Since its foundation back in 1963,
Lamborghini has been responsible for a stunning range of automobiles.
We’ve already showcased many of the carmaker’s
luxurious lineup in the Evolution of Lamborghini,
but there’s one model in particular
that deserves a much closer look!
Having just celebrated its 10th birthday,
with over 10 distinct variations,
9 special editions and
many other cars taking inspiration from this beautiful beast,
the sports car we’re focusing on this time is of course,
the Lamborghini Aventador!
This is the Evolution of the Lamborghini Aventador!
A successor to the much-admired Murciélago,
the first Aventador, the LP700-4, was revealed to the public in 2011.
The new flagship model was to become a roaring success,
as it gained many instant fans and
continued the company’s tradition of naming its cars after famous fighting bulls.
The Aventador took its name from a Spanish bull famous in Zaragoza, Spain in the early 90’s,
in case you were interested!
With its sleek shape inspired by the 2007 Lamborghini Reventon,
as well as by the Estoque concept car from the following year,
the Aventador features a mighty powerful 6.5 liter V12 engine.
The car wowed crowds at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show
and has been impressing both owners and onlookers ever since.
While there have been many alterations, variations and improvements over the years,
the initial Aventador, the LP700-4, was itself a gamechanger.
Capable of going 0 to 60 in just 2.8 seconds
and topping 217 miles per hour,
it was the fastest Lamborghini at that point in time and could be bought for less than $400,000.
In its first 5 years of production, up until March 2016,
Lamborghini built 5,000 of its flagship Aventadors,
which may not sound like much compared to other manufacturers but is actually pretty impressive
when you consider that each car is hand-crafted in a small commune in Italy!
Plans for a Roadster version of the LP700-4
were announced towards the end of 2012.
Using the same 6.5 liter V12 engine,
the Roadster was capable of an identical top speed of 217 mph
and could accelerate from 0 to 60 as quickly as the original coupe model.
Tweaks and reinforcements were made to the Roadster’s body
to strengthen the car and allow for a removable carbon fiber roof.
A specialized engine cover and a detachable wind deflector also boosted airflow at high speeds.
As an additional feast for the eyes, the car’s roof panels, A-pillars,
windshield header and rear window area were finished in a pleasant glossy black.
Fun Fact
The Aventador LP700-4 exceeded the Murciélago in more ways than one.
For instance, Batman himself upgraded to the later model,
swapping out the Murciélago he drove in the movie ‘The Dark Knight’
for an Aventador LP700-4 in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.
Building on the success of its first model, Lamborghini doubled down on the Aventador in 2015
and came out with the Aventador SV.
Debuting once again at the Geneva Motor Show,
the SV stood for Super Veloce,
or ‘super speed’ when translated to English.
The engineers managed to optimize the car’s performance while using the same engine as before,
achieving a top speed of 217 mph once more but achieving a blistering 0 to 60 of just 2.4 seconds,
which made it the quickest Lamborghini.
This was primarily done using an upgraded powertrain,
reducing the car’s weight through carbon fiber and improving the vehicle’s aerodynamics.
"Analysis: Apex perfected, drift controlled, max output reached.
Another hundredth of a second shed."
Compared to its predecessor, the SV’s downforce was increased by 180%.
The Aventador SV came at a starting price of around half a million dollars!
Some reviewers, such as Car Magazine UK, have hailed
the half-million dollar Aventador SV as the greatest of all time in Lambo’s lineup...
and it’s not difficult to see why!
A year-long production of the SV Roadster began in 2016, limited to 500 units.
As with the original Aventador,
the Roadster version of the SV featured an attachable, two-piece carbon fiber roof
that could be stored in the trunk.
The car’s weight was reduced to a total of 1,575 kg, 50 kg lighter than the previous Roadster.
The next model to carry the torch was the Aventador S.
It was exhibited at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show,
though it was initially revealed a year earlier at Lamborghini’s factory.
Making use of the familiar but feisty 6.5 liter V12 engine,
the S model achieved a slightly higher top speed then earlier Aventadors.
It also boasted multiple changes to its mechanics and exterior.
These alterations included four wheel steering,
permanent four-wheel-drive and improved suspension
in which drivers could control and choose between Sport, Street, Track & Individual modes.
Carbon ceramic brakes came as standard.
In comparison to previous models,
the S’s nose had a larger front splitter and two new air ducts added to the front bumper.
A rear diffuser with fins and three single exit exhaust tips
resulted in 130 per cent more front downforce than the original Aventador!
The customary Roadster version of the S model appeared in 2017.
Aside from new, optional wheels, there were few differences over the coupe model.
Due to reinforcement of its chassis, the Roadster was 50 kg heavier than the coupe
and therefore its acceleration was slower,
going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds, as opposed to 2.9.
That’s still pretty damn quick though!
In 2018, designers and engineers at Lamborghini turned their attention to track-based performance.
They named their new model the Aventador SVJ, the added ‘J’ standing for ‘Jota’
and thereby honoring the name given to an extreme performance version
of the Lamborghini Miura back in 1970.
This super-speedy track car featured a bolstered version of the 6.5 liter V12,
generating a max output of 770 horsepower.
The car’s weight was reduced using carbon fiber and titanium.
It could attain a top speed of 218 mph and go from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds.
Fun Fact
In its year of release, a prototype of the SVJ
set a production car lap record at the famous Nürburgring in Germany,
clocking a lap time of 6 minutes and 44.97 seconds.
That lap is still third on the all-time list of ‘Production and street-legal’ car lap records!
