Skip to main content

Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce Roadster

The answer is V-12. The question is what is rare, powerful, makes extraordinary noises and in this case sits all by itself? All alone as in no turbos, no hybrid assist and of course, no supercharger. It is a 6.5 liter, 740hp, 12 cylinder, 48 valve wonder in the 2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce.. An amazing, outrageous V-12 monster!

It features a carbon fiber 2-piece removable top, a carbon fiber passenger tub, scissor lift doors and
much more. This yellow example stands out like nothing else, it might be the least subtle car on the road. Deep rear diffusers, a carbon fiber wing, and the breakup of the lines with the roof removed is striking. A large, wide hood finishes off the front and the headlights feature an outline of LED running lights. This car is more transformer than anything else on the road.

A wide button on the door under the character line opens the swing-up scissor door by itself with an excellent damping motion, no worry about it swinging open too hard. Getting in is easier than some other cars with a particularly wide sill (McLaren P1), although it was still butt first. A yellow pull strap is used to bring it back down and the mechanical tolerance to close it is absolutely perfect, not even the slightest hint of slack.

Surprisingly roomy, it has good outward visibility with a very small triangular window at the base of the A-pillar that gives peeks of speed. Legroom is easily sufficient for a 6-footer and the carbon fiber backed seats were extremely comfortable, not even noticing any adjustment was needed in seat back or bottom, a very rare occurrence. Remember the Honda Del Sol? No? Well no matter, the Roadster has a small rear window that retracts downward. The gloss coat carbon fiber interior door panel isn’t for watches and bracelets though.

Turbos will muffle, electric vehicles may eventually kill it, but the V-12 is both a symphony and rock concert with volume control by the right foot and eagerly feeding the ears. Sound is such a necessary ingredient to the enthusiast’s driving experience and this monster has it in spades. Buffeting is minimal at speed and during start-up a whirring from the starter then a whoomph as the engine engages. Other sound bits include shrieking at full throttle, a zing during a rev matched downshift, rumbling at part throttle, a faint humming while driving during the cylinder deactivation, fans heard on the side from the huge intake at stoplights. Someone could write code for an EV’s sound
system to recreate this, but it would be really fake and really cheesy. Bystanders enjoy the concert from this marvel, but an intentionally fake-sound transmitting EV just begs for regulation and posers in skinny jeans.

When Lamborghini added magnetic shocks and revised the shifting of the single clutch automated transmission, and the stiff monocoque carbon fiber passenger tub, and improved steering it became a more attractive option to the owner, especially relatively uncompromised in terms of weight and stiffness as a roadster. And now, it’s a surprisingly good GT car. It’s a bit heavy and doesn’t flick in
transitions as easily like a lighter car, but it sure talks to you. In the Strada mode the ride is excellent, thanks to the inboard magnetic shocks, its firm but not punishingly so. The owner likes the Sport mode, right in between.

It isn’t without faults. The stereo is reported as terrible by any production car standards (I was busy listening to the other concert), and it needs an annoying manual re-shift to first gear when sitting at light for about five seconds. In the quest for higher horsepower, some low end torque is missing, if you can consider 509 lb-ft at 5500rpm a sacrifice, and the hit occurs at about 3500rpm. The stock exhaust sounds amazing and doesn't need modifying. The YouTube videos of exhaust revving mishaps are not from stock exhaust cars...

The owner weighed it at 3950lbs but it does have carbon ceramic rotors as standard to reel it all in. Despite the weight, the coupe still clocked a 6:59.73 at the Nurburgring. Essentially the record among all cars still in production. And one of the leading magazines ran a 10.6 second, 135mph quarter mile, it’s in a particularly rare field of performance especially among unboosted and non-hybrid vehicles.

Normally aspirated performance cars are becoming rare, and some are already commanding a premium new and on the used market. V-12s in particular are a dying breed. Hopefully they won’t be totally obsoleted, after all these rolling pieces of craftsmanship and engineering may stay around in the digital age the way analog watches have. The Aventador leads the way right now in purity and
outrageousness.

Link to pics: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.977403555697689.1073741896.378354382269279&type=1&l=d94af3b346







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sixth generation Camaro V6 review

Chevrolet updated the chassis of the Camaro for 2016 with the new Alpha platform and by all accounts the approximately 250 to 300lb weight reduction was a huge improvement. Despite having a brilliant chassis and three powerful engine choices, the interior and outward visibility hardly improved at all. I wanted to like this car, I really did. It has some really good aspects but overall it’s only good for going in a straight line, not reverse or backing up out of any parking space, on public roads or modified into a track-only car.  You decide if the interior justifies a $29,000 MSRP. The 2017 model is essentially the same. The 335hp V-6 is a great engine, responsive, sounds good and with the quick shifting 8 speed automatic, the car is capable of mid-high 13 second quarter mile ETs. It feels every bit as quick as the numbers suggest. It has no appreciable dead spots and has an excellent pull. The 8 speed auto is finicky on the highway though, downshifting at the slightest provocatio...

2015 Porsche Cayman GTS review and test drive

The 2015 Porsche Caymen GTS is the now the best all-around sports car under one hundred thousand dollars, replacing the prior title holder, the Porsche Caymen S. Take everything the prior S model is, add horsepower and a more track and driver oriented, visceral demeanor while retaining streetability, and that is the GTS. Besides horsepower, it adds a new body kit, a sport exhaust system, 20” wheels and a lower ride height versus the S. Conveying the balanced perfection of a Cayman isn’t easy unless it’s driven. The latest generation gives it a more exotic, grown-up look. Inside, the familiar ideal seating position with excellent outward visibility. Every surface visually sculpted, everything that is touched has an engineered quality with logic of the controls. For performance driving or track days it has a lower ride height, among the lowest center of gravity among production cars, and an engine placed where it’s supposed to be, right behind you. The sport exhaust reminds the driver th...