Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—The year 1963 was a memorable date for Lamborghini fans in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, as it was when Ferrucio Lamborghini swore to build the best, fastest and most luxurious sports car after being rudely shooed away from the gates of Ferrari’s factory by Enzo Ferrari.

Fast forward 48 years, and Lamborghini, after being placed under Audi ownership, has finally built its best model yet, the Lamborghini Aventador. An all-new design from the ground-up, Lamborghini pioneered and patented several building and manufacturing techniques to ensure the highest quality standards, chief among them was utilizing space-age carbon fiber as the single element for the entire safety cell, being a full monocoque design weighing no greater than 147.5 kg, autoclaved completely in-house in Lamborghini’s factory. Lamborghini claims that its rivals have indeed used carbon fiber, but only utilizing tubs, or on special models whose carbon fiber manufacturing was outsourced as compared to Lamborghini’s in-house manufacturing of a full monocoque in a serial production car. The Aventador has already sold over 1,500 units since its introduction a few months back with an 18-month waiting time, the highest ever selling flagship model in the company’s storied history.

AT FIRST glance, the Aventador looks something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

On seeing it first, covered in white, the Aventador looks something straight out of a sci-fi movie with its stealth-fighter inspired looks, the angular cuts, creases, as well as ducts and vents feeding cool air into the heat exchangers and the mighty V12 engine, or letting hot gasses out at speed. A retractable rear spoiler pops up at speed and under heavy braking to stabilize the rear-end, and side vents beside the engine cover open up to allow more air at medium speeds to cool the engine bay, only to fully retract at higher speeds to keep the Aventador as slippery as possible as it cuts through the air. Huge 19-inch front and 20-inch rear forged aluminum wheels are wrapped with 255/35R19 and 335/30R20 Pirelli P-Zero tires.

A RETRACTABLE rear spoiler pops up at speed.

The Aventador weighs a scathing 1,575 kg, lighter than the previous flagship Murcielago supercar and a lightweight in its class, with all the creature comforts and safety gear one would expect in a modern supercar: climate control, multiple airbags, leather-covered interior with reclining power bucket seats and an excellent audio system. The powerplant is an all-new short-stroke 60-degree V12 displacing 6.5 liters and outputting an astounding 700PS and 690 Newton-meters of torque, propelling the Haldex-AWD-equipped Lamborghini to accelerate from naught to the 100 km mark in 2.9 seconds. Acceleration is manic all the way to about 270-280 kph: it just doesn’t let up on your aural senses. Left in Stradale mode, a full-automatic mode is available. And yet the engine delivers a useful 10 percent increase in power from the LP640 Murcielago, while delivering a whopping 20 percent decrease in emissions, with 398 grams of carbon dioxide per km. All told, the thirsty V12 sups fuel at 13.2 liters/100 kms (7.58kpL) in normal driving conditions on both city and highway use. Dropping the hammer delivers closer to about 25-30 liters/100 kms (3.33-5kpL) out on track.

Paddle shifters on either side of the flat-bottomed steering wheel actuate the new Independent Shift Rod or ISR 7-speed transmission all the way to a terminal speed of 350 kph with a shift time of only 50 milliseconds, as fast as the blink of an eye. Christiano Matra, general manager of Lamborghini Asia-Pacific, says that the ISR provides a more emotional, more connected feel compared to the current crop of twin-clutch transmissions out on the market.

The Lamborghini Aventador offers three driving modes: Stradale for street use, Sport for fun driving and Corsa for maximum track performance. Suspension firmness, shift-speeds for the ISR transmission, steering weight, throttle sensitivity and the exhaust noise get more aggressive, more sensitive and more exciting. Electronic safety aid intervention is most aggressive in Stradale and can be fully turned off in Corsa mode.

LEATHER-COVERED interior with reclining power bucket seats and an excellent audio system

Aside from the carbon-fiber structure, the majority of external body panels are clothed in carbon fiber, and the brakes are a massive 400 mm front rotors with 6-piston calipers and 380 mm rear rotors with 4-piston calipers, with the rotors also made from carbon-fiber and ceramic composite, straight out of race car technology. In-board push-road actuated dampers, another cue from race car, particularly formula car design is utilized to decrease unsprung weight, increase lateral grip and acceleration and improve packaging, servicing and ease of access to major components.

Louvered transparent Lexan polycarbonate panels cover the engine bay but allow heat to vent out of the openings, as well as advertising one of the biggest engines currently in production.

Only a handful will be reaching our country, but expect them to sell fast. Lamborghini has successfully married Italian flair with a good dose of German engineering and efficiency to create a truly modern world-class supercar that is fast, easy to use and yet exciting at all times, even when standing still.