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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.

2025 Lamborghini Urus SE gets 788-horsepower PHEV system

Lamborghini is diving deeper into the electrification pool by releasing a plug-in hybrid variant of the Urus called SE. Unveiled at the 2024 Beijing auto show, the battery-electric SUV gets nearly 800 horsepower as well as a series of visual and technology updates inside and out. The Urus SE isn't the first plug-in hybrid member of the Lamborghini range; the 1,001-horsepower Revuelto claimed that spot. However, its importance shouldn't be understated: The Urus is the best-selling Lamborghini by a significant margin. The same approach to design that shaped the Revuelto permeated the Urus, and the Italian brand stresses that electrification is a way to offer enthusiasts more performance. Don't worry, there's still a V8 at the core of the system. It's a re-engineered version of the familiar, 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged eight that has powered the Urus since its inception, and it develops 611 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque on its own. It works jointly with an electric motor that's integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission and linked to a 25.9-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack stuffed under the trunk floor. The drivertrain's total output checks in at 788 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 699 pound-feet of torque from 1,750 to 5,750 rpm. Lamborghini quotes a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.4 seconds, a 194-mph top speed, and up to 37 miles of electric-only range. Electrification adds weight, and Lamborghini hasn't revealed how much the Urus SE weighs, but it points out that the model offers a better power-to-weight ratio than the existing Urus S. That's in spite of a new electric torque vectoring system that splits the drivetrain's output between the front and rear axles as needed and a limited-slip rear differential that provides what the brand calls "on-demand oversteering." Several visual changes set the SE apart from other members of the Urus range. Starting at the front, Lamborghini fitted smoother-looking headlights with matrix LED technology, a redesigned grille, and a new hood. Out back, the rear lights are now connected by a mesh-like piece of trim that echoes the Gallardo, according to company design boss Mitja Borkert. Too soon? Not quite; time flies, and the V10-powered Gallardo (which spearheaded Lamborghini's modern range of entry-level supercars) has already celebrated its 20th birthday. While these changes may sound small, they add up.

Lamborghini donates Huracan to Italian police

Lamborghini made a big entrance with the Huracán LP 610-4, and now the Italian State Police can, too. The Sant'Agata automaker donated one to Giovanni Law to the replace the Gallardo the authorities have had in service for six years.
It will be used to "sustain security on Italian roads" and is loaded with a Q-Branch worth of features that you won't even find on any Ad Personam options list: a "Proof Video Data System" to track the Lamborghini and the suspects being chased, number plate recognition and tracking and real-time transmission of images to HQ, four sirens, an aerodynamic light bar, a refrigerated trunk for organ storage, a defibrillator and - naturally - a hand-held stop sign.
The Huracán LP 610-4 Polizia should go into service by year's end. There's a press release below so you'll know who to look out for if you turn scofflaw inside the nation-state line.