Updated GT3 racer takes styling cues from hardcore road car.
The latest top-tier racing car based on the Lamborghini Huracán has arrived, billed as the Huracán GT3 Evo2.
Due to make its debut at next year’s Daytona 24 Hours, the Evo2 is the third evolution in Lamborghini’s line of GT3-level offerings homologated by the Huracán road car.
First launched in 2015 (a car we once drove), the slick-shod racer was then heavily updated to Evo specification in 2018, when a new roll-cage, engine, rear suspension and power steering (moving from hydraulic to electrohydraulic) were introduced. Now, in Evo2 guise, the aerodynamic package in particular has moved another step forward, with some clear visual inspiration taken from the Huracán STO road car.
The most significant STO-flavoured upgrade is the new roof scoop, which directly feeds the car’s 5.2-litre, titanium-valved V10 and has allowed Lamborghini to mostly close up the air intakes at the trailing edge of the window apertures.
While the engine hardware is still largely shared with the Huracán road car, for the Evo2-generation GT3, individual throttle bodies also feature, for improved response.
However, outright power will still be down on the 464kW totals of the Huracán Evo and STO showroom cars – around 427kWis all the regulations permit. It’s all sent to rear wheels via the car’s Hör-supplied six-speed sequential gearbox.
Developed and built on-site in Sant’Agata by Lamborghini’s Squadra Corse racing division, the Evo2 features entirely carbonfibre bodywork with updates to the splitters, diffuser and underbody.
Downforce is increased, with a view to quickening lap times, though as with previous iterations of the Huracán GT3, stability and predictability remain priorities, and the car’s status as one of the most forgiving machines on a GT3 grid populated not only by professional but also amateur drivers is something Lamborghini aims to maintain. An updated multi-stage traction control system helps in this respect.
Teams currently running the Huracán Evo GT3 car, which featured notable improvements over the original Huracán GT3 in relation to ingress/egress and mechanical access to the driveline, will have the option to upgrade to Evo2 specification. Both cars are based on the chassis of the Huracán Evo.
The Evo2 will be eligible for numerous series, including the British GT Championship, where it will compete against the likes of the Audi R8 LMs GT3 Evo II, Bentley Continental GT3, McLaren 720S GT3, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 R and new BMW M4 GT3.
In the coming years, the field of GT3 cars will grow to include the Ferrari 296 GT3 and Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
Richard Lane