Dirty Speed, Not Done Cheap

With the Huracán Sterrato, Lamborghini's midengine supercar exits in a giant cloud of dust.

- DAVID BEARD

2024 LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN STERRATO 

Off-roading in a Lamborghini Huracán isn't anything new to us. We've mowed the lawn at triple-digit speeds through Virginia International Raceway's daunting uphill esses. On another occasion, we ended up behind the guardrail and in the woods of VIR's Patriot Course. Don't ask; those excursions were unintentional. The thought of willingly exiting the tarmac and throwing a Huracán into the dirt is insane. But nothing about the dual-purpose Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato is rational.

Just look at the bulging fenders, the optional rally-inspired light pods grafted onto the angular nose, the roof-mounted snorkel and standard rack rails on top, and the oddest-looking tires ever fitted to a Huracán. Think Huracán Outback, but they're not calling it that. It's the Sterrato, which Google Translate tells us means "dirt road" in Italian. Whatever it is, it's the first Lamborghini since the LM002 to wear mud with pride.

The Sterrato isn't a response to the Porsche 911 Dakar. Lamborghini's concept dates to 2017, when the engineering team, hot on the heels of working on the Urus, realized there was more potential in the all-wheel-drive Huracán LP610-4. Why not fit it with a long-travel suspension, revamped adaptive dampers, and softer springs to provide 1.7 inches more ground clearance than the Evo and softer antiroll bars to enable more articulation? If you build it, they will come.

And they came in droves. The planned production number increased again and again, finally reaching 1499, all quickly spoken for despite the $278,972 sticker.