Test Drive: 2021 Lamborghini Huracán STO

“Fuck, this thing is loud!” were pretty much all the words we were able to muster as we pounded the accelerator to the floor while ripping laps in the 2021 Lamborghini Huracán STO at Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, California. The 5.2-liter, naturally aspirated V10 screams in your ears like James Hetfield at a Metallica concert.

For those ready to ride the lightning, Super Trofeo Omologato, (trofeo means trophy in Italian while omologato is homologated) marks Lamborghini’s first effort at creating a road car that prioritizes track experience over driving on public thoroughfares. Effectively it’s a Huracán cranked up to 11—an evolution of the Super Trofeo Evo and three-time Daytona champion GT3 Evo race cars that can be used as a daily driver.

 

As one would expect from a Lamborghini designed to race, it’s got power and speed. The aforementioned V10 kicks out 631 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque, and gets the STO from 0 to 62 mph in 3.0 seconds, 0 to 124 mph in 9.0 seconds, and a top speed of 192.6 mph. So it’s fast, but not totally insane.

What is bonkers is just how finely tuned this Lamborghini is. Response across all facets of the car is razor sharp. With every driver input—throttle, steering, brakes—the car reacts instantaneously and with staggering ease. A rear-axle steering system bolsters agility. The automatic seven-speed dual-clutch, while quirky at low revs, is so fast when taking the power to the 8,500 rpm red-line that most drivers won’t need to use the paddles—though they’ll likely want to anyway.

Testing Its Limits—But Not Really

On the track, trying to find the edge of grip is a bit like sailors in the 15th century searching for the world’s end. You can push and push and not find it. Even at over 100 mph through the final turn at Willow Springs (our instructor called this the sketchiest part of the track), the STO felt glued to the line. The ragged edge was clearly still well off in the distance.

All that grip comes partly from a new aerodynamic setup that includes a giant scoop, a “shark fin,” and a rear wing that can be adjusted manually to three positions and increase downforce to 925 pounds at 174 mph. All in all, according to Lamborghini, the STO boasts twice as much downforce than a Huracán Performante.

Keeping the STO connected to the road, the tires are model-specific—bespoke Bridgestone Potenzas that come in two flavors, one road-focused, the other geared toward the track. The latter, while not full slicks, refuse to let go of the tarmac even when you come into a corner a bit squirrelly.

When it’s time to let off the gas and slow down into a turn, the Brembo carbon-ceramic braking system on the STO is Formula One inspired and simply filthy. With six-piston, 15.4-inch discs in front and four-piston, 14.2-inch discs in rear, unless you spend most of your days in a race car, it’s difficult to both wrap your head around their power and trust their ability to decelerate the car.

Even braking from the main straight at Big Willow, going well over 155 mph, you don’t have to stand on them to get the car back to 80 to make it into turn one. Plus, brake temperature monitoring allows the driver to keep an eye on temp and status.

Every Ounce Counts

Over 75% of the STO’s exterior is made from carbon fiber. That coupled with other weight-saving strategies, like a lighter windshield and carpetless interior negate the added mass of the rear-wheel steering system and keep the car’s weight under 3,000 lbs before adding fuel.

That barebones cabin does thankfully feature air-conditioning to keep you cool as the track heats up, as well as a large touchscreen center console, which handles the vehicle settings and navigation as well as the stereo for those who want to cue “Enter Sandman”—though we doubt you’d be able to hear it over the deafening notes of the V-10 on the track.

Lamborghini also offers an optional telemetry system that pairs with an app so drivers can evaluate their lap times and driving using statistics and video. Comparable to a VBOX the pros use, it’s a perfect extra for anyone keen on racing their STO or just chasing faster lap times on a non-competitive track day.

Chasing speed around a circuit is this Huracán’s purpose, but sadly the folks at Lamborghini don’t expect most of the STOs they produce to actually find their way to the track. That’s too bad because it truly fulfills the purpose for which it was created. Anyone lucky enough to find themselves with one in their garage, we’d implore them to take it to a raceway. Or at least let us borrow it for some laps.

[$327,838; lamborghini.com]

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