Price: N/A Engine: 6,5-litre, 12-cyl, petrol Transmission: 7-speed automatic Power: 574 kW @ 8 500 r/min Torque: 720 N.m @ 6 750 r/min 0-100 km/h: 2,8 seconds Top speed: 355 km/h Rivals: Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, Bentley Continental GT Speed, McLaren 720S, Ferrari 296 GTB
More than an hour of M negotiating the busy urban roads of Italy's industrial heartland left me with a nagging fear our drive in what will be the last Aventador Lamborghini builds would be fruitless. Rain was sheeting down and as I peered at the sky, it didn't look like it was about to change anytime soon. Photographer Wolfango, ahead in a Urus, its retina-straining hue usefully visible in the conditions, had promised he knew a road. The Aventador Ultimae I followed in looked like a paragon of restraint in comparison. Finished in matte Grigio Acheso and Grigio Teca with Rosso Mimir accents, it was not only relatively stealthy, but underlined the fact that even something as mundane as two-tone grey with red sounds incredible in Italian.
That is the launch scheme for this, the Ultimae coupé, or, correctly, the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Coupé. It is one of 350 Lamborghini will build, along with 250 Roadsters. These will be the last hurrah for Lamborghini's V12 flagship model before it finally bows out. It has been a long time coming, but when Lamborghini launched the Aventador back in 2011, it claimed it had jumped a couple of generations, so the extended production run is forgivable. Its specification remains hugely compelling, too; the stiff carbon-fibre monocoque forms the foundation from which aluminium frames are hung, with fully independent suspension and a big, naturally aspirated 6,5-litre V12 situated longitudinale posteriore - longitudinally, at the rear. That's the "LP" of the name; the "780" relates to the horsepower and the "4" denotes four-wheel drive.
This story is from the October 2022 edition of CAR South Africa.
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This story is from the October 2022 edition of CAR South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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