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Lamborghini Huracan STO Road Test: If death metal was a car

MALIBU, Calif. — If heavy death metal music were a car, it would be the Lamborghini Huracan STO. This is not your run-of-the-mill Lamborghini. It doesnÂ’t have all-wheel drive. The floor and doors are essentially bare carbon. It has a complex clamshell front end/hood you manually open with a plastic prong — under it, thereÂ’s barely room for a racing helmet. There are only three drive modes, a pittance for a modern supercar. A super-low, zero-forgiveness full carbon fiber front bumper/splitter is fitted that will torment your mind on every grade change. Its dry weight (the only one Lamborghini quotes) is only 2,942 pounds. That last bit — its low-for-a-Lambo weight — is the secret ingredient in what makes this STO drive like a special machine. Forget any stereotypes you may have about todayÂ’s Lamborghinis being the porky, easier-to-drive Italian supercar. The STO is pure, old-school Lambo. It looks those preconceived notions in the face and slaps them aside as quick as the 5.2-liter V10 can rev to its 8,500 rpm redline. That is, very, very quickly. The death metal begins as soon as you drop into the carbon buckets. In proper race car fashion, there are no traditional grab handles on the bare carbon door. Instead, a flexible piece of fabric is fashioned as a pull, and it works quite well. Getting out could be confusing for those new to track-focused machines like the STO, as the red strap suspiciously poking out of the door is actually a handle that you pull to activate. Adjusting the seat is all manual work — every extra electric anything would just add weight.  YouÂ’ll quickly learn that thereÂ’s a reason carpeting is the floor material of choice for every car out there, as the optional $4,600 carbon fiber floor mats optioned on this STO make for a SlipÂ’N Slide-themed pedal box. It can be acclimated to (your shoe choice has never mattered more), but good old-fashioned carpeting canÂ’t be beat. Everyday functionality was the last thing on LamborghiniÂ’s mind when creating the STO, though. One quick look at the rearview mirror makes this abundantly clear. While youÂ’ll see flashes of trailing traffic in between the louvers of the STOÂ’s engine cover, this design largely limits rearward visibility to the side mirrors. And before you ask, no, it doesnÂ’t have blind-spot warning.

Valentino Balboni thinks the Miura greatest Lambo ever

Valentino Balboni spent 40 years at Lamborghini, a few years as a mechanic's apprentice at the beginning, then as a test driver at the request of old man Ferrucio himself. He is embedded in the brand, said to have driven 80 percent of the company's entire production until he retired in 2009. He has ridden and tamed so many bulls that they named one after him, the 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, and even made it rear-wheel drive because that's how he likes it. Balboni spoke to Road & Track in advance of an auction in New York on November 19 that will see a 1969 Miura P400S go on the block. A fixture from the days when mad men weren't merely characters on a television show, Balboni discusses taking customers for test drives, being sent on warranty calls, his favorite car, and why there will never be another one like it. Head over to RT to read the full interview from the man who helped make the original Countach, and therefore Lamborghini, what it is today. And in case you want in on the action, the pre-sale estimate for the centerpiece Miura is $800,000 to $1.6 million. Related Video:

Watch two grandmas take a Lamborghini Murcielago for a spin

Not everyone loves cars enough to care if they see a tuned Lamborghini Murcielago rolling through town. But put two very excited grandmas in it, and you get a vehicle that draws attention everywhere. The ladies have an initial problem finding reverse in the Lambo, but they eventually hit the road with Peggy behind the wheel and Audrey riding shotgun. You have to love these gals. They roll the windows down to wave at everyone on the street and yell to them, "We're Lamborghini queens!" Their happiness is infectious, and people clearly are excited but a little confused to see two older women in a mean looking supercar. The only thing wrong with this video is that we wish it were longer. The gals should take the Lambo, or Ghini as Audrey calls the coupe, onto the freeway to open the throttle. Maybe they could cruise to a cars and coffee meet to hang out. Based on this clip, the pair seems game to drive the supercar anywhere.