Lamborghini's Revised Racer: The Huracan LP 620-2 Super Trofeo EVO

For such a venerable supercar manufacturer, Lamborghini doesn’t have much of a racing heritage. That’s not necessarily a fault, considering the brand has long been about ludicrous automotive pageantry over ensuring adherence to nonexistent track pedigree. But Lamborghini wasn’t willing to settle on just being difficult to ignore on the streets, it wanted something to rival Ferrari’s own Scuderia.

Half a decade ago, the gauntlet was thrown with the introduction of Lamborghini’s own Squadra Corse (Racing Team) but nobody took the introductory Super Trofeo (Super Trophy) cars all that seriously — not even the manufacturer. That changed a few years ago, when the company introduced the Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo and GT3 racing cars.

After selling roughly 150 of the first-generation Super Trofeos, Lamborghini has prepared the new one — which it is calling the EVO.

Unlike the GT3, the EVO will only be racing its own kind. This leaves the Italian automaker to focus on tweaking the car for driver enjoyment and bolstering performance through as many minor changes as it likes.

“Our customers are the main reason we continue in our pursuit of excellence and ongoing improvement,” said Giorgio Sanna, head of motorsport at Lamborghini. “This is why we kept the practical demands of the team and of the drivers in mind when we were designing the new Huracán Super Trofeo EVO … As it is a single-brand series, there are no regulatory demands that mean a successful model has to be altered.”

However, the new Huracán has changed significantly. Dozens of minor changes add up to something Squadra Corse hopes will be easily identifiable on the track. It features a significant overhaul in bodywork, with Lamborghini only bothering to keep the floor, front splitter and rear diffuser in line with the previous-generation model. The rear wing and roof-mounted air intake are the most obvious changes.

The manufacturer says that roof scoop feeds enough enough air into the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 to generate 3 percent more torque at top speed — although the 611 horsepower motor is mechanically the same as its predecessor.

Lamborghini’s EVO also receives a new carbon fiber body kit aimed at further improving aerodynamics. Squadra Corse says the collective wind magic is good enough to make the new Super Trofeo 1.5 seconds quicker than the previous-generation race car around Monza.

There are also a handful of safety upgrades, borrowed from the GT3 car, and mandated by updated FIA regulations.

The new Super Trofeo EVO will be priced at a prohibitively expensive $295,000 for a complete brand-new car. However, you can have your old car modified for an unknown fee. It debuts next spring, when all cars competing in the one-make Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo race series will be required to run the EVO configuration. It will also be eligible for GT championships worldwide, assuming you’re wealthy and interested.

[Images: Lamborghini]