2021 Lamborghini Huracan STO Is the Newest, Baddest and Most Expensive Huracan on the Block

• The 631-hp Huracan STO is a rear-drive-only, track-focused equivalent to Porsche's GT2 RS.
• Formula 1-derived CCM-R Brembo brakes are the first application in a production car and are phenomenal.
• The STO starts at an MSRP of $327,838, a $121,353 premium over the Huracan Evo RWD.

What is the Huracan STO?

STO is an abbreviation for Super Trofeo Omologata, and it's the spiritual successor to the track-focused Huracan Performante from 2018. Loosely translated, it's a homologated road car based on the race car from Lamborghini's one-make Super Trofeo Evo series, and it celebrates the company winning the 24 Hours of Daytona's GT3 class three years in a row. Historically, a homologated road car would be created by a manufacturer to meet a requirement for entering the said car into a racing series. So the STO is more of a reverse homologation, but we digress.

The heart of the STO starts with the Huracan Evo's 5.2-liter V10 engine, previously inherited from the Performante, but it's been retuned to optimize response. Spec sheet jockeys may notice that although the peak power remains at 631 horsepower, maximum torque actually drops to 417 lb-ft from 443 lb-ft. The explanation Lamborghini offers is a trade-off for a fuller and more consistent torque curve throughout the rpm range, versus trying to just maximize the torque peak.

The Evo's all-wheel-drive system has been dispatched in favor of sending all of the V10's raucous enthusiasm to the 305-mm-wide rear tires through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that delivers even quicker gear changes than the "standard" car. The STO is said to sprint from 0-62 mph in around 3 seconds — actually a hair slower than the all-wheel-drive Evo since the extra pair of driven wheels provide a traction advantage on the launch. Rear torque-vectoring (using the rear brakes) has been added, as well as rear-axle steering providing up to 6 degrees of steering in phase and 3 degrees out of phase with the front wheels. The combination of changes here reduces overall weight and allows the rear wheels to assist the fronts in sending you where you want to go.

A lighter windshield, carpetless interior, carbon sport seats, lightweight door pull straps, available 20-inch magnesium wheels, and heavy exploitation of carbon fiber throughout the body remove even more weight. Most notably, the entire front clip of the Evo has been replaced with a single structure made entirely of carbon. Inspired by the legendary Miura that utilized this design, Lamborghini calls this the "Cofango," a fusion of the Italian words cofano (hood) and parafango (fender). The Cofango hinges forward to reveal a laughably small frunk providing about 1.3 cubic feet of storage that seems perfectly sized for a helmet. Collectively, the STO manages to shed 95 pounds off the Performante's weight, coming in at a claimed dry weight just below 3,000 pounds.

Beyond lightening the load, the STO's suspension and stance have been beefed up with a wider track, stiffer bushings, and STO-specific magnetorheological adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars. Consider body roll a thing of the past.

Stopping performance also gets a serious upgrade courtesy of an ultra-sticky Bridgestone Potenza Race tire, cooked up specifically for the STO, and Brembo's Formula 1-derived carbon-ceramic brake rotors (CCM-R). Unlike traditional carbon-ceramic brakes, the Brembo CCM-R rotors are four times more thermally conductive (better at receiving and giving heat) and 60% more resistant to stress than traditional carbon rotors and they deliver 25% more stopping power. The STO is the only production car that currently equips them from the factory, and a quick search online reveals that they cost about double what regular carbon-ceramic brakes do.

A masterclass in aerodynamics

The style of Lamborghinis has always been more brash than the average exotic car, even before radioactive paint colors are applied. The STO has a lot of aero flair in front and back, but it's not just for attention.

The raw numbers quote an increase of 37% aerodynamic efficiency gained over the Performante with the potential to generate a maximum downforce of 926 pounds. The Performante's active aero elements have also been traded for static elements. The STO's rear wing is still adjustable to three positions but must be done manually. Doing so alters the front-to-rear aero balance of the car by up to 13%, providing either a looser or stiffer behaving car at speed.

