Lamborghini Huracan STO UK first drive

This is arguably the last hurrah for Lamborghini’s ‘entry-level’ sports car in its current guise; the final encore before the Lamborghini Huracán and its epic mid-mounted V10 are consigned to history by the relentless march of electrification. As you’d expect, the Italians are determined to go out in flamboyant style, which is where this STO comes in.

This circuit-sired, stripped-out version promises to be the most extreme and exciting incarnation yet, which is quite something, given that the Huracán has hardly been the shy and retiring type over its almost eight-year production run. Tuned for the track and boasting bespoke carbonfibre panels, a host of aero upgrades and unique suspension tuning, the STO (Super Trofeo Omologato, don’t you know) takes its cues from the firm's one-make race series cars.

Very few stones have been left unturned in the pursuit of performance, with the look-at-me bodywork being the most obvious clue to this car’s hardcore intentions. Outrageous aero aside, the STO gets a carbonfibre clamshell front end and the same lightweight material is used for the engine cover and rear wings. There’s even a thinner windscreen. Overall, weight is down to 1339kg (dry), which represents a saving of 50kg over a standard rear-wheel-drive Huracán.

And that aero? Well, at 174mph there’s up to 420kg of downforce available with the rear wing in its most aggressive setting (you’ll need an allen key to make adjustments), while aerodynamic efficiency is improved by 37% over the old Performante, the last attempt at an extreme, track-toasting Huracán. Big numbers, but largely irrelevant away from the confines of a circuit.

Speaking of which, we’re already driven the car on track and came away more than a little impressed. With all that weight removed and the aero doing its invisible thing, the low-slung Lambo delivered a dynamic display to rival such paragons of motorsport-infused performance as the Porsche 911 GT3 and McLaren 765 LT. High praise indeed.

Yet while track time was the ultimate target in the development of this outlandishly bewinged and carbonfibre-flavoured son of Sant’Agata, the reality is that it’s likely to spend more time sashaying down the road (or tucked up in a garage gathering value) than it will shaving tenths of a second from lap times. Even Lamborghini admits that only a third of owners will end up going around in circles. So what’s it like when you leave the circuit and hit some of the UK’s gnarliest and most knotted roads?