If there’s some good news to take from the demise of combustion engines, it’s the opportunity afforded to manufacturers to really let their hair down. Already there’s a Cayman with a GT3 engine in it, a BMW M5 with as much power as a McLaren F1, and an Aston Martin Vantage Roadster with more than 700hp. Now Lamborghini has confirmed its own bold farewell to supercars powered purely by internal combustion, with confirmation that the production version of the all-terrain Huracan will make its debut next month.
It would be easy to call the Sterrato (assuming that's what it ends up being called) a badly kept secret, given a fully-fledged concept was announced and prototypes have been spied all over. But, well, it all seemed so far-fetched. There was no precedent for an all-road supercar from Lamborghini or from anyone, really; it seemed so ambitious (and so awesome at the same time) that it couldn’t actually happen for real. Would anybody want a desert racer Huracan?
Turns out they do, and Lamborghini is going to reveal the all-terrain V10 in December. Tucked away at the bottom of a press release about financial results (more of which in a sec) Lamborghini reported: “A final farewell to the pure combustion engine will be made at the end of the year at Art Basel in Miami with an all-terrain version of the Huracán, a model once again destined to impress and create a new segment in the super sports car world.” What a way to sign off the 5.2-litre engine that promises to be.
Nothing further has been set in stone about the upcoming Huracan, though the spy shots seen over the past few months have previewed quite a bit. Expect a raised ride height, off-road tyres, a roof scoop, some underbody protection and maybe roof rails if certain pics are anything to go by, for the full tech bro billionaire explorer look. The concept also boasted wider tracks, enhanced approach and departure angles (funnily enough) and even a light bar. However it turns out, the all-terrain Huracan is surely something you don’t want to miss. Art Basel in Miami takes place from December 1st to December 3rd.
If nothing else, it’ll cap off another big year for Lambo, what with the end of Aventador production after more than a decade and the introduction of the Urus Performante. There was the Huracan Tecnica, too, and it's brilliant, though it feels like there’s only going to be one Huracan that 2022 is going to be remembered for now. Customers are definitely onboard with the brand’s direction if sales are anything to go by - or potentially desperate to get their purely V12, V10 or V8 fix before time is called. For the nine months from January to September 2022, Lamborghini delivered 7,430 units, which is up eight per cent on the same time last year. Of those 2,378 were Huracans, which is 11 per cent better than the Jan-Sept 2021, and 4,834 were Uruses - the remaining couple of hundred made up of the final Aventadors. Lots of markets experienced a significant increase in demand compared to 2021, including the UK (up 20 per cent), Germany (plus 16 per cent) and Japan (26 per cent more). It meant a turnover for Sant’Agata for those nine months of €1.93bn, and a substantial 68.5 per cent rise in operating profit - now €570m. So things are looking pretty healthy at Lambo, certainly healthy enough to indulge the off-road Huracan. Which, you’d have to imagine, won’t be coming cheap.
Stephan Winkelmann said: “These consistently rising figures show just how strong Lamborghini is today. We have an order portfolio that already covers the first quarter of 2024, and this allows us to work with peace of mind, looking thoughtfully ahead to the challenges facing us in the future, such as the first step towards hybridization from 2023.” It seems Lambo could hardly be in a better position to move into its PHEV era, with hopes high given the strength of the current lineup. But don’t be surprised if there’s a lot of V10 love around these parts come early December.
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