Chassis and aero upgrades cut a second from STO’s laptime at Nardo handling track
April 10, 2024 at 08:31
- STJ stands for Super Trofeo Jota and is based on the existing STO
- V10 makes the same 631 hp but aero and chassis mods improve performance
- Huracan will be replaced by a new PHEV supercar later this year
We’re only months away from the launch of Lamborghini’s all-new baby hybrid supercar, and that means it’s time for the Sant’Agata team to pay its respects to the V10 Huracan that’s heading for the exit.
Called the STJ (Super Trofeo Jota) and limited to 10 units, the “last dance” Huracan is an evolution of the track-focused, rear-wheel drive STO (Super Trofeo Omologato) and marks the first time Lambo’s historic Jota name – first used on a hardcore Miura back in the early 1970s – has been applied to one of its junior supercars.
Related: Lamborghini Trademarks Temerario Name, Is It For Huracan Successor?
The STJ retains most of the STO’s lightweight features and its distinctive motorsport-style dorsal fin, but the Lamborghini Squadra Corse engineers have improved the aerodynamic package with a pair of carbon canards on the front bumper and a 3-degree increase in the angle of the double-deck rear wing.
Those changes look and sound modest, but Lamborghini says downforce is improved by 10 percent, and the extra stiction is further enhanced by mods hiding under the four fenders. There are new four-way adjustable racing-derived dampers in place of the STO’s active shocks that let the driver manually tweak the bump and rebound at high and low frequencies, and, Lamborghini says, allow the use of a softer spring while still increasing steering precision.
The 20-inch center-lock, forged alloy wheels don’t appear to have changed and the naturally-aspirated V10 makes the same 631 hp (640 PS) as the STO – which itself makes no more power than a regular Huracan LP640-4. But Lamborghini mentions a new set of Bridgestone Potenza boots that, together with the aero and damper upgrades, help cut a second off the STO’s time around the handling circuit at the NARDO test track in the south of Italy.
Lamborghini’s engineers might have locked down the technical spec, but the design team has come up with two configurations for buses to choose from, the first of which combines Grigio Telesto (gray) bodywork combined with a Nero Noctis (black) roof and Rosso Mars (red) and Bianco Isi (white) details.
But we find it hard to believe that it’ll look better than the second option, shown in these images. That matches Blu Eliadi (blue) bodywork with a Nero Noctis (black) roof and Rosso Mars (red) and Bianco Isi (white) details. Each STJ gets a numbered plaque and buyers also get the option of a custom plate finished to their spec for the passenger side.
