5 extraordinary things about Lambo’s final V12 Aventador
Limited-edition coupe and roadster end an era in style.
1 They’ve found even more power from the V12
The last-ever V12 Aventador from Lamborghini is the LP 780-4 Ultimae. Lambo will build 350 coupes and 250 roadsters, and then that’s your lot for the 60º naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12. The Ultimae is intended to take the best of the high-performance SVJ and the marginally more refined S, and blend them in a distinctive new look, priced between the two (which will make it somewhere in the high £300k region). Its peak output is 770bhp, up 40bhp on the S and 10bhp over SVJ, achieved by optimased valve timing and breathing.
2 It comes with all the technology. All of it
The engine may be 10 years old, but the Ultimae is crammed with trick tech, most of it aimed at performance. That includes all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, carbon-ceramic brakes and Lambo’s active rear wing, which moves itself into three positions depending on speed and drive mode.
3 Somehow it weighs just 1550kg
Extensive employment of carbonfibre contributes to this remarkable dry weight, which undercuts the S by 25kg, giving it the same power-to-weight ratio as the track-leaning SVJ. That gets the coupe to 62mph in an SVJ-matching 2.8sec. (The roadster is 50kg heavier, because of the bracing needed to compensate for the lack of roof, explaining
4 Two-tone grey suits it well, oddly
Sant’Agata has been home to some outrageous greens, yellows, purples, golds and oranges over the decades, but the Ultimae somehow manages to look pretty spiffing in grey-on-grey for the coupe – a neat match for the carbonfibre inside and out – and sensible blue for the roadster. Both have neat contrast detailing around the splitter. But don’t worry, there are 17 other colours available. Or if you venture into the personalisation scheme, 300-odd.
5 This really, honestly, is the end of the line
Well, they say it is. Lamborghini loves a special edition, but there doesn’t seem to be much wiggle room given what chief exec Stephan Winkelmann says: ‘It is the last of its kind: it delivers the maximum power and conclusive performance expected from Lamborghini’s current V12 engine. The Aventador LP 780-4 is the most beautiful expression of timeless design and technical solutions in a final edition: Ultimae.’
Definitely no more special editions back here. Nah-ah V12 roadster and coupe will be hard acts to follow.