Australian and New Zealand markets, most of them are already spoken for, but that has not stopped Lamborghini spruiking the STO to potential customers and select media at its Melbourne dealership.

The sub-$600,000 pricing places the Lamborghini Huracan STO (Super Trofeo Omologata) some $20,000 below initial expectations when we drove a near-production prototype in Italy late last year.

However, it still places it more than $112,000 out in front of the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, which is priced from $483,866 plus ORCs for the coupe and uses the same 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 engine delivering 470kW and, in the STO’s case, 565Nm of torque – down 35Nm.

As well as lacking in outright torque, the 2021 Lamborghini Huracan STO is also one-tenth down in acceleration from 0-100km/h, which is still completed in a blisteringly-quick 3.0sec.

It will reach 200km/h in a claimed 9.0sec on its way to a top speed of 310km/h – figures that are also just shy of the Performante – while pulling up from 100km/h to standstill in the lighter STO turns the tables, completed in just 30m (-1m) with its F1-inspired cross-drilled carbon-ceramic Brembo CCM-R brakes.

The core focus of this model, which was inspired by the Super Trofeo Evo that Lambo builds for its one-make race series, is unashamedly racetrack performance.

As such, the STO scores a comprehensive aero package, suspension upgrades and weight-saving measures to boost its dynamic envelope and trim seconds off lap times.

It’s three seconds a lap faster than the Huracan Performante at Daytona International Speedway, for example.

The result from a vast array of aerodynamic measures – from the manual-adjust rear wing (replacing the Performante’s active aero) and vented fenders to the huge front splitter and massive bonnet ducts – is 53 per cent more downforce and 37 per cent greater efficiency.

In total, Lamborghini claims the Huracan STO produces up to 450kg of downforce at 280km/h.

The track weapon is also 43kg lighter than the Huracan Performante, tipping the scales at 1339kg (dry) with the switch from all-wheel drive to rear-drive only, and through stripping out the interior, fitting magnesium alloy wheels (rolling on specifically developed asymmetric Bridgestone Potenza tyres) and using carbon-fibre in more than 75 per cent of its body panels.

Extensive chassis work has delivered a wider front and rear track, stiffer suspension bushing, specific anti-roll bars and Lamborghini’s MagneRide 2.0 electronically-adjustable damping system.

The STO also has unique selectable drive mode settings – STO (road), Trofeo (dry race) and Pioggia (wet race) settings.

“The Huracan STO is a natural progression and pays great homage to the Lamborghini Squadra Corse heritage,” said Lamborghini’s area manager for Oceania, Peter Crombie-Brown.

“It’s no surprise, using the technology of a winning racetrack car and turning it road-legal creates a superior super-sports car, delivering an emotional, exhilarating and a mirroring driving feeling to customers, like no other.

“The intellect gained from both our Super Trofeo and GT3 programs has been truly polished and embodied in the Huracan STO.”

Lamborghini said all owners of the Huracan STO “can fully personalise both the exterior and interior of their race-car-on-the-road via a rich Ad Personam personalisation program, with limitless paint and trim combinations as well as race-style vinyls”.