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Lamborghini Huracan STO SC 10 Anniversario won't race, but should

Lamborghini's one-make Super Trofeo racing series waved its first green flag in 2009. Installing the season-ending World Finals as a cap to the series didn't start until 2013, the same year the Italian automaker created its Squadra Corse motorsports division, making this year the 10th anniversary of both. In honor of that, and perhaps to the benefit of a client or clients, Lamborghini's Ad Personam custom division created the Huracan STO SC 10 Anniversario, a roadgoing Huracan with a special livery and aero package tweaked by the Squadra Corse racing division. And since the Huracan is also headed into retirement after 10 years on sale, this racing-themed special model repeats history: Lamborghini sold a run of 50 Gallardo LP-570 Squadra Corse coupes for the 2014 model year on the eve of that model concluding its 10-year production run.     The Verde Mantis and Nero Noctis livery shouts out to the SC63 hybrid endurance racer that will compete in the IMSA's Le Mans Daytona Hybrid class starting next year. The Huracan's flourished in the lower classes, having won the GTD class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona three years in a row. Unique touches include the Tricolore band running down the center, "Squadra Corse 10° Anniversario" logos on the sides and rear fin, plus Rosso Mars accents along the carbon fiber package pieces. Inside, a Nero Ade seats are contrasted by Verde Fauns stitching, four-point seat belts, a roll bar, and a carbon fiber floor.  The company says this is the first time the Squadra Corse division has fiddled with a road car. The performance and aero changes count four-way adjustable racing-derived dampers replacing the adaptive shocks, specially developed Bridgestone tires, an Akrapovic titanium exhaust, new carbon fiber flics at the leading edges of the front cover vents, and a rear wing canted an additional three degrees for more rear downforce. The Gallardo Squadra Corse coupes got more downforce from a special rear wing, too, but the racing arm wasn't in charge of that back then. Chief technical officer Rouven Mohr described this as "a concrete demonstration of how experience gained in motorsport can be effectively transferred to the road product, enhancing performance and driving pleasure.

Lamborghini Sian's supercapacitor hybrid system explained by company's CTO

"We are a game-changer and a provocateur," Lamborghini's CTO, Maurizio Reggiani told Engadget. The automaker has a long history of making waves with traffic-stopping designs and more recently, innovative tech. At last week's Frankfurt Motor Show, the Italian company unveiled its Sian hybrid supercar. But it ditched the traditional battery pack in favor of a supercapacitor to power an electric motor, which is exactly what you would expect from the Italian company. Typically a hybrid uses a lithium-ion battery pack to store energy. Then when needed, it transfers an electrical current to a motor (or motors) to either help the gas-powered engine or take over propulsion entirely. It's a recipe that has successfully improved gas mileage and sold over six million examples of the Toyota Prius, not to mention countless other hybrids. "It's too easy to follow," Reggiani said. "If you want to move for the first time in electrification you must guarantee that the implementation will not destroy the DNA of a car and brand." With that in mind, the automaker went with a supercapacitor instead of a battery. According to Reggiani, the supercapacitor offers up three times the power of a battery pack from the same weight and packaging. Plus, it stores and discharges energy much quicker. The spent power can be fully regenerated very quickly during normal braking. Reggiani explained that this could be particularly useful while cornering. Going into a corner, the driver applies the brakes and replenishes any spent energy. Then, as the driver accelerates out of the corner, all the available power is there for acceleration. Then as the driver brakes for the next curve, the process starts all over again. Plus, the supercapacitor doesn't have to cool down like traditional battery, it's just ready to go at all times -- which is exactly what Lamborghini owners want. The output of the 48-volt motor installed into the gearbox is 34 horsepower which brings the total power output of the V12 Sian to 819 horsepower. While 34 horsepower doesn't seem like much, it means the vehicle can do zero to 62 miles per hour in under 2.8 seconds. That's Tesla Model S Performance and Porsche Taycan levels of fast. But there are other benefits. The electric motor reduces the torque hits of the gears shifting. You know those momentary losses -- then explosions of power -- you feel in the car as it speeds up, that's the vehicle going through its gears.

Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato off-roader is headed to production

Ending years of rumors and speculation, Lamborghini has confirmed it will build the rally-inspired Huracan Sterrato concept it unveiled in June 2019. The model, which will be the final evolution of the Huracan, is scheduled to make its official debut before the end of 2022. Preview images released by the firm give us an early look at the first off-road-ready Huracan. The coupe remains draped in camouflage but we can tell that not a lot has changed since the design study made its debut over three years ago — and that's just awesome. At its core, the Sterrato takes the form of a Huracan on stilts with two driving lights attached to its front end, wheel arch flares and a pair of roof rails. Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, preview images View 5 Photos We're curious to find out how Lamborghini modified the Huracan's suspension system to dial in the extra ground clearance. And, there's no word yet on what the model is powered by, though we're guessing it uses a version of the standard car's naturally-aspirated, 5.2-liter V10. For context, the Sterrato concept was powered by the Huracan EVO's V10 engine, rated at 640 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. It also featured all-wheel drive, a four-wheel steering system and torque vectoring, but all of these systems were retuned for off-road use. Lamborghini widened the front and rear tracks by about an inch, hence the big flares, and it added 1.85 inches of ground clearance. Lamborghini will introduce the Huracan Sterrato — assuming the concept's name is retained for the production model — by the end of 2022, meaning deliveries could start in early 2023. Pricing information hasn't been announced yet. When it lands, the off-roader will compete in a class of one. There are a great many supercars and there are a great many super-SUVs, but these two segments have rarely intersected in the realm of production cars. It's a different story in the concept car world: Volkswagen-owned ItalDesign Giugiaro turned the Lamborghini Gallardo into a high-riding design study called Parcour in 2013, and Audi unveiled the 5.0-liter V10 TDI-powered Nanuk later that year.