Lamborghini's off-road Huracan is finally here. Its backstory is one of the best things about it.
According to Lamborghini design head Mitja Borkert, the idea for the Húracan Sterrato came about in the same way as so many of humanity’s greatest ideas—possibly under the influence of an adult beverage.
Around 2017, Borkert recalls having dinner with then Lamborghini CTO Maruzio Reggiani and then head of R&D, Rouven Möhr, now Lambo’s CTO. The meal came after a day of testing the Urus on Nardo’s rallycross circuit, with each remarking at how much fun it was to slide around in the SUV.
“Maybe we had also one glass of wine or two, or maybe [it was] water, I don’t know,” Borkert tells Road & Track with a grin. “We were saying, ‘Hey, why don’t we take those driving emotions and apply them to super sports car? The Huracan is the perfect match for such an idea.'”
Five years later, what could’ve easily been dismissed as a silly idea, the sort that so many of us come up with in the company of friends and (possibly) lubricated by adult beverages, is a reality. The recipe is fairly simple—take a Húracan Evo, lift it by 1.7 inches, increase the front track width by 1.2 inches and the rear by 1.3, fit Bridgestone Dueller off-road tires on new 19-inch wheels, add aluminum skid plates plus new bodywork, bolt-on fender flares, a roof scoop, rally lights, and presto! Lamborghini Huracan off-roader.
Borkert says work on the Sterrato started in earnest shortly after the 2017 dinner, with the design studio working on concept models. In 2019, Lamborghini publicly revealed a functional concept, and it was green-lit shortly after Stefan Winkelman rejoined Lamborghini as CEO in December 2020. “He said, ‘I need this car. I want this car. Make this car,'” Borkert recalls. “He immediately understood the cool mission of the Huracan Sterrato.”
As with other Huracan variants, there are Strada (road) and Sport (sport) drive modes, but the usual Corsa track mode is replaced, naturally, with Rally. Borkert insists that the Sterrato is designed for sliding around on loose surfaces, not rock crawling or even dune bashing. One can’t help but think about the Lancia Stratos, the mid-engine rally champion designed by Marcello Gandini, who also penned the Countach, the well that all Lamborghinis draw from.
Here, the 5.2-liter V-10 makes 602 horsepower, which is less than the Huracan Evo’s 631, though we imagine it’s more than plenty to get sideways on gravel. Lamborghini also claims a 0-62 mph time of 3.4 seconds, which is fairly ridiculous for something on all-terrain tires. Top speed is just 160 mph, though. You can’t have everything.
Lamborghini will only make 1063 examples of the Sterrato and pricing hasn’t yet been announced. Beyond everything else, the Huracan Sterrato is notable as likely being the final model variant for the Huracan, and possibly, the end of the line for the brand’s naturally aspirated V-10. It’s a hell of a send-off.
Chris Perkins Senior Editor Chris Perkins is the Web Editor for Road & Track magazine.
Keyword: The Idea for the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato (Possibly) Came Over a Glass of Wine