In Italy, the people are as proud of their sports-car tradition as they are to be home to the Pope. No wonder, then, that Lamborghini chose Rome, the Holy City, as the site of the first drives of its new Aventador LP700-4.
Safeguarded by a red cover, the starter button awaits. With a satanic rumble, the 6.5-liter V-12 behind us erupts, seemingly with the first crank of the starter. In all it does, the Aventador’s new V-12 is a remarkably responsive engine—with just the slightest tap of the throttle, revs rise and fall with F1 quickness.You’ll want to take a moment—and a few deep breaths—before flooring the throttle. The driver hardly has time to gasp before the Aventador hits 60 mph, which we estimate will take only 2.8 seconds. The 100-mph mark should pass in around 6.5 seconds and the quarter-mile will take less than 11. The rate of acceleration hardly seems to slow below 200 mph, and thanks to the hyperquick gear changes, there is zero perceptible lull during upshifts. The Aventador is equipped with a high-end audio system, but we prefer to listen to the conversation between our right foot and the engine. The V-12 makes a powerful low-frequency roar at lower engine speeds, which becomes a thunderstorm over 3500 rpm. Stay on the throttle and, beyond 5000 rpm, the Lambo V-12 sounds like the apocalypse.
It’s a razor-sharp jet-fighter on wheels, but more important, the Lamborghini Aventador is one of very few truly raunchy automobiles. With its aggressive engine note and aerospace styling, it is completely different from the more sophisticated—and equally new—Ferrari FF. Lamborghini will build 500 units a year, and 750 have already been sold worldwide. In the U.S., it’ll take at least $381,700 to put an Aventador in your stable. That’s a small price to pay, though, for a genuine piece of Italian national identity.
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