To somebody outside the phenomenon, brewing your own supercar, a Lamborghini in this case, might seem pointless and that’s putting it mildly. People are going to notice it’s not the real deal sooner or later, while the creation may never be able to mimic the performance offered by a genuine Raging Bull. But what if the replica takes the original to a whole new world, say, off the beaten path? This faux Gallardo would know a thing or two about that, since it’s built on a Toyota truck chassis.
You’ve probably heard of home-made Lamborghinis using Toyota components before. However, as mentioned, this contraption takes things to a whole new level, one that will allow it to stray off the beaten path, quite literally.
Interestingly enough, back in the Gallardo era (think:2003-2013), the Sant’Agata Bolognese mothership ploted an off-roading special. The idea only emerged in 2019 in the form of the Huracan Sterrato concept. Fortunately, Lamborghini is putting this into production, as showcased by these spyshots expected to materialize later this year.
Meanwhile, if we look underneath the fiberglass-made Gallardo styling cues of this Thailand-made machine, we’ll find a Toyota Hilux chassis (hey, we just recently featured a 9s Hilux). For the record, this non-US mid-size pickup is only slightly shorter and narrower than the Tacoma mid-size truck offered in North America.
Nevertheless, as you can imagine, mixing the appearance of an Italian exotic with a ladder chassis will require some serious work, at least if you’re aiming for an eye-pleasing result (more on this below). And this is why the machine features plenty of custom pieces, such as the cantilever rear suspension.
Motivation comes from a Lexus engine that’s part of the UZ family. However, with the project still being a work in progress, it’s unclear if the machine is set to maintain its original AWD layout of it it’s going RWD. Even so, meaty all-terrain rubber wrapped around massive wheels can be found on all four corners.
The pricing and other mid-engined replicas of the sort
Once completed, this Lamborghini Huracan 4×4 replica will be offered for the equivalent of $42,000. However, some of the other faux Lambos that share the shop with it can sell for more than double that. And that’s because those contraptions feature a Toyota Crown chassis with a custom rear subframe that allows for a mid-engined configuration to be used.
The powertrains for these wacky creations range from V8s of Lexus and Audi origin to a Honda K-series and, of course, a good old big turbo 2JZ—this might sound crazy, but how about the American custom car realm’s 2JZ-powered actual Gallardo and K-Series-swapped Ferrari 308?
The Thai car market has some wild rules
The faux vehicles were covered by Chad Burdette of the CB Media YouTube channel, a Western expat living in Thailand and it appears their final forms are impressive. Speaking of which, owning an actual supercar is extremely difficult in that part of the world, which is one of the factors pushing people to buy these replicas. That’s because Thailand has incredibly high import duties for vehicles (think: 80%), and there are other taxes on top of that.
And, for a quick comparo, we’ll use the Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet—the German carmaker’s online configurator lists prices, unlike that of Lamborghini—a vehicle that sits approximately in the same financial league as a Lamborghini Huracan. Well, garbing one in Thailand will set you back at least $644,687, which is almost three times more than in America.
Now, since gifting your home with supercar-related furniture is also a thing, the shop that makes these replicas also builds such hardware. In fact, you’ll find a 1:1 scale Aventador SVJ wraparound couch at the 7:16 timestamp—have you even seen a supercar with a row of three seats?
