Lamborghini’s flagship is starting to age, but the SVJ treatment has rejuvenated its appeal once again.
The Lamborghini Aventador is arguably the most definite supercar in series production at the moment thanks to its explosive power and noise, mid-engine handling balance and wild looks.
And over the course in its current generation, the flagship car of Sant’Agata has spawned several go-faster derivatives such as the 740hp S (actually a mid-life update) and 750hp SV.
It’s not that the original 700hp wasn’t quick enough -- actually it was already devastating in a straight line -- but Lamborghini had to sustain sales momentum in the usual manner of any supercar maker.
Which is why another version has emerged in the seventh year of the Aventador’s lifecycle called SVJ, standing for Super Veloce Jota in Italian.
In fact, the Aventador is just the second model in Lamborghini’s history to be bestowed the J suffix after the Miura denoting to its enhanced capabilities on the race track despite being a perfectly road-legal car.
It really isn’t that difficult to envisage what kind of modifications have been applied to the SVJ. First and foremost, Lamborghini has cranked up the power of the naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 to 770hp thanks to new titanium intake valves and some friction-reducing measures, as such.
To cope with the increased power, various suspension bits have been beefed up with firmer values.
Next up is the car’s appearance which has been made even wilder than ever complimentary of a big rear spoiler and various other aerodynamic parts made from carbonfibre.
Nowadays, supercars with 0-100kph sprint times of less than three seconds aren’t easy to be made faster in spite of increased power explaining why the SVJ’s 2.8sec record is the same with the preceding SV; the same goes for the 0-200kph time of 8.6sec and the dry weight of 1,525kg.
But what really separates the SVJ from the other Aventadors is handling. After introducing active aerodynamics to the Huracan Performante two years ago, Lamborghini has extended its so-called ALA to the SVJ albeit in updated 2.0 form.
A new development is the channeling of air into that rear wing that be can be apportioned to either side of the car to optimise downforce during cornering (called aero-vectoring by Lamborghini). The SVJ is claimed to have 40% better aerodynamic efficiency than in the SV.
After driving the SVJ around the Estoril circuit in Portugal, it seems that those claims are spot on. Just like in the Performante, you can confidently dive into corners deeper while applying pressure on the strong carbon-ceramic brakes and then carry more speed when exiting out them.
The ability of the aero bits to adjust according to speed has allowed for increased levels of downforce and drag reduction. Driving the SVJ on the limit isn’t a cliff-hanging experience as in the go-faster models of the Murcielago predecessor.
Make no mistake, though: the SVJ can feel a little twitchy when driven hard in high-speed corners at times, although it feels more confidence-inspiring than in the other Aventadors.
First used in the S, rear-wheel steering helps tuck the SVJ neatly in line when tackling the track’s chicanes, which kind of replicates some winding roads in the real world.
There’s lots of front-end bite in the all-wheel drive SVJ upon turn-in, although some understeer prevailed on Estoril’s newly surfaced tarmac.
The SVJ has model-specific Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres that screech at the limit yet maintaining the necessary levels of adhesion; stickier Trofeo R rubbers are optional.
While you can’t really feel the extra 20hp the SVJ has over the SV when accelerating from standstill, power in the mid-ranges punches with more alacrity all the way to the engine’s 8,500rpm redline.
The combination of 770hp and ALA 2.0 makes up for a more immersive driving experience and more enhanced performance overall. That’s why the SVJ is said to be 15sec quicker than the SV around the Nurburgring.
And thanks to the new and lighter exhaust system, whose tail pipes are now placed higher up behind, the sound is loud and addictive on the ears.
It may lack the more tuneful note of the Ferrari 812 Superfast, although this particular front-engine supercar from Maranello isn’t a direct competitor for whichever Aventador. Mind, though, the 812 Superfast feels marginally quicker, subjectively at least, with its 800hp performance.
Nevertheless, the SVJ shines more around a race track than on public roads. And like in other Lambo’s sports cars, the driving mode is best kept in “Corsa” which loosens the safety net of the chassis electronics and allows you to really lean on the car when driving fast.
But the seven-speed single-clutch automatic feels jerky when driven normally, especially in real-world driving, and isn’t as lightning-quick as how a dual-clutcher would do.
As well, the SVJ shifts quite violently at the redline in Corsa mode. Expect the latter gearbox type to appear in the all-new replacement due in 2-3 years’ time.
Visually speaking, the SVJ has the looks to die for with its super-fierce exterior design. Naturally, the SVJ’s interior is basically SV fanfare but has been made to look more special with loads of Alcantara leather and the logos themselves.
You certainly won’t feel shortchanged for a Lambo priced on the wrong side of things. To be fair, though, the SVJ is still essentially a 40 million baht toy, just like any other Aventador, and will go on sale in Thailand early next year. And let’s not forget that other mid-engine supercars with similar performance, like the McLaren Senna, cost 2-3 times more than the SVJ.
All of a sudden, the SVJ seems fine value in this front of high-performance cars. Plus, the dawn of turbocharging and electrification in supercars is making the Aventador’s naturally aspirated V12 a dying, but now highly-sought, species.
The Aventador may be approaching the end of its lifecycle and isn’t really without flaws. But it could come at no better time to top the icing on the cake with the SVJ treatment, which may also be extended to the open-top Roadster as a swansong for this generation.
A CARBON FUTURE
While 900 examples of the Aventador SVJ will be made for worldwide sales in both left- and right-hand drive forms, an extra 63 units bearing the “63” suffix will also be offered.
Designed to celebrate Lamborghini’s birth 55 years ago, the SVJ 63 sports an exposed carbonfibre roof for a racier appearance -- a gimmick used by some other makers of sports cars.
However, this isn’t a purely marketing exercise for Lamborghini in the long run as the Sant’Agata suits are embracing such lightweight material for future electrification.
First seen in the Terzio Millennio concept car, the carbonfibre body can be used to house nanotubes to store energy rather than in space-eating conventional batteries, which are deemed as a hindrance in electric-powered supercars.
Maurizio Reggiani, head of research and development at Lamborghini, says this technology isn’t a pipe dream, although it is still many years from now for it to reach production-ready cars. Lamborghini currently collaborates with MIT on this matter.
But Reggiani reaffirms that electrification will play an initial role in the future of the V12 engine rather than turbochargers because it can “fill in the gaps of the torque curve”.
In layman’s terms, this means that some kind of electrical assistance can help improve the linearity and tractability of the V12 engine for the next-generation Aventador due around 2020-2021. As well, electrification will help Lamborghini cope with stringent CO2 legislation.
Ferrari first applied hybrid technology in the LaFerrari producing over 950hp. However, the mid-engined Ferrari was made in only small numbers sold at exotic prices.
