When it comes to choosing a headline for a car as sexy as the Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster, it’s all too easy to fall back on those tired old clichés which associate top-down motoring with topless glamour models. Both are sexy right?
And while objectifying women merely limits our perspective, so too does reinforcing the stereotype that roofless sports cars are just for poseurs and narcissists.
Ferrari turned the corner with their 458 Italia Spider, closely followed by McLaren’s new 12C Spider – here are cars that offer a unique aural experience that goes beyond the desire to be seen.
Now Lamborghini has raised the bar further, adding ‘elegance’ to the list of virtues offered to buyers who shun the fixed-roof norm.
The new Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster is the first Lamborghini supercar to balance aggression so naturally with elegance. Its sleek lines combining perfectly with the Aventador’s broad-shouldered sportiness.
Rather than trying to ape the silhouette of the coupé, Lamborghini has designed a unique profile for its upper area, which extends along newly designed geometric lines from the removable roof to the engine hood.
The two-piece roof is made entirely from carbon fibre and weighs less than 6 kg. Both parts are removable, easy to handle, and being lightweight and simple to attach, can be stored in the front luggage compartment in just a few seconds. A far cry from the fiddly canvas soft-top of the Murcielago, which required the grand-master skills of a chess master to assemble.
Despite the lightness of the roof, the LP 700-4 Roadster weighs 50kg more than the coupé – at 1625kg, knocking its 0-62mph time down from 2.9 to 3.0 seconds. Top speed remains unchanged at 217mph, although presumably that’s with the roof panels attached.
The rear pillar has been redesigned to offer support for the removable roof and features a central “spinal column” with two pairs of hexagonal windows connected at the sides as if they were hyper-tech armour plates. Their purpose is to cool the engine, drain off rain water and show the beauty of the Aventador’s 6.5-litre V12 engine.
The occupants of the LP 700-4 Roadster can decide how intensely they would like to enjoy the driving experience. The powered rear windshield not only influences the flow of air in the vehicle, but also controls the volume of sound emanating from its twelve-cylinder engine.
The wind deflector which rests on the front windshield frame, delivers almost complete calm inside the car, even at high speed, and can be stored in the luggage compartment when not in use.
The range of colours has been supplemented by a very light, metallic blue color, Azzuro Thetis (seen here), whose tone varies with the angle of the light and recalls the shade of the beautiful 1968 Miura Roadster. The Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster also features new Dione 20″/21″ wheel rims, crafted in light forged aluminium, they lower the weight of the car by 10 Kg.
Otherwise the Roadster features the same 6.5 litre naturally aspirated V12, generating 690bhp and 507lb-ft (690 Nm) of torque. The Aventador’s ISR 7-speed gearbox and push-rod suspension continue unchanged in the Roadster as does the V12’s cylinder deactivation system which helps it achieve a combined consumption of 17.7 mpg.
Inevitably such a heightened supercar experience comes at a price – €300,000 euros excluding taxes – a €45,000 premium over the coupé, which should work out at around £285,000 in the UK once the dreaded VAT is included.
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