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Lamborghini Aventador SVJ First Drive Review | Worth its weight in carbon fiber

Relentless. If we were to define Lamborghini in 2018, this is the word we'd choose. Led by the indefatigable head of research and development, Maurizio Reggiani, the engineering team at Sant'Agata Bolognese are constantly iterating current models — futzing, enhancing, testing. Give them a problem and they'll hammer away at it. The Aventador has been one of those problems. The V12 flagship was released in 2011 and shone far more for its sharp-edged Lambo-tastic design than its sharp handling. If we were looking for a word to describe that first iteration, we'd say ... wanting. Which brings us to the Autodromo do Estoril in Portugal on a sunny day in September. We're here to drive the new Aventador SVJ, first shown this year at Pebble Beach. It is the fourth major non-roadster model, following the SV and the S. Lamborghini promises that the SVJ is the ultimate Aventador. The fixed Aventador. Or mostly, says Reggiani. "I'm not that arrogant to say that everything is perfect. There's always something that could be better." He shrugs, then smiles. "But our goal is to synchronize all the improvements and create something unique, something special." The SVJ's naturally breathing V12 makes 759 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is 217 mph, and 62 mph arrives in 2.8 seconds. The price, without taxes or extra bits of carbon fiber or seats in novel shades of purple, starts at $517,770. Reggiani and friends have come to the conclusion that the obvious formula of shedding weight while adding power can only take you so far. (That's what they did with the SV and it's only middling.) Hence the SVJ gets every new trick that the company has engineered as of late, including aero vectoring, rear-wheel-steer and all-wheel-drive. And it's already netted results. The SVJ snatched the production-car 'Ring record from the Porsche 911 GT2 RS with a time of 6:44.97. The track surface at Estoril was resurfaced only weeks ago, and oils from the asphalt are weeping out onto the surface. This has caused great consternation among the Lamborghini camp, as grip is closer to driving on glass than nice stubbly tarmac. On my first set of laps, a pro driver suggests that I leave the car in sport mode, which sends more power to the rear wheels. "Easier to turn in," he suggests, as the front wheels are having trouble gaining traction on the slick surface.

Dubai police welcome Lamborghini Aventador cop car

There is a long history of law enforcement adding supercars to their police cruiser fleets. The latest comes from a likely place, Dubai, where one-upping the rest of the world in conspicuous consumption has become a national point of pride.
The Dubai police force announced yesterday that they've added a Lamborghini Aventador to their fleet, the Italian supercar capping a broader upgrade to their selection of cruisers that also reportedly includes new examples of the Chevy Camaro.
The 700-horsepower Aventador has a starting price in the US of nearly $400,000 and can reach speeds up to 217 miles per hour. Reports, however, say that the Dubai police force won't be using the car's 0-60 performance of 3.9 seconds to catch any crooks, but rather that the supercar will be used in tourist areas to impress foreign travelers.

Ex-Sultan of Brunei 1986 Lamborghini LM002 Wagon is headed to auction

The rare LM002 is widely credited as Lamborghini's first SUV, but it was closer to a four-door pickup than to a wagon on stilts. Some were turned into SUVs by third-party coachbuilders, and one of these will be auctioned off after spending time in the Sultan of Brunei's collection. Spotted by our colleagues at The Drive, the LM002 is listed on auction site SBX Cars, and it's fascinating on many levels. First, there's the rarity: Only a small handful of LM002s were turned into SUVs by third-party companies, and this example, which was built by an Italian coachbuilder named Diomante, is reportedly a one-of-one model. Then, there's the provenance: This truck was reportedly delivered new to the Sultan of Brunei by a Lamborghini dealership in Singapore. His collection is one of the largest in the world, yet very few have ever seen it. Cars that enter the collection rarely leave. This one has been out for at least a decade, however, and it was listed for sale in August 2009. Assigned vehicle identification number (VIN) ZA9L00000KLA12162, the 6,600-pound LM002 Wagon is painted in Argento Metallizzato with a black leather interior. It's left-hand-drive, its odometer displays 10,383 kilometers (about 6,500 miles), and it's powered by a 5.2-liter V12 shared with the Countach. It features air conditioning, a wood-rimmed steering wheel, and a sunroof, and it was fitted with a DVD player and a TV at some point in its life. The auction description notes that Argento Metallizzato isn't the original color; it was originally painted black. The sale includes service records, period details about the wagon conversion, and a new set of tires — it's still on its original tires. This LM002 is also listed on Lamborghini's registry of historic cars. It's located in Uppsala, which is about an hour north of Stockholm in Sweden. It's hard to predict how much this LM002 will sell for. The auction is "coming soon," according to SBX Cars.