FFIRIRSSTT D DRRIVIVEESS
2 1 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 25
Open-top version of the hardest-hitting Aventador unites thrill, drama and adrenaline
Price £387,988
Engine V12, 6498cc, petrol
Power 759bhp at 8500rpm
Torque 531lb ft at 6750rpm
Gearbox 7-spd automatic
Dry weight 1575kg
0-62mph 2.9sec
Top speed 218mph
Economy WLTP figures tbc
CO 2 , tax band 486g/km, 37%
RIVALS Aston Martin DBS
Superleggera Volante,
Ferrari 812 Superfast,
McLaren 720S Spider
LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR SVJ
ROADSTER
T
he SVJ Roadster is the ultimate
expression of what an Aventador
can be, not only from a coldly
technical perspective but
a l s o f r om a pl a c e of f l a mb oy a nc e
and high emotion. It makes for a
strange, 218mph conf lict of interests
- one that also costs more than
£400,000 after you’ve ticked the
boxes for contrast stitching and
s ome c a rb on f i br e t r i m on t he r o c k e r
cover and door mirrors. If you’ve not
already suspended reality, do so now.
As a technical exercise, the
roadster presents as a Can-Am
sports car-esque racer whose
aerodynamic sophistication extends
to electronic actuators in the front
splitter that channel air through
v or t e x ge ne r at or s on t he u nde rb o d y.
The same network of f laps found on
the coupé can vector downforce to
either side of the huge carbonfibre
r e a r w i n g t o c ou nt e r a c t b o d y r ol l
or s t a l l it c omple t e l y or m a x i m i s e
straight-line speed.
Pushrod dampers are sited in-board
and control double-wishbone
suspension that, via aluminium
subframes, is mounted to a
carbonfibre monocoque tub. At each
corner, there are carbon-ceramic
brake discs larger in diameter than
the steering wheel and the rear
w he e l s s w i v e l t o he lp pi v ot t he c a r or
stabilise it, depending on cornering
speed. In its engineering, the SVJ is
both old-world pure and cutting-edge
c omple x , i f y ou’r e pr e pa r e d t o g lo s s
over the thumping brutality of the
single-clutch, automated manual ’box.
And yet the emotional side is
arguably more important, becausehow many of the 800 SVJ Roadsters
that Lamborghini intends to build
w i l l e v e r s e e a r a c e t r a c k? Ve r y fe w,
I’d wager. And how many owners will
at some point remove the roof? All of
them. It consists of two 6kg Targa-
s t y le pa ne l s m a de of c a rb on f i br e.
They’re lifted out, although not
a l w ay s a s e a si l y a s y ou m i g ht e x p e c t ,
using quick-release levers behind the
headrest and can be clamped in place
in the front storage compartment,
w he r e t he y t a k e up a l mo s t a l l t he
available space. You can also wind
down the screen above the firewall to
let in valvetrain noise.
Every Aventador V12 since
Lamborghini’s flagship arrived
i n 2 011 i s s p e c i a l but , w it h it s ne w
titanium inlet valves, the unit in
the SVJ develops its peak 759bhp
higher than any before it and also
packs a broader spread of torque. On
paper, it’s a masterpiece. Despite a
new lightweight f lywheel, throttle
response isn’t quite so breathtakingly
immediate as that of its counterpart
in the Ferrari 812 Superfast, but
thereafter it pulls with a big-boned
richness that coalesces into a
meteorite of power, high-pitched
noise and general hysteria at the
870 0 r pm r e d l i ne. I n t he c oup é , it
sounds sensational. In the Roadster,
i t ’ s a n i n t r a v e n o u s h i t o f e x c i t e m e n t.On the open roads south of
Lamborghini’s factory, getting to that
point is worryingly easy. Thanks in
part to rear tyres 355mm wide, the
SVJ Roadster very rarely relinquishes
traction, even when exiting tight
second-gear corners. The steering is
also accurate enough to place a body
only fractionally narrower than that
of the new Routemaster bus between
the white lines with reasonable ease.
Perhaps most important when you’re
dealing with this level of thrust, the
nor m a l l y a s pi r at e d de l i v e r y i s a l mo s t
perfectly linear, so never at any
point do you feel as though you’ve
driven over a landmine. Despite the
roadster’s absurd dimensions, price
and level of performance, you’re
always in control.
Save for the sudden impacts
of potholes and the like, the SVJ
Roadster also cruises respectably
well in Strada mode, but you’ll need
Corsa – and well-sighted corners –
t o mov e b e y ond t h i s l a n g u id s t at e
and get anywhere near its dynamic
potential. Here, the Lamborghini lacks
the delicacy and adjustability of top-
e nd mo de l s f r om Mc L a r e n , Fe r r a r i
and Porsche but has balance and grip
enough for scything, bewildering
cross-country speed. Which is, in
the end, all you really need from anAventador, because the technological
prowess of its chassis is merely a
platform for the emotion of its 6.5-litre
V12, and never has that been truer
than for the SVJ shorn of its roof.
RICHARD LANE
LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR SVJ ROADSTER
No dynamic match for rivals from
McLaren and Ferrari, but superb,
intoxicating, raw mid-engined thrills
AAAAC
Drama is apparent even when the SVJ is parked but of a different intensity during an open-air performance of its V12
@ r l a n e
TESTED 2.8.19, BOLOGNA, ITALY ON SALE NOW
TESTER’S NOTE
We tested the SVJ
Roadster on the
Raticosa Pass,
south of Bologna,
which is still used
by Lamborghini’s
development drivers.
If you’re in the area,
the SP58, which
flows east at Chalet
Raticosa, is even
better. RL