One last blast in four Lamborghini Huracan models as V10 disappears

The V12 engine is the talisman that has distinguished every Lamborghini flagship since the hallowed car-maker’s inception in 1963, yet much of the company’s success over the past two decades is founded on the sonorous V10 that sits below it in the Raging Bull hierarchy.

The V10 powertrain was first developed for the wedge-shaped Lamborghini Gallardo that debuted in 2003, and continuous enhancement of the engine means it’s still going strong two decades later in the current Huracan line-up.

The Gallardo comfortably outsold any Lamborghini before it, with 14,022 examples produced during its 10-year lifecycle. The Huracan has fared even better, with about 25,000 units sold since its 2014 launch, compared to 11,465 total sales for the recently superseded V12-powered Aventador – and the former isn’t done yet, as there’s still another 10 months or so of production before it’s finally phased out.

Lamentably, it’s likely the all-new Huracan replacement that debuts in late 2024 will be powered by a plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain.

The distinctive howl of the Lamborghini V10 is unmistakeable and, even though Audi used a variant of the same engine in the recently discontinued R8, the timbre of the Lambo Huracan is unique.

You can hear it approaching from half a kilometre away and immediately discern the identity of the car, without even seeing it.

As a final swansong for the Huracan, Lamborghini has organised an epic 600km road trip for a small group of media, including this scribe, in all the model’s variants – STO, Tecnica, Sterrato and EVO Spyder.

We’ll set off from Lamborghini’s HQ in Sant’Agata Bolognese and carve up some excellent driving roads in Emilia Romagna and Tuscany over the next two days.

Stops along the way include the Villa Campestri Oleoteca for some olive oil tasting and the Fantiscritti Carrara marble quarry to glean some of the finer points of the pricey rock that’s been used to craft everything from Michelangelo’s sculptures to seven-star hotels in Dubai and elsewhere.

For the first leg of the road trip, I’m allocated a matte red Lamborghini Huracan STO with blue and black highlights.

The bewinged beast is the most extreme interpretation of the Huracan as its over-the-top aero package is complemented by a track-focused chassis set-up that offers negligible suspension compliance out in the real world.

The rear-wheel drive STO is a mighty weapon on a racetrack – I’ve experienced this first-hand – but the 471kW supercar isn’t an ideal companion on lumpy public roads.

The heavily sculped seats become wearisome after a while and each tarmac-surface imperfection is transmitted through to your spine.

Rearward visibility isn’t a strong point in any Huracan model, but it’s virtually zero in the STO as the rooftop air intake that runs down the spine of the car plus the huge rear wing means you can’t see anything out of the rear window.

It’s certainly not ideal whenever you need to reverse the STO into a tight spot.

The next Huracan I find myself in is a canary yellow Tecnica, which is a toned-down, less shouty version of the STO.

Its low-key aero package is much more to my taste than the extreme bodywork addenda worn by its sibling.

The Tecnica is by no means a cossetting boulevard cruiser as the V10 is always audible, while ride quality – although more compliant than that of the bone-jarring STO – is still busy over anything less than perfectly smooth roads.

Given that the Huracan is now almost 10 years old, its cabin and infotainment system are starting to look and feel a bit dated. Even so, the Tecnica represents a nice balance between a car that’s useable (for some owners) as a daily driver, yet still lightning-fast and razor-sharp on a racetrack.

Our lunch stop on the opening day is at the Villa Campestri Oleoteca, where we learn to distinguish high-quality olive oil from the run-of-the-mill variety that’s sold in supermarkets wearing “extra virgin” labels.

A blind taste test reveals that premium olive oil creates an explosion of flavour on your tongue and palate. Where mass-market oil has a bland taste, a good quality olive oil can have discernible hints of fruitiness and/or spiciness.

Suitably educated, and having ingested a hearty lunch, it’s time to hit the road again, and my next ride is a light blue Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder.

Some supercar purists sneer at topless offerings as the absence of a fixed roof means they sacrifice some degree of torsional stiffness.

The truth is that – unless you’re on a racetrack – you’re not really going to perceive any loss of dynamism or enjoyment factor in the EVO Spyder.

On the contrary, drop the roof and you get to fully savour the magnificence of that operatic, spine-tingling V10.

You also get to take in the surroundings in all their richness. Given that our drive takes place in European autumn, there’s a wonderful assortment of colours in the landscape as the leaves change in colour from green to various shades of yellow, orange and red.

Our overnight halt is in the seaside town of Forte dei Marmi, and dinner that evening is in an opulent mansion – named Villa Alpemare – owned by celebrated Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. It’s a surreal setting and the experience is almost as evocative as being in the Sistine Chapel.

Setting off from Forte dei Marmi the following morning, I’m assigned a white Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato with black and red livery, including the number 63 emblazoned on the bonnet to commemorate Lamborghini’s birth year (1963).

With its black bolt-on wheel-arch cladding, Bridgestone Dueler all-terrain tyres, roof rails and driving lights perched on its nose, the Sterrato clearly stands apart from its siblings.

Conceived as an all-surface weapon, this variant sits 44mm higher than other Huracans, while underbody cladding protects sensitive components from damage when you’re blasting across gravel roads.

The Sterrato’s air intake also migrates to the top of the roof to ensure the V10 doesn’t ingest a lungful of dirt and rocks when you’re going off-piste.

As unlikely as it seems, this offbeat Huracan variant is in many ways the most enjoyable one in real-world settings. Apart from being softer-riding than its stablemates, the Sterrato’s added ground clearance means you don’t have to slow down to a crawl over speed humps and steep driveway entrances.

Yes, it’s speed limited to (only) 260km/h and not as quick as the STO or Tecnica on a racetrack, but very few owners are likely to care. It’s no surprise Lamborghini sold out the entire 1499-unit production run of the Sterrato in just two days.

The return journey to Lamborghini HQ in Sant’Agata Bolognese provides the opportunity to reflect on two decades of a magnificent V10 that belongs in the automotive hall of fame.

No other engine in a production car has stirred the emotions quite like this 10-cylinder powerplant, and the fast and engaging Huracan has been a sublime platform to showcase it in.

Lamborghini has its work cut out in creating a worthy successor…