What It Is: The inevitable super-faster version of Lamborghini’s super-fastAventador,
the Aventador SV (which stands for “SuperVeloce,” or “super fast” in
Italian). Caught while prancing for a photo shoot in Europe, this
prototype’s radical bodywork and assorted wings and things caught our
photographer’s eye, and the prominent “SV” stickers on the car’s rocker
panels gave away its identity.
Why It Matters: Lamborghini’s
SuperVeloce treatment has graced the brand’s top-dog sports cars since
the days of the Miura (the Countach being the only glaring exception),
and the appearance of an Aventador SV means the lineage isn’t being cut
any time soon. Besides pushing the $400,000-plus Aventador into the
blank space that exists between its price point and million-dollar rides
like the Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari, the SV also gives Lamborghini a more powerful fighting bull to toss in the ring with Ferrari’s exquisite F12berlinetta and the upcoming McLaren 675LT.
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Platform: While this Aventador SV walks and likely talks like a regular Aventador, it surely weighs less and screams louder. When Lamborghini introduced the Murciélago LP670-4 SV for
2010, the car dropped 220 pounds while adding about five percent more
horsepower. Expect a similar program for the Aventador SV, combined with
some chassis modifications to accommodate the extra power and raise the
handling limits a touch.
The aerodynamics certainly have received attention, as the SV pictured
here brandishes a new front splitter, widened body-side air intakes,
scoops above scoops and inside scoops, and new air extractors where the
workaday Aventador has none. The rear fascia has basically shed all
semblances of bumper to become one huge grille, with deep rear diffuser
vanes flanking quad exhaust pipes below. Finally, a full-width rear wing
caps the rear end. Most of the mods look to be rendered in carbon
fiber, and we’re pretty stoked about those lacy, center-lock wheels with
red bolts. While we can’t see the interior, it’ll be awash in faux
suede and exposed carbon fiber. And don’t expect too many creature
comforts, since this car is built to be hard-core, not pampering.
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Powertrain: One
thing is certain about the V-12 that certainly resides under the
Aventador SV’s louvered engine cover: It will make more than the base
Aventador’s 691 horsepower and 508 lb-ft of torque. If Lamborghini
wanted to truly deliver some crazy, it would install the 710-hp V-12
used in the 50th Anniversary Aventador,
but either way, the SV is going to be fast—super fast. Plan on a
zero-to-60-mph time in the high-two-second range and a top speed in
excess of the Anniversary model’s 217 mph. Lamborghini won’t say it, but
restoring accelerative hierarchy to the Aventador and the entry-level Huracán (which outperformed its big brother in our testing) is a priority here.
Estimated Arrival and Price: Watch
for the Aventador SV to be unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March
before going on sale later in the year as a 2016 model. Prices are
unknown, of course, but anything that Lamborghini calls “super fast” is
always super expensive. Don’t be surprised if the SV’s price eclipses
that of the $500,000 50th Anniversary Aventador by at least $100K.