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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.

Lamborghini Huracan STO SC 10 Anniversario won't race, but should

Lamborghini's one-make Super Trofeo racing series waved its first green flag in 2009. Installing the season-ending World Finals as a cap to the series didn't start until 2013, the same year the Italian automaker created its Squadra Corse motorsports division, making this year the 10th anniversary of both. In honor of that, and perhaps to the benefit of a client or clients, Lamborghini's Ad Personam custom division created the Huracan STO SC 10 Anniversario, a roadgoing Huracan with a special livery and aero package tweaked by the Squadra Corse racing division. And since the Huracan is also headed into retirement after 10 years on sale, this racing-themed special model repeats history: Lamborghini sold a run of 50 Gallardo LP-570 Squadra Corse coupes for the 2014 model year on the eve of that model concluding its 10-year production run.     The Verde Mantis and Nero Noctis livery shouts out to the SC63 hybrid endurance racer that will compete in the IMSA's Le Mans Daytona Hybrid class starting next year. The Huracan's flourished in the lower classes, having won the GTD class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona three years in a row. Unique touches include the Tricolore band running down the center, "Squadra Corse 10° Anniversario" logos on the sides and rear fin, plus Rosso Mars accents along the carbon fiber package pieces. Inside, a Nero Ade seats are contrasted by Verde Fauns stitching, four-point seat belts, a roll bar, and a carbon fiber floor.  The company says this is the first time the Squadra Corse division has fiddled with a road car. The performance and aero changes count four-way adjustable racing-derived dampers replacing the adaptive shocks, specially developed Bridgestone tires, an Akrapovic titanium exhaust, new carbon fiber flics at the leading edges of the front cover vents, and a rear wing canted an additional three degrees for more rear downforce. The Gallardo Squadra Corse coupes got more downforce from a special rear wing, too, but the racing arm wasn't in charge of that back then. Chief technical officer Rouven Mohr described this as "a concrete demonstration of how experience gained in motorsport can be effectively transferred to the road product, enhancing performance and driving pleasure.

The Huracan Performante will be the fastest Lamborghini yet

We expected the track-special Huracan you see above to be called Superleggera, as it's the lighter and more hard-core version of the little Lambo, but reports now confirm the name will be Performante. That's not the cool part. Thanks to a bunch of changes, including a new active aero system called ALA, this has the potential to be the fastest Lamborghini yet. That means faster than the Aventador SV, and quite possibly faster than the Porsche 918 Spyder. That measure of speed and world domination relates to the car's Nurburgring time, which hasn't been announced yet. We'll see the camouflage-free Performante first at the Geneva show in March, where it's likely the 'Ring time will be announced. What we know about it so far is very interesting, though. Motor Trend has driven a Performante prototype and provides a lot of details. Perhaps the coolest part, and the biggest facilitator for the extra speed, is the new active aero system called Aerodynamica Lamborghini Attiva. From MT's description, it sounds like it can "vector" airflow, opening and closing a flap on either side of the rear wing depending on which direction the car is turning. It also does away with heavy hydraulic rams in favor of electric motors to accomplish the active part. The car also gets a more powerful 5.2-liter V10 (around 30 more horsepower for a total of about 630), a weight reduction of about 90 pounds, upgrades suspension, stickier tires, and a retune of all electronic systems like those governing the transmission, ABS, traction control, and stability control. We'll bring you the full details on this monster Lamborghini track machine from Geneva in March. In the meantime, prepare yourself for a little Lambo that's quicker than its big brother – and pretty much every other production car out there. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Lamborghini Huracan Superleggera Spy Shots View 12 Photos News Source: Motor Trend Lamborghini Technology Coupe Performance Supercars confirmed lamborghini huracan superleggera