The Lamborghini Urus is celebrating 4 years since its launch in December 2017, during which time 16,000 units have been delivered worldwide. With 650 bhp, the Super SUV has supercar performance for the road but it has also shown an ability to face extreme challenges. On Lake Baikal in Russia, the Urus set a speed record on ice with a top speed of 298 km/h and an average speed from a standing start of 114 km/h over 1,000 metres. It also reached the highest motorable road in the world at the top of the Umling La Pass in the Himalayan part of India, more than 5,800 metres above sea level.
The capability of the Urus inspired Lamborghini’s designers to explore new possibilities for off-road super sportscars and in 2019, they came out with the Huracan Sterrato, a concept car based on the V10 Huracan which drew on off-road expertise developed with the Urus.
It was not the first time that Lamborghini’s designers explored high performance and off-road capabilities. In the 1970s, Lamborghini’s test driver Bob Wallace modified two models to create desert-going high performance sportscars – the Jarama Rally and the Urraco Rally.
The Sterrato concept is based on the Huracan EVO with the same 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated engine producing 640 bhp. The Huracan EVO’s LDVI (Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata) with predictive logic, controls the Sterrato’s systems including 4-wheel drive, 4-wheel steering, modified suspension and torque vectoring, anticipating the next moves of the driver to ensure perfect driving dynamics.
Calibrated for off-road driving (including low-grip surfaces) and tuned to maximize traction and acceleration, the LDVI system in the Sterrato provides enhanced rear-wheel drive behaviour, producing more torque together with additional stabilization in oversteering manoeuvres.
The Sterrato is intended for rough and demanding environments and its appearance illustrates this. More ground clearance is necessary in rough terrain so 47 mm is added, with the car’s front approach sharpened by 1% and the departure angle enhanced by 6.5%.
The wheel track is enhanced front and rear by 30 mm, with 20-inch wheels on balloon tyres set into widebody wheelarches with integrated air intakes. The larger tyres have been specially developed with increased sidewalls to improve the absorption of bumps and also provide good grip. Wide, rugged, open shoulder blocks with self-cleaning qualities provide excellent off-road surface adherence with improved traction and braking and are highly damage-resistant.
When driving over rough terrain with rocks and loose stones, the underside is at risk of being damaged. To prevent this, the Sterrato is fitted with underbody reinforcements and body protection, including a rear skidplate that acts as a diffuser. Aluminium reinforcements are integrated within the front frame and covered with an aluminium skidplate, with aluminium-reinforced sideskirts.
The bodywork’s special protective composite material includes stone-deflecting protection around the engine and air intakes and mud guards in hybrid materials of carbonfibre and elastomeric resin. An off-road LED light package puts a LED light bar on the roof and LED lights with flood function on the bumper.
A specially-designed interior trim reflects the sporty off-road character of the Sterrato, featuring a new lightweight titanium roll-cage, 4-point seatbelts to the new carbonfibre bi-shell sports seats, and aluminium floor panels.
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