Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato concept is radical

Jacked-up, high-performance, rally-esque sports cars like this Lamborghini Sterrato Concept are usually the sole reserve of creative graphics artists who have no affiliation with the car brand.

Which is what makes this 477kw (640hp) concept so intriguing.

Created by Lamborghini, the Huracan Sterrato Concept is essentially a raised-up (+47mm) Huracan via some suspension tweaks, a wider track (+30mm), flared wheel arches, bash plates front and rear plus a handy-dandy roof-mounted LED light bar and front spotties for night time rally stages.

It would be a stretch to say that Lamborghini is preparing an assault on the rally racing world, a la another famous Italian sports car, the Lancia Stratos HF WRC that won the World Rally Championship three years running thanks to a Dino V6 engine with Ferrari DNA coursing through its cylinders.

But Lamborghini wouldn’t have released a concept design like this unless it wanted to gauge customer feedback. After all, it's not April 1st…

Automobili Lamborghini hasn't said the new model is destined for production but certainly didn’t rule it out, stating that it is "exploring new horizons" with this "unconventional concept".

Powered by the same 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 engine as the 'regular' (circa-$400,000) Lambo, the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato Concept leverages the Italian sports car brand's "off-road expertise exemplified in the Urus super SUV, creating a new dimension of Lamborghini 'fun to drive off-road': a transfer of technologies creating a super sports car for challenging environments".

Pumping out the same 477 kilowatts as the Lamborghini Huracan Evo, the Sterrato wears stylised 20-inch alloy wheels shod with rugged off-road tyres designed for mud-plugging and desert dueling.

The tweaked front and rear ends with bash plates improve approach (1 per cent) and departure (6.5 per cent) angles slightly, which is ideal when you're hitting kickers at 140km/h and getting airborne. Aluminium skid plates and aluminium-bolstered side skirts are meant to protect its delicate body a little better too.

Lambo has added mud guards and stone deflectors around the engine air intakes, signaling the outrageous Sterrato concept's penchant for dirt roads.

Could Lamborghini build this car? Maurizio Reggiani, Automobili Lamborghini's chief technical officer, seems to think it could be a 'future shaping' vehicle.

"The Huracán Sterrato illustrates Lamborghini’s commitment to being a future shaper: a super sports car with off-road capabilities, the Sterrato demonstrates the Huracán’s versatility and opens the door to yet another benchmark of driving emotion and performance," he said.

"Lamborghini’s R&D and design teams are constantly exploring new opportunities and delivering the unexpected as a core characteristic of our DNA, challenging possibilities while inspired by Lamborghini brand heritage."