Lamborghini has presented the new Aventador SVJ
Roadster at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, with only 800 units being planned
for production. That makes it a more exclusive model compared to its coupe
sibling, which will have 900 examples.
The ingredients used in the Roadster are pretty much
the same as the hardtop Aventador SVJ. A 6.5 litre naturally-aspirated V12
engine makes 770 PS at 8,500 rpm and 720 Nm of torque at 6,750 rpm,
which is paired with a seven-speed Independent Shifting Road (ISR) gearbox and
a fourth-generation Haldex four-wheel drive system.
In terms of performance, the Roadster does lose out
to the coupe, but only by negligible margins. For instance, the zero to 100
km/h and 200 km/h times are 2.9 and 8.8 seconds respectively for the
convertible, which is more compared to the coupe’s corresponding 2.8 and 8.6
seconds. Both models will still do an excess of 350 km/h.
Part of the reason for this difference in sprint
times is due to the Roadster’s dry weight of 1,575 kg, which is 50 kg more than
the coupe. This added heft does take a toll on the braking distance needed to
stop from 100 km/h to a rest, which is a full metre more than the coupe’s 30
metres.
Thankfully, there isn’t any electrically powered
mechanism to further add to the dry weight, and the roof itself is made out of
high pressure resin transfer moulding carbon-fibre. What this means is each
part of the two-piece roof weighs just six kilos, so it won’t be much of a
burden to unlatch and stow away the roof on your own. Manual labour is part of
this process.
Like the coupe, the Roadster gets the full gamut of
corner-faster goodies like the Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA) active
aerodynamics system, magnetorheological suspension, Lamborghini Dynamic
Steering (LDS), rear-wheel steering and staggered Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres
(255/30 front and 355/25 rear).
Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Attiva 2.0
(LDVA 2.0) continues to act as the car’s brain, governing all electronic
systems in real time. Essentially, the LDVA gathers information from the car’s
sensors and sends instructions to various systems to ensure the driver gets the
best performance depending on the selected drive mode – Sport, Strada (Street),
Corsa (Track) and Ego.
Prices start from 387,007 euros in
Europe, and can rest assured that it is more costly than the coupe which goes
for 349,116 euros (RM1,612,777). This is before Lamborghini’s Ad Personam
customisation programme comes into play. The show car being presented is
finished in a new matte color bronzo zenas (bronze), with a special Ad Personam
livery in bianco phanes (white).