The SVJ Roadster utilized the same powertrain as the coupe version
and therefore achieved similar performance figures.
The removable carbon fiber hard top returned,
and ultra-light carbon fiber bodywork helped to keep things light.
Other changes included larger air intakes and more extended side skirts.
In total the SVJ Roadster will be limited to 800 examples.
Special ‘63’ versions of the SVJ and SVJ Roadster were later produced in a limited edition of only 63 units each,
the number representing Lamborghini's founding in 1963.
According to Lamborghini, they feature “an even more dynamic and exclusive appearance,”
with the number 63 emblazoned on the car’s doors and hood.
The small number of units available for purchase makes them some of the most exclusive Aventadors ever produced!
A ‘Xago Edition’ of the SVJ Roadster was also revealed in July 2020.
Only 10 of them were made, which makes them one of the rarest sport cars in the world!
They were created solely for clients of Ad Personam studio,
which is a design studio that customizes Lamborghinis with an exclusivity reserved for an elite few.
The Design of the Xago Edition was inspired by the hexagonal storms of Saturn.
The impressive exteriors reportedly took 120 hours to complete and another 80 hours were spent matching the interiors!
From some of the most exclusive Aventadors to some of the most powerful;
the Aventador Ultimae made its first appearance in 2021.
With all the standard features of its predecessors,
the Ultimae’s V12 produces a max output of 780 horsepower.
As a result, the Aventador’s top speed is boosted to an eye-watering 221 miles per hour,
with a 0 to 60 acceleration of 2.8 seconds.
The car’s design embraces the sporting essence present in most Lamborghinis
and is advertised by the company as “a classic transformed into an icon.”
Only 350 of the coupes will be made.
And, as you would expect, a Roadster version of the Ultimae is now in production too.
The Roadster’s attachable hardtop, made using an innovative high-pressure RTM molding technology,
ensures strength and comfort,
highlighting the lifestyle and spirit of this limited series.
If you want one you’ll need to snap one up quickly though, only 250 of these are going to be made.
Oh, and you’ll need half a million dollars as well!
Just like the special ‘63’ models featured earlier,
several standalone Aventador specials and concept cars have been created
during the past decade.
They are...
The Aventador J.
Do you remember what the J stood for in SVJ?
Well it’s the same here...
Jota!
As with the original Miura Jota, the one-off sports car from the 70’s,
the Aventador J was a one-off concept car.
The car had the same 700 horsepower, V12 engine as the original Aventador
but it staggered audiences at the 2012 Geneva Motor show
with its roofless, windowless design and sharp features.
One person loved it enough to pay $2.8 million for it!
That’s without air conditioning or a radio as these were removed to save weight!
The same year, a unique Aventador appeared in the 2012 Aerospace & Defense Supplier Summit.
Named the ‘Dreamliner Edition’,
this model was an original Aventador with a blue and white body color scheme
and pitch black wheels,
resembling Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner airplane.
For Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary in 2013, special ‘Anniversario’ models were unveiled.
With increased 720 horsepower V12s, these gorgeous models featured exclusive paintwork
that incorporated a layer of transparent and highly reflective particles to really make them shine!
Also on Lamborghini’s 50th birthday, a special red and white Aventador could be seen at Bologna Airport in Italy,
guiding aircraft around the runways with ‘FOLLOW ME’ written on its bonnet.
It’s known as the ‘Aventador Airport Vehicle’ and was in service for 2 weeks at Bologna
before being lent to Heathrow Airport in London for a single day.
Yet another 50th was being celebrated a year later in 2014, with the release of a special Pirelli Edition Aventador.
The design, which mirrored that of Pirelli,
commemorated 50 years of partnership between Lamborghini and the Italian tire-making company.
Then in 2016, 50 years after the creation of Lambo’s first supercar, the Lamborghini Miura,
the suitably named Aventador Miura Homage was made to mark the occasion.
In fact, 50 of them were made featuring a two-tone paint job.
Lucky buyers could choose between primary paints titled Rosso Arancio Miura,
Verde Scandal, and Blu Tahiti,
while either gold or silver was offered as the secondary color.
Fun Fact
The Aventador is by far the top-selling V12 model in Lamborghini’s history.
Sales of the Aventador crossed the 10,000 mark in September 2020,
while total sales of all previous V12 models equaled just over 7,000.
Famous owners of Aventadors include Kanye West,
Justin Bieber,
Cristiano Ronaldo
and Floyd Mayweather.
Oh and Nicki Minaj also owns a bright pink Lamborghini Aventador Roadster!
Well...there’s no accounting for taste
Due to the popularity of the Aventador, and it being one of Lamborghini’s flagship models,
many other cars have taken their inspiration from its design and specifications.
The Lamborghini Veneno,
Centenario,
SC18 Alston,
Sian FKP 37,
SC20 and the Countach LPI 800-4
are all believed to have been based on the Aventador, or at least heavily influenced by it.
And it’s not just other cars in the Lamborghini lineup that take their inspiration from the Aventador.
Other car companies have used the standout model as an influence too.
Check out the Nimrod Aventi Rosso,
Hamann Lamborghini Aventador,
Lamborghini Aventador by Mansory
and the Onyx Aventador SX.
So, even if you’re not fortunate enough to actually own an Aventador,
it’s likely you’ll see this iconic car or elements of it somewhere for a long time to come.
And that’s not bad at all!
If you want to see the entire evolution of Lamborghini then
click the playlist on the right!
Subtitles Done by Emir Kahvecioglu