One of the more unique aero elements that's sure to make it to a Pep Boys auto accessory aisle at some point is the rear shark fin. This element bisects the rear engine hatch and helps straighten the air flow during cornering as it reaches the rear wing, making it more efficient as well as providing yaw stability at high speed.

Downforce and lift reduction aside, another thing the STO has an abundance of are vents, ducts, louvers and a mildly polarizing roof scoop — though all of them serve a purpose. Louvers over the top of the front wheel arches evacuate hot air funneled directly to the brakes, while the ones down the rear hatch expel engine heat. Every duct or intake is either doing cooling work for pushing oxygen to a hungry V10 engine.

The thermal management here is nothing short of amazing. The STO's ability to expel heat from all areas, including the AC system, made it possible to run session after session in 100-degree weather while enjoying a cabin chilled to a comfortable 69 degrees.

What's it like to drive the Huracan STO?

The track is the only place you can fully appreciate the brilliance the STO has to offer. You'll realize this the moment you belt into the firmly bolstered carbon sport buckets and fire up that V10. Save for the usual modern comforts like a touchscreen, power accessories and auto climate control, few other things say "let's just go for a cruise."

Three selectable drive modes — STO (street), Trofeo (track), Pioggia (rain) — vary the settings of the suspension, engine, gearbox, rear steering and various other systems that command the experience behind the wheel. Unlike some other cars, there's no option to mix and match settings for a personalized STO slushee. While that helps keep things simple, we wish we at least had the ability to soften the suspension while in Trofeo mode to better suit bumpier road or track conditions.

Having 631 horsepower split between two wheels feels a bit daunting at first. But it didn't take long to realize how well the STO balances that power with everything else. From the available road grip to how quickly it listens, reacts and adjusts to every steering and throttle input, the result is a highly confident car that makes 631 horsepower feel like no big deal. There were times, in fact, that I wish I had a bit more power.

This confidence carries over to the insane braking consistency the STO delivers. The CCM-R brakes are the real deal and delivered incredible stopping power lap after lap, leaving no doubt that these are the best-performing brakes I've ever experienced in a production car. And that high-stress consistency doesn't come at the cost of low-speed drivability, as some track-specific brakes often only function at the extreme. These feel like perfectly normal street brakes even when you're not chasing a lap time.

Though our time with the STO was spent entirely on a racetrack, we found enough bumps to convince us that we'd have little desire to drive this out on public roads. Sure, the suspension has a marginally softer setting, but this is stretching the definition of a dual-purpose road and track car. Compounding the issue is the hair-trigger sensitivity of the accelerator pedal. While wonderfully responsive to your every command in the corners, we imagine spending any length of time in traffic would be a chore.

If you have to ask ...

The price of admission is about what you'd expect it to be, starting at an MSRP of $327,838 (plus destination and gas-guzzler tax) and rocketing up from there depending on your level of customization. What's a bit surprising is Lamborghini isn't limiting the number of STOs it builds. If you can afford one, you can buy one.

Looking at the options list, there's seemingly no limit to the add-ons available, but we'd highly recommend springing for the $5,300 telemetry system. The system integrates with the Lamborghini UNICA phone app, allowing you to download and compare your lap times, view onboard video from multiple camera angles, and sort through other cool, nerdy vehicle data. All of the hardware, including the cameras, comes pre-installed in every STO, so you're just paying for the software to activate it all.

Edmunds says

The Huracan STO is a marked improvement over any entry-level Lambo we've driven to date, taking the Lamborghini track driving experience to new heights. If you don't plan to do any track driving, we don't think it's worth spending the extra coin for the STO over any other Huracan model; those will still deliver excellent performance, but will be far more usable on the road. We also don't want to know what happens if an SUV accidentally backs into our Cofango.