► Lamborghini Aventador ends production
► 2011-22: a decade of thrilling supercars
► The last hurrah was the LP780-4 Ultimae
Lamborghini has ended production of the Aventador, marking the end of one of the most thrilling supercars of its era. Eight different models were offered from 2011-2022, with 11,465 versions sold – more than the sum of all the earlier V12 models sold by the brand.
The final model to be produced at the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory was an Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Roadster, in a special light blue Ad Personam colour, sold to a Swiss buyer.
The last Aventador brings the curtain down on a decade of outrageous supercars. Nothing made quite the same statement as Lambo’s OTT supercar. Edited highlights of its life include:
- 2011: Aventador LP 700-4 coupe launched at the Geneva motor show
- 2012: Roadster announced, just in time for Lambo’s 50th anniversary the following year
- 2015: Aventador LP 750-4 SuperVeloce launches in Geneva, sets new Nordschleife lap record
- 2016: Aventador S launches: power up to 740hp, 130percent more downforce
- 2018: Aventador SVJ arrives at Monterey Car Week
- 2021: Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae (below) arrives – stretching power to 780hp
‘The Lamborghini Aventador was a game-changer at its launch, and the flagship Lamborghini model for 11 years of production,’ said Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. ‘The V12 engine has been part of Lamborghini’s heritage since the company’s earliest days; the beating heart of models from Miura to Diablo, Countach to Murcielago.’
Revealed: 2023 Aventador successor
The final Lamborghini Aventador: the Ultimae
The last-ever V12 Aventador from Lamborghini was the limited-edition LP 780-4 Ultimae. Lamborghini built 350 coupes and 250 roadsters to end the Aventador’s 11-year run as Sant’Agata’s flagship sports car, replacing the Murciélago. The 60deg naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine went out on a high…
The Ultimae was designed to take the best of the high-performance SVJ and the marginally more refined S, and blend them in a distinctive new look and price it between the two (in the high-£300k region).
Its peak output was 770bhp, up 40bhp on the S and 10bhp over the SVJ, achieved by optimised valve timing and breathing.
The Lamborghini V12 may be 10 years old, but the Ultimae was crammed with trick technology, most of it aimed at performance rather than luxury or entertainment. That includes all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, carbon-ceramic brakes (capable of stopping the car from 62mph in 30 metres) and Lambo’s active rear wing, which moves itself into three positions depending on speed and drive mode.
Extensive employment of carbonfibre contributed to a remarkable dry weight of 1550kg for the coupe, which undercuts the S by 25kg, giving it the same power-to-weight ratio as the track-leaning SVJ. That gets the coupe to 62mph in an SVJ-matching 2.8sec. (The roadster was 50kg heavier, because of the bracing needed to compensate for the lack of roof, and takes 2.9sec).
Sant’Agata has been home to some outrageous greens, yellows, purples, golds and oranges over the decades, but the Ultimae looks great (at least in these official photos) in grey-on-grey for the coupe – a neat match for the carbonfibre inside and out – and sensible blue for the roadster. But don’t worry, there are 17 other colours available. Or if you venture into the personalisation scheme, 300-odd.
What next for Lamborghini’s supercar?
So is this really the last naturally aspirated V12 Lambo? They say it is. Lamborghini loves a special edition, but there doesn’t seem to be much wiggle room given what chief executive Stephan Winkelmann says about the LP 780-4 Ultimae.
‘It is the last of its kind: it delivers the maximum power and conclusive performance expected from Lamborghini’s current V12 engine, combined with our inimitable flagship’s design DNA. The Aventador was destined to become a classic from launch, and the Aventador LP 780-4 is the most beautiful expression of timeