[Taboleo] Lamborghini Huracan STO... "Racing DNA on Public Roads"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Lamborghini. Among car enthusiasts, there are probably no one who doesn't get excited just by hearing this name. When you see it on a public road, your eyes are naturally drawn to its exhaust sound and design. Especially, you imagine what it would be like to drive that car or how you would look while driving it.

Last month, I had the opportunity to drive a Lamborghini at the Inje Speedium circuit in Gangwon Province. At the Lamborghini Media Track Day, I experienced the Hurac?n STO, Hurac?n Evo Spyder, Hurac?n Evo RWD, Hurac?n Evo RWD Spyder, and the sports utility vehicle (SUV) Urus.

In one word, my impression of driving a Lamborghini was 'thrill' and 'monster.' It completely satisfied my curiosity about what it would feel like to speed in a Lamborghini, which I had dreamed about for a long time.

The most memorable vehicle among them was the Hurac?n STO. The 'STO' in Hurac?n STO stands for Super Trofeo Omologata. It is a super sports car designed for road use, inspired by the racing heritage of motorsports cars.

When I first saw its exterior, I strongly thought, "Shouldn't this be driven on a circuit?" because its overall shape looked like it was made exclusively for the track. Later, I learned that this model is a road-legal version of the racing model Lamborghini Squadra, based on a V10 engine.

Driving the Hurac?n STO on the circuit was nothing short of insane. To briefly explain the specs of this vehicle, it has a naturally aspirated V10 engine. It produces a maximum output of 640 horsepower and a maximum torque of 57.7 kgm. Thanks to lightweight technology, the weight-to-power ratio reaches 2.09 kg/hp.

It accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3 seconds. It reaches 200 km/h in just 9 seconds. The top speed exceeds 310 km/h. Just looking at these numbers, you can't help but think, "This is crazy."

I was excited from the moment I got into the car. As I squeezed my body into the seat and grabbed the steering wheel, I truly felt like a racing driver. Especially, the thrill when pressing the accelerator pedal is still unforgettable. When I pressed the accelerator pedal all the way down, there was a 'click' sound at the end of the pedal, the engine sound grew louder, and the acceleration was maximized.

The STO is equipped with Lamborghini's driving dynamics control system called LDVI (Lamborghini Veicolo Dinamica Integrata). Through dedicated torque vectoring and a high-performance traction control program, it guarantees optimal performance during straight-line acceleration in ESC ON mode and helps achieve top speed records in ESC OFF mode.

Despite taking corners at speeds exceeding 100 km/h, the car remained stable. I wondered, "Is this even possible?" but the STO seemed to smile at my doubt and say, "This is nothing."

Its braking ability was beyond imagination. Even lightly pressing the brake pedal quickly reduced the speed. This allowed for ultra-high-speed straight-line driving with rapid acceleration and stable cornering.

The STO features the Brembo CCM-R carbon ceramic brake system, which is used in F1. Its resistance to external environmental factors is 60% higher compared to conventional CCB brake systems, maximum braking force is increased by 25%, and deceleration rate in the driving direction is improved by 7%.

At the Media Track Day, Francesco Scardaoni, Head of Lamborghini Asia Pacific, explained the STO as follows: "It conveys every movement of the vehicle to the driver, making it easy to predict," and "It allows the driver to push both the car and themselves to the limit, making it a very transparent and easy-to-understand car."

As he said, I truly believe the Hurac?n STO is a vehicle that offers great fun and excitement by allowing the driver to push the car to its limits. For reference, the official starting price of the Lamborghini Hurac?n STO is 435 million KRW.