We Took Lamborghini’s Ferocious New Supercar Out for a Spin
A few warnings before climbing into the most extreme Lamborghini: there’s no navigation; no stereo or radio, either, so don’t bother looking. This particular Aventador SV does have air-conditioning, but it’s an optional extra. Be careful of the gearbox too: if you’re sitting at a red light, maybe put it in neutral so as not to overheat anything.
Also, right now it’s out of gas. The massive 6.5-litre, 750 horsepower, 12-cylinder masterpiece of an engine uses roughly the same amount of gas as the oil sands.
It’s Concours weekend in Pebble Beach, California — the part of the Monterey peninsula that’s one big luxury enclave of golf resorts and seaside mansions. Clint Eastwood lives just up the hill. Jay Leno is in town doing his car show. Something like $400 million dollars will change hands during the vintage car auctions this week. This is the only place where a bright red Lambo with a rear wing the size of a surfboard count as status quo.
Only here would you be driving along in your SV and pass another one, the owner flashing the highbeams, acknowledging our mutual privilege and good taste, a dignified way of saying “Twins!”
There are only 600 Lamborghini Aventador SVs in the world and they’re almost all sold. But rest easy, if you want one, you can still put down a deposit for the just-announced SV Roadster — same car, less roof.
Why SV? It stands for Super Veloce, which as you can guess, is Italian for Super Fast. Not the most creative title for Lamborghini’s flagship supercars, but it is accurate. Plus, it does have some history behind it.