“Roma Capitale e Lamborghini” is where the innovative Aventador LP700-4 was launched. I can admit that what I saw and drove in Italy wasn’t just a car but a raging bull full of impending energy dying to be thrown out. That impending energy was thrown out at the finest track in Rome, “Autodromo di Vallelunga”.
Nothing is better than starting your month in an unusual way: racing at high speed. May 1st was spent on this pretty skillful and technical track. Since I missed the chance to drive the Murcielago in 2008, I have been rearing to have a go at Lamborghini’s V12. The Aventador is just that, Lamborghini’s finest hour.
Our day began in earnest with a visit to the Pit Garages to get the lowdown on the Aventador’s inner workings and mechanics. The Aventador represents Santa Agatha’s finest and the carbon monocoque is a testament to that. So are the pushrod suspension elements, design, packaging and technology straight from the racetrack into your garage. Then came the driving. We were to be led through the highly technical Vallenlunga circuit by a bunch of Lamborghini instructors driving Superleggera. I jumped in the car and my first impression was nothing short of amazed. I thought to myself, “Audi must have passed by inside” but was later informed that Audi had let out the leash on Santa Agata’s boys; this baby was all theirs’ for the credit both inside and out.
Nothing is better than starting your month in an unusual way: racing at high speed. May 1st was spent on this pretty skillful and technical track. Since I missed the chance to drive the Murcielago in 2008, I have been rearing to have a go at Lamborghini’s V12. The Aventador is just that, Lamborghini’s finest hour.
Our day began in earnest with a visit to the Pit Garages to get the lowdown on the Aventador’s inner workings and mechanics. The Aventador represents Santa Agatha’s finest and the carbon monocoque is a testament to that. So are the pushrod suspension elements, design, packaging and technology straight from the racetrack into your garage. Then came the driving. We were to be led through the highly technical Vallenlunga circuit by a bunch of Lamborghini instructors driving Superleggera. I jumped in the car and my first impression was nothing short of amazed. I thought to myself, “Audi must have passed by inside” but was later informed that Audi had let out the leash on Santa Agata’s boys; this baby was all theirs’ for the credit both inside and out.
My first three laps were enjoyable, but not as much as I had hoped. The low slung seating position, the width of the car and the power delivery need some time to get used to around such a technical circuit. Although the weight was reduced in comparison to the old Murcielago (I am told), the heft could be felt and my first go was what I imagine taming a bull would be like. But the Aventador is a bull of the different kind.
As soon as I got out of the pits from my second stint, I was more prepared for the assault the newly designed short bore 6.5 liter V12 engine was putting on me. The ISR single clutch transmission was nothing short of brutal in its 50 millisecond changes while in Corsa mode. The Aventador does truly try to intimidate you into slowing down, but nonetheless, here I was. The track, the car and the whole experience was mine for the taking. The right foot had to let go of reason and trust those P-Zero track specific Pirellis. That lead Superleggera started to get awfully close as I got into the groove, almost to the point where I wished it’d just stayed out of my way.
The Aventador’s trick pushrod suspension, immaculate packaging and ultra low center of gravity come together to give you a heightened sense of security and confidence. Where the Murcielago, I hear, plotted to kill you, the Avetador, thanks to its haldex 4th gen all wheel drive system and ESP, scheme to make you look like a hero. We were asked, begged, to leave the traction control button alone, and we agreed, but even in Corsa mode, the bull lets you play with a little rear slip that is well in tune with the Aventador’s overall daily mission. When it comes to stopping, the brakes were nothing short of stupendous, helping keep our Aventador’s reventonian nose off that Superleggera’s rear on a couple of occasions where the instructors were thinking, “That’s enough fun…”
In terms of looks, there is an absolutely mysterious sensation in the Aventador because it looks so much bolder than the Murcielago ever did (excluding the Super Veloce). When I first laid my eyes on the car words couldn’t describe its skeleton’s design line. The rear looks like an F22 Raptor with its tail lamps and the creeks to keep that mid-engine car an absolute raging bull. The single tail pipe exhaust is somewhat similar to the fighter Jet’s thrust vectoring exhausts. I couldn’t leave the track at all as I was addicted to the car and the track. I believe that supercars were made to be driven off the hook!
Verdict
“We skipped two generations with the Lamborghini Aventador.” This is what Lamborghini Automobili S.p.A CEO, Stephan Winkelmann said. The car is futuristic. It is the only car that has full carbon-fiber body. The Aventador, Rome’s emblem, will finally be the apex of the supercars in that new era. The car’s exceptional driving prowess is as well as its timeframe introduction. Nothing is more drivable than a bull. At least a ragging one is better than any baby lamb!
1 comment:
Perfectly made!
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