Lamborghini’s ability to extract ever more from its Aventador hypercar is little short of miraculous. But as the automotive world’s centre of gravity tilts firmly this weekend towards the gilded Californian enclave of Pebble Beach, the new £350k SVJ – Super Veloce Jota – is a car designed to upstage all others. And possibly every car ever made.
You simply have to start with the way it looks, and here Lamborghini has abandoned all subtlety and gone hell for leather with all guns blazing. The company’s generally very calm and collected boss, former Ferrari F1 Team principal Stefano Domenicali, says that the SVJ draws on "every inspiration from a spaceship to a jet fighter… [these] are the most exceptional examples of super-fast, super-athletic, aerodynamic superiority". Yep, aerodynamic spaceships.
While no one would ever have accused the "regular" Aventador of hiding its light under a bushel, the SVJ is a flamboyant assault on the senses. The front end has been reworked to feature an all-new floating splitter and the car’s body is a furious mix of cooling ducts and expressive design. But it’s at the back where most of the changes have been wrought: there’s a new lightweight carbon fibre engine cover, which can be removed via quick release clips. The exhaust pipes now exit above the rear diffuser and move the system a little closer to the engine, to help reduce weight. A new rear wing also promotes ever greater downforce – 40 per cent more than the last most extreme Aventador, the SV, managed – with a greater proportion of it at the front. The J also employs tricks used in the smaller Huracan Performante, which uses active "ALA" aero. None of which, of course, will be any use at all in the run around Knightsbridge, but it’s helped definitely Lamborghini set a new record around the Nürburgring (a bewildering 6min 44.97 seconds). Reworked suspension for extra stiffness but a greater damping range will have helped there too.
The renewed aerodynamic focus is where the evolution really comes from, but let’s not forget that one of the Aventador’s primary USPs is its engine. How much longer a normally aspirated V12 can hang on in the modern world is anyone’s guess, but the SVJ increases the power output on Lamborghini’s masterpiece to 760bhp, a high-revving force of nature that helps propel the car to 62mph in 2.8 seconds and on to a 217mph top speed.
It’s defiantly unsubtle, this thing, but as Lamborghini continues to grow – and change – this is a thumping reminder that when it comes to crazy supercars, nobody does it better. Go for one of the limited edition SVJ 63 versions – guess how many they’re making – and bask eternally in your enormous good fortune.
For more information, visit lamborghini.com
