Flick open the door-handle and the snug interior is properly race-car. The two-tone contrasting black and yellow layout looks absolutely brilliant and very exciting. The mix of alcantara, aluminium, carbon-fibre, and contrast stitching makes it a cockpit that’s difficult to have to get out of. The wheel is straight ahead and I sit low in the bucket seat, inches off the ground. The missile-launch control style switch is a sheath away. Flick it up. Push. The 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 barks to life, clears its throats, and gets ready to scream. The centre screen shows a plethora of information. Some things take a second glance. The steering wheel has the indicators on the left spoke and the windscreen wipers on the right one. There are no stalks behind the wheel. Those areas are reserved for the sleek gear-shift paddles. The middle spoke on the wheel has the “ANIMA” drive mode selector at the centre.
The Huracan STO has three unique ANIMA modes that make the most of the electronic and adaptive Lamborghini Veicolo Dinamica Integrata (LDVI) or a fancier term for integrated vehicle dynamics control. The default is STO, optimized for all road and track conditions for the most fun. Then there’s Trofeo (Trophy) or track mode and sets up the LDVI for maximum attack and clinical response for the best dry lap-times. Finally, there’s Poggia or rain, which optimizes the traction control, torque vectoring, rear-wheel steering, and the ABS and braking for wet asphalt and any possible low-adhesion slip.
The Huracan STO is designed to attack corners and hold its momentum. Thus, the focus is more on acceleration than top speed. Its low centre of gravity and rear-wheel steering further bring the point home. It will rocket from standstill to 100 km/h in three seconds flat, with 200 coming up only six seconds later. The quoted top whack is 310 km/h. On track and when lonely hilly roads permit, the STO will make for a dynamic driving experience like few others. The sharp nose is joined by razor-sharp handling, made more involving by an immediate response even after the minutest of inputs. The carbon-fibre brakes promise fade-free stopping power at all speeds, with a claimed stopping distance of just 30 metres from 100 km/h to zero. The drop from 200 km/h to zero takes just 110 metres. No way we could test that in the city!
When it comes to race cars homologated for the road, there are just a couple of naturally aspirated options and the Lamborghini Huracan STO is the more extreme one. At Rs 4.99 crore before taxes and options, in this day and age of disappearing big engines — especially the nat-asp variety — the Huracan STO is set to become a collectors’ item and a time capsule in the annals of automotive history. And it does more than just be a trophy car.
Need to Know – Lamborghini Huracan STO
Price: Rs 4.99 crore (ex-showroom)
Engine: 5,204 cc, V10, petrol, port and direct injection
Max Power: 640 hp @ 8,000 rpm
Max Torque: 565 Nm @ 6,500 rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed, dual-clutch, automatic, rear-wheel drive
Suspension: Double wishbone front and rear, magneto-rheological damping
Weight: 1,339 kg (dry)
