Lamborghini teases the extreme adrenaline chasers with a dramatic video shoot of the elusive and most uncommon Huracán. The volcanic footage is all about the erupting thrills and spills of a dirt-purposed supercar that's been heavily modified for the job – the Sterrato. The querky off-roader is said to be the company's pure combustion swan song, as the ICEs make way for hybrid powertrains.
Sure, other cars might look – and are! – better suited for an off-road adventure involving climbing a mountain and parachuting from the top. But probably none of those cars are as mad, fun, exciting, and seemingly out of place as this one-off off-roader from the bull-badged Italian supercarmaker.
The footage - shot in the Etna Natural Park, on the slopes of the active volcano – shows the Sterrato in its intended element. Rolling all fours in the raw dirt of yet unconquered savagery, the rally Lambo looks very much at home. Demolish the language barrier, and we learn that Sterrato means "gravel" in Italian, which is not a very subtle way of hinting at the odd playground habits of this Huracán.
The "get to the bottom first" contest between the car and the parachutist is merely a pretext to rev up the 5.2-liter V10 and go sideways in the volcanic ash-covered dirt track. The all-wheel-drive system points the front of the menacing Huracán in the correct direction. Its oversized 20-inch wheels and balloon tires (designed specifically for the Sterrato) put the fun on the road.
Photo: Lamborghini
Much fun, considering the 631 bhp (640 PS) and 443 lb-ft of torque (600 Nm) coming out of the behind-the-seats mounted plant. All with compliments from the raised suspension (1.85 inches/47 mm higher than the base model).
Today's video is the third in the Beyond the Concrete Lamborghini series starring the Huracán Sterrato prototype and showcasing various feats of sporting prowess. The first episode, from this summer, showed the off-roader pitted against a mountain bike in the picturesque landscapes of Italy.
On the second appearance last month, the Lambo sported an unlikely accessory – the luggage roof rails, kept in the third video – because the theme was windsurfing. And the Sterrato doesn't have a big enough trunk for a surfboard, let alone the sail. It doesn't have a trunk at all, to be honest, just the "frunk" storage compartment.
This time Lamborghini lifts the veil (a bit more than before) on its plans to put the Sterrato into production run sooner than later. In the ending credits, the catchphrase that got our attention is the following "The vehicle is still not available for sale and still subject to homologation process." The "still" is a suspense-builder, as no official announcement is out. However, Lamborghini's Instagram post accompanying the video release says, "There is a new way of going beyond. And you'll know it soon enough."
Photo: Lamborghini
Still is not enough, though, with the German competition from Porsche Dakar taking the spotlight next week in Los Angeles. By contrast, the Sterrato concept was first announced in 2019. Nothing noteworthy has come our way since then until this year's "Beyond the Concrete" video series. Perhaps the Italians are edging a deadline to get the Dirt Road Huracán Within the Concrete, but don't want to spoil the surprise after such a long wait.
Last Monday's press release about the company's latest financial results also nodded at the possibility: "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." Whether it's just the presentation or the market release, we'll find out between December 1 and 3.
After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads. Full profile
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