DESERT SHIELD
Evo UK|July 2023
Lamborghini bids farewell to the Huracán by unleashing the most extreme version of all
JAMES TAYLOR
DESERT SHIELD

'PLAY IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF RESEARCH,' said Albert Einstein (always good for a quote, that man). This car was born through play.

Back in 2017, when Lamborghini was putting the finishing touches to the Urus SUV, its senior engineers were charging around the Strada Bianca dirt track at the Nardo development ground in southern Italy. While testing the Urus, we were in love with the driving on this course,' grins Lamborghini's likeably enthusiastic chief technical officer, Rouven Mohr. 'We thought: "Wouldn't it be amazing to drive on this course in our super sports cars?"""

Head of design Mitja Borkert takes up the story. 'We were so excited by the idea, I called my guys and said: "We need to start sketching." We made a third-scale design model, Rouven liked it a lot and I said to him: "Why don't we build a demonstrator?" He said: "Yeah! We have an old Huracán durability development car-free." So I set about designing the cladding and so on...' 

Everybody in Lamborghini's inner circle who drove the demonstrator was captivated by it; even those initially sceptical about whether or not there might be a market for such a car. When Stephan Winkelmann returned to Lamborghini as CEO in 2020, during an epic design meeting in which both the Revuelto hybrid and modern-day Countach were approved, a production version got the green light. When we showed him the Sterrato,' Borkert recalls, he said: "That's what we need to do. We should always be different." 

This story is from the July 2023 edition of Evo UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2023 edition of Evo UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM EVO UKView All
RENAULT SPORT MÉGANE R26 R
Evo UK

RENAULT SPORT MÉGANE R26 R

It's possibly the greatest hot hatch ever made, but it took true dedication and extreme measures to create it. This is the story of how the Mégane R26.R came to be

time-read
9 mins  |
July 2024
THE ART OF THE ESTATE
Evo UK

THE ART OF THE ESTATE

Fast estates have always been cool, but today they can take many forms. We pitch Peugeot's updated hybrid 508 PSE against Skoda's more conventional but equally compelling Octavia vRS

time-read
6 mins  |
July 2024
HYBRID WORKING
Evo UK

HYBRID WORKING

Bentley's new Continental GT will be its most powerful and most advanced road car to date. A drive of a pre-production example provides our first taste of its new V8 hybrid powertrain

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
THE LONG GOODBYE
Evo UK

THE LONG GOODBYE

After powering Bentleys for more than 20 years, the magnificent W12 engine has finally ceased production. We go for a farewell drive in the model where it all began - and look forward to the new Crewe generation

time-read
9 mins  |
July 2024
A DESIGN FOR LIFE
Evo UK

A DESIGN FOR LIFE

As a star of the very first issue of evo, Audi's design icon is a car entwined with this magazine's history. But now it's no more. We drive an early Mk1 quattro alongside a late Mk3 RS to find out if it enters retirement with grace

time-read
9 mins  |
July 2024
BACK ON TRACK?
Evo UK

BACK ON TRACK?

After the slightly under-achieving M4 CSL, could the new M4 CS be the sweet-spot in the M3/M4 range?

time-read
9 mins  |
July 2024
FAMILY AFFAIR
Evo UK

FAMILY AFFAIR

Thirty years ago, the McLaren F1 set new benchmarks with its speed and purity; now Gordon Murray's latest supercar, the GMA T.50, promises to do the same. We drive them back to back

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2024
Aston Martin DBX707
Evo UK

Aston Martin DBX707

Much-needed interior overhaul, plus other mid-life updates, ready the DBX for its second act

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
Radical SR1 XXR
Evo UK

Radical SR1 XXR

Radical's entry-level racing car has been re-released in enhanced XXR guise. We find out just how good it is in the most revealing way - by racing it

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2024
VW Golf R
Evo UK

VW Golf R

The Mk8 Golf R has never really wowed us. But can the Mk8.5 change all that? A drive in a prototype version provides some clues

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2024