Around town, that awkward transmission, that unruly exhaust and the rather extreme tune on the adaptive suspension result in a car that is, perhaps unsurprisingly, uncomfortable.Thats appropriate because the SVJ is an Aventador thats been thoroughly gutted and re-tooled for on-track performance.And on that race track the car was a delight; a truly stellar day of driving, but I confess I was a bit disappointed to never turn a wheel in the car on a real, public road.
My first run in the topless, 573,996 Aventador SVJ Roadster took place amid some very different surroundings. Palm Springs instead of Portugal for one thing and instead of a circuit my drive covered a strip of sinuous road stretched across the desert. And thats also appropriate, because while the SVJ Roadster gives up little in on-track performance compared to the razor-sharp coupe, of the two, this ones far more likely to ply its trade out in the real world. Of course, with pristine weather and scenic hills dotted with multimillion-dollar mansions, Palm Springs is pretty far removed from reality in many respects, but it still poses a far greater challenge to comfort and usability than Estoril. And when it comes to usability, the Roadster failed its first test before I had even left the parking lot. ![]() While those panels stow neatly and securely between the front wheels, latched in place to prevent damage during the extreme Gs this car can generate, they leave little storage room for anything else. So, if youre planning on going somewhere topless, youd better send your valet on ahead with the luggage. Not a car designed with practicality in mind, then, but that shouldnt come as a surprise. The SVJ, or Superveloce Jota, is the hardest, quickest Aventador yet, refined and tuned and augmented to make it a weapon unlike any other on the track. The Roadster carries a redesigned engine cover and wider side intakes than the coupe. But, importantly, the Roadster maintains the SVJs biggest party trick: active aerodynamics. The front valves can open to duct air beneath the car, reducing the efficiency of the massive splitter beneath the nose. Lamborghini Aventador Horsepower Series Of SlatsThe rear valves open to push air up the wings central stalk and out through a series of slats cut into its trailing edge, effectively stalling it out. This means the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster can dynamically trade drag for downforce, giving maximum grip in the corners and maximum speed on the straights -- specifically, 40 more downforce than the slightly less racy Aventador SV, despite having roughly the same drag. How much speed does that equate to Try 217 mph, exactly the same as the coupe. Acceleration is down a 10th, 2.9 seconds to 60, likely thanks to the 110 pounds carried by the Roadster. Thats weight difference you certainly wont feel on the road given were still talking about a 3,472-pound car here. Revving up to a whopping 8,700 rpm, its the most powerful series production engine Lamborghini has ever created -- though with only 800 SVJ Roadsters planned, the concept of series production is relative. Ill be perfectly honest that the numbers and figures all cease to matter the first time you flip up the cherry-red ignition cover and stab at the button beneath. The bark of the SVJs V12 is even more of an aural assault than the coupe, largely because theres less separating you and the engine. Its exhaust is rambunctious, crackling and shouting with every shift of the cars often-clumsy seven-speed transmission.
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