If the Lamborghini Aventador wasn’t ferocious enough, crankandpiston.com is invited to try the new ‘exceedingly fast’ LP750-4 Superveloce on-track
| Engine | Power | Torque | 0-100kph | Top speed | Weight | Basic price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V12, 6498cc | 740bhp @ 8400rpm | 509lb ft @ 5500rpm | 2.8sec | 350kph | 1525kg | TBC |
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The Lamborghini Aventador remains one of the most savage cars I’ve ever had the good fortune to drive. With 691bhp, a raucous V12 soundtrack and a whiplash-inducing gear change, it’s a quite unforgettable machine.
And now there’s an even more hardcore version. The Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce turns Lamborghini’s flagship up to 11, thanks to an extra 49bhp, reduced weight and some serious aerodynamic improvements. The result is a 740bhp hypercar that hits 100kph in 2.8 seconds and tops out at more than 350kph. In case you were wondering, Superveloce means “exceedingly fast” in Italian.
In short then, the Aventador SV is a bit of a monster, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s somewhat intimidating. But Lamborghini has your reticence covered, by way of a driver-training programme called the Lamborghini Accademia.
Held at circuits around the world, the Accademia aims to both entertain customers as well as to lure potential new clients with a flavour of what its machines are all about. It’s part of Lamborghini’s motorsport programme, Squadra Corse, and sits on a pyramid just above the entry-level Esperienza, or experience, which is a day of messing about in Lambos organised by dealers for clients. The Accademia is more focused on driver training, and comes in two flavours – Ice, where the cars are driven sideways on frozen lakes, and Track, which is the one we’re sampling. If that floats your boat, there’s also a more racing focused day that includes some of Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo race cars, and then you’re into the full motorsport experience with the one-make Super Trofeo series and then GT3 racing in a proper Huracán race car.
Our taste of the Accademia comes at the Misano circuit on Italy’s Adriatic coast, where we join a group of Lamborghini owners, many of whom have an order placed for the SV. Several have been flown in by their local dealerships, keen to keep their clients happy and ensure repeat business. Others have just paid their money and turned up. Many sport Lamborghini shirts and hats and are clearly enthusiastic about the brand. At dinner the night before the event, there’s a palpable sense of excitement, not least from your author – I know what the Aventador can do, and I’m very eager to see what happens when you remove its muzzle and dose it with steroids.
The following morning we’re bussed to the circuit from our hotel in the picturesque coastal town of Pesaro. With one of the Accademia’s aims being to grow interest in Lamborghini motorsport, all the events are hosted by instructors with genuine race pedigree. The 20 or so guests are split into groups, and I find myself in a clan hosted by Jeroen Mul and Fabio Babini, who race a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 in the Blancpain Endurance Series. So they know what they’re doing.
We begin with a guided familiarisation lap of Misano, and I have my first chance to sample the Aventador SV. Visually, it takes the lairiness of the standard car and cranks things up yet further. The bodywork is even more flared, and a big rear wing sits on the tailgate. We’re hopping between cars for each session, but my first taste is in a scorching yellow, very similar to the Liquid Yellow found on Renaultsports. But this ain’t no Clio.
“The Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce turns Lamborghini’s flagship up to 11”
The 6.5-litre V12 engine is already running as I squeeze myself past the scissor door and try to settle into the bucket seat. It’s exceedingly difficult. As a six-footer with a long back, and wearing a helmet, it’s impossible to fit properly, so I end up scooting my backside forward and slouching behind the wheel. Ahead of me is a bright yellow digital gauge, and to my right an assortment of controls that I don’t need to worry about, save for three buttons marked Strada, Sport and Corsa. These control the mood of the car, from sensible (well, ish) to sprightly to unhinged.
I’m in a bit of a flap as we get underway, mildly concerned about my highly irregular driving position. Emerging from the pitlane in Strada mode, I blip the throttle in third gear and immediately the SV snarls a deep, gravelly bark and lurches violently forward.
Woooah mama.
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