Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato 2023 puts the supercar into rally mode

• Off-road version Lamborghini Huracán delivers on the promise of its 2019 concept.
• It has less power than the regular car and a lower top speed, but it adds increased ground clearance and a Rally mode.
• Customer deliveries of the Sterrato, which will be the final variant of the Huracán, will begin next year.

We first told you about Lamborghini’s plans to create a rally-inspired version of the Huracán supercar still in 2019. Four years later, you’re looking at a production version. A limited edition of 900 examples of the Huracán Sterrato will be produced for all markets, with deliveries starting next year. It will also be the last variant of the Huracán model line and the last Lamborghini to be equipped with the Italian company’s extremely charismatic naturally aspirated V-10 engine.

While the finished version looks very close to the original concept, much has been changed and tweaked during the transition to production. The biggest change is the introduction of a high-level central air intake for the engine at the rear of the roof, which was the result of feedback from the engineering team during prototype desert testing. “It ate too much dust,” admitted Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini’s design director, when C/D talked to him about the car, “more precisely, the filters were clogged too quickly.” The raised periscope will be able to be in cleaner air and deliver it to the engine; both of the Huracán’s conventional side intakes are now closed. All-wheel drive will be standard, and the Sterrato does without the active rear-steering system of faster, road-oriented Huracáns.

The new intake system means a slight reduction in power from the Sterrato’s V-10. It now makes 601 horsepower, down 30 horsepower from the regular Huracán, though peak torque of 413 lb-ft remains unchanged. It’s hard to imagine a lower number being a deal breaker. Lamborghini claims 3.4 seconds to 62 mph, which sounds unusual for a Huracán – us blew the rear wheel drive STO to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds last year. But keep in mind that the Sterrato has to beat the benchmarks when dressed in standard Bridgestone Dueler All Terrain tires. The off-road rubber is also the reason it has a 260 mph speed limiter, which would make it the slowest production Lamborghini since the monstrous LM002 off-roader was discontinued.

Suspension changes include a 1.7-inch increase in ground clearance and a corresponding improvement in ground clearance. Under the carbon fiber arch extenders, the track has also increased by 1.2 inches in the front and 1.4 inches in the rear. Lamborghini technical director Ruven Mohr says the suspension settings are much softer than any other Huracán, although the switched electromagnetic dampers still allow for variable damping force. “From a tire point of view it was very difficult to create a stable set-up at high speed,” he says, “but although the limits are obviously lower, the car is also fun to drive on the road, it is very progressive. “

Although it has underbody protection and has reinforced sill plates, the Sterrato is designed for dusty and sandy conditions, not for rock riding. Like the Urus Performante, it has a new dynamic setting called Rally, which Mohr says will reduce the intervention of the stability control system to allow greater skid angles on loose surfaces, while still stepping in if the car threatens to spin. .

Lamborghini has yet to release any images of the Sterrato’s interior, but we’re told it will feature a new Sterrato Green microfiber trim option, as well as new infotainment features including an inclinometer, tilt and tilt indicator, compass, and steering angle repeater. It will also come with a data logging system, which in its next iteration will allow Apple Watch users to sync their heart rate with telemetry.

Two of the Sterrato’s most distinctive features presented significant challenges to the engineering team, but were deemed critical to delivering on the concept’s promise. Front auxiliary lights had to meet tough pedestrian impact standards, and roof rails required the car to carry cargo where it was never intended. Although cargo will be limited to a modest 66 pounds, which means no roof tents, Lamborghini predicts that buyers will prefer to bring skis or light bikes.

The original idea for the Sterrato came when Mohr and Borkert, both newly arrived at Lamborghini at the time, discussed their key influences in automotive manufacturing and settled on the Lancia Stratos. This led Mohr, who at the time was head of vehicle development, to turn the Huracán into an original concept for strength testing. When built, it was finished in something very similar to the white-green-red Alitalia livery worn by the Stratos in competition, with the colors (but not the pattern) changed for public images.

Both Borkert and Mohr agree that Lamborghini boss Stefan Winkelmann was crucial to the production version, giving the green light to the project almost as soon as he returned as CEO in 2020. The Sterrato will be sold alongside the existing Huracán lineup until the car goes out of production. from sale. We don’t have US pricing yet, but in Europe the Sterrato will cost $270,000 at current exchange rates. We can expect to pay the supplement.

Will any Sterrato buyers actually use them in their intended environment? Mitya Borkert hopes for this. “It will look better if it’s dirty or scuffed,” he says. Here’s hoping it happens.