Lamborghini Huracán STO marks the end of an era

The last Huracán serves as a rebellious climax of the internal combustion era, as it begins its denouement at Lamborghini.

By Larry Printz | AUTOBLOG

It’s a turn of the epoch, a closing of a chapter, the end of an era.

The Lamborghini Huracán STO is making its final showroom laps. It will soon be replaced by the plug-in hybrid Lamborghini Temerario, which represents a tumultuous change for this supercar manufacturer and presages the first fully electric Lamborghini.

But government laws must be met, and so the wizards at Sant’Agata are about to deliver the Huracán STO’s electrified replacement. Thankfully, the Temerario will have pistons and still make an incredible noise while producing ferocious speed, just like any car wearing the raging bull badge.

Lamborghini waits till the market is ready

And while it remains to be seen on how its hybrid driveline makes the Temerario different from a Huracán STO, it’s worthwhile to note that Lamborghini is far from the first maker of hybrid supercars.

Ferrari has been producing hybrids since the 2013 Ferrari LaFerrari, and the first hybrid sports car, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, was introduced in 2020. Still, for Lamborghini, the arrival of the Temerario represents something new.

“We were never in the race to be the first ones going plug-in hybrid,” said Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini, during an exclusive interview at Art Basel late last year.

“It's also a lot about coming when the market is ready. And when we come, we want to be the best,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it's the performance. We have to be the ones that are leading because otherwise, there is no reason to do it. Just to reduce emissions and not have an additional power impact on the car and performance will be a losing game. So we always said that the battery technology must help us to perform better than before.”

Winkelmann understands that not all customers will accept a hybrid, though.

“We are conquesting new customers, and therefore, I think that the plus is much, much bigger than what we might lose.”

It’s not evil, it’s made that way

With a moniker that explains its purpose, the 2022 Lamborghini Huracán STO is an automotive middle finger to the approaching truth that the future is electric. STO stands for Super Trofeo Omologata, which connotes that the Huracán is a homologation of the Huracán Super Trofeo Evo and GT3 Evo race cars. That’s a fancy way of saying it’s designed for regular track use as well as street use.

Constructed mostly of carbon fiber, it features a rear wing that can be manually set to one of three positions and a roof-mounted air intake. Other stylistic flourishes are employed to make it easier for it to slice through the wind, with engineers doing what they could to extract every gram of excess weight.

It’s all in the service of the Huracán STO’s mid-mounted, naturally-aspirated 5.2-liter V10, the last 10-cylinder engine in production. Generating 631 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, power is fed to the rear wheels, which steer like the front. It’s also fitted with a mechanical limited-slip differential, brake-based torque vectoring, and three drive modes: STO for street driving, Trofeo for track driving, and Pioggia for wet weather. Reaching 60 mph takes 2.6 seconds, with a top speed of 193 mph.

Exiting the stage with a ferocious roar

You know what you’re in for when you climb behind the Huracán STO’s wheel. There’s no carpet, the door panels are simple carbon fiber shells with nylon straps, the infotainment and climate control screens are tucked low on the instrument panel to avoid distractions, and the turn signals and windshield wipers are actuated by steering-wheel-mounted toggle buttons.

All of these small touches ensure you don’t have to take your hand off the wheel to use some of the car's essential functions. Under a little red flap is the starter button, giving the impression that you are going to fire a missile, which you are.

It emits a mechanical symphony of malevolence at a volume that only skilled racing drivers can comprehend. If you put it in Trofeo mode and maintain the revs above 4,500 rpm, your ears will bleed. Of course, you won't want to play any music because the engine behind you will do it for you.

Its ingratiating wildness, however, makes it one of the best automotive dance partners and offers a first-rate primal automotive thrill. Like so many supercars, its personality is all its own. Nothing fully prepares you for this raging bull. Increased velocity? Instantaneous. Changing lanes? Quick and accurate. Cornering? Track deserving. The dual-clutch gearbox? Lightning-fast. It's exceptionally entertaining, reacting to even the smallest inputs.

Final thoughts

One should not mourn the passing of the Lamborghini Huracán STO. Keep in mind that Temerario means “fearless” or “daredevil,” two adjectives that are embodied by the twin-turbocharged, flat-plane-crank V8 and three electric motors that generate 907 horsepower.
That's nearly as much as the V12-powered Lamborghini Revuelto Hybrid and far more than that of the Huracán STO. Of course, the Temerario weighs more, but its performance nearly matches the Huracán STO’s 0-60 mph run at 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 213 mph.

It will undoubtedly be ferocious fun, but will the electric motors civilize a car known for its rambunctiousness? We hope not.

For the Temerario is a Lamborghini after all. And it still possesses an internal combustion engine.