Vdi Tries Out The Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato

2 weeks ago

We’re astatine Nardò Technical Centre pinch Lamborghini, which 1 mightiness presume would mean high-speed driving astir nan 12.6km, four-lane High Speed Ring trial track, aliases laps of nan unthinkable 6.2km Handling Track. No, we won’t beryllium driving connected those tracks today. Indeed we’ll seldom beryllium connected tarmac, arsenic we’re connected nan Strada Bianca O and S tracks, 2 2.1km circuits designated arsenic off-road.

The tracks are a alternatively alien situation for nan Lamborghini squad arsenic well, including Mario Fasanetto, Lamborghini’s trial driver from nan investigation and improvement department. He’s been astatine Lamborghini since nan days of nan Countach, and spent his early profession moving pinch legendary Lamborghini trial driver Valentino Balboni. Naturally, nan Urus SUV has been tested connected nan Strada Bianca circuits, but for different off-road- tin vehicles from nan Italian patient you request to look backmost to nan LM002 of nan precocious 1980s.

That is until Lamborghini introduced nan Huracán Sterrato, a 5.2-litre V10-powered, 610hp sports car pinch off-road intent. Unsurprisingly, Fasanetto explains that creating an off-road-capable ace sports car wasn’t nan activity of a moment, saying: “the improvement of this car took longer because we didn’t person a benchmark for it – we didn’t person a reference point.”

The thought of nan Sterrato – which intends ‘gravel’ successful Italian – was conceived successful nan creation studio. Normally specified ideas stay conscionable that – ideas – but nan Sterrato sparked nan imagination of nan engineers astatine Lamborghini. A prototype was built and brought to Nardò for testing, and nan results proved encouraging.

“We undertook a backstage trial present to trial nan conception and nan driving dynamics, and nan feedback was good. It’s rather a unsocial car successful nan ace sports car segment, but moreover truthful we wanted to make judge it still felt for illustration a Lamborghini,” explains Fasanetto.

That intends emotion nosy to drive, but achieving that connected each surfaces – pinch Huracán underpinnings. The Sterrato’s suspension is based connected that of nan Huracán Evo, comprised of independent double-wishbones each round, pinch alloy springs and MagneRide magnetorheological damper control. Unsurprisingly it’s higher than nan Huracán Evo, pinch Lamborghini raising nan thrust tallness by 44mm.

“Of people nan privilege is crushed clearance, because you request to person a higher car erstwhile you are driving connected different types of surfaces,” explains Fasanetto. “We recovered 44mm a bully discuss because if you want to support bully handling erstwhile connected road, you can’t spell overmuch higher, arsenic different nan aerodynamics will beryllium compromised, losing immoderate benignant of support from nan underfloor.”

That underlines immoderate of nan unsocial challenges nan Sterrato presented for nan engineering team.

An different thrust tallness for a Lamborghini

That thrust tallness is fixed, too, dissimilar nan Porsche 911 Dakar off-road sports car. That was a determination based connected reducing complexity, arsenic it negates nan request for further hardware to raise and little nan car – and nan associated weight.

Fasanetto explains that during improvement activity connected nan first prototype they utilized hydraulic dampers to ascertain that saccharine spot successful tallness because, “it was easier for america to make a alteration successful position of damping, rebound, and really to get nan balance. Once we had that number, we moved to nan magnetorheological dampers connected nan accumulation car.”

The alloy springs are 25% little stiff than those connected nan Evo, while nan raised tallness is accompanied by accrued way beforehand and rear – 30mm and 34mm, respectively – pinch a mean summation successful wheelbase coming arsenic a consequence of those changes. The dampers disagree from those connected nan Evo, but only owed to their greater scope of travel.

Naturally, tyres play a immense portion successful nan improvement of specified a car. “A batch of activity was done pinch nan tyres, because nan consequence we are looking for from them is thing that is not usual,” explains Fasanetto.

Bridgestone roseate to nan challenge, creating a Sterrato-specific type of its Dueler AT002 tyres, pinch a unsocial tread shape creation and a typical compound to execute grip connected nan bandwidth of surfaces nan Sterrato tin thrust on. They are of 235/40 R19 and 285/40 R19 sizes and, usefully fixed nan deficiency of abstraction successful nan Huracán for a spare wheel, incorporated run-flat capacity that allows driving astatine up to 80km/h for a maximum of 80km pinch 0 barroom pressure.

“We did a batch of activity pinch Bridgestone and nan consequence is really amazing. The soft compound allowed america to thrust connected off-road surfaces, but moreover erstwhile we drove nan car connected way nan tyres provided bully performance,” explains Fasanetto.

A carbon-ceramic braking system

Behind nan wheels wearing those tyres is simply a carbon-ceramic braking system. Fasanetto reveals they did see alloy brakes for off-road durability, but aft extended testing recovered nan existing Huracán brakes to beryllium durable, moreover successful off-road conditions.

The LDVI (Lamborghini Integrated Vehicle Dynamics) strategy from nan Huracán has besides been retained, though it gains an further Rally mode that is selectable by nan driver. The mode is specifically tuned for low-grip conditions, and Fasanetto explains that nan setup is predominantly rear-driven erstwhile activated, pinch nan beforehand axle only coming into play erstwhile required.

That rear bias, says Fasanetto, is what makes Sterrato truthful nosy to drive, but adds that nan squad “always support successful mind nan car must beryllium safe for nan ‘standard driver’. We person to see that a car must beryllium drivable moreover if nan customer is not hugely skillful.”

Having knowledgeable it for myself connected Strada Bianca, pinch Fasanetto alongside, nan magnitude of latitude nan strategy allows connected loose surfaces is incredible. “We changed nan equilibrium of nan four-wheel thrust to person much possibilities to thrust nan car successful oversteer,” says Fasanetto. “You tin support nan stableness power on, which is benignant of for illustration having an angel connected your back.”

In Rally exemplary nan damper is astatine its softest mounting too, aiding nan suspension’s capacity successful nan rough, and helping support traction and instrumentality control. The dampers stiffen up successful nan on-road settings.

What is evident is that Mario Fasanetto has enjoyed nan improvement process pinch this car. “We had a batch of fun,” he admits, adding that pinch Sterrato: “you tin person nosy without getting to very precocious speeds.”

The Sterrato takes Lamborghini sports cars to caller areas altogether, moreover beyond Nardò’s Strada Bianca tracks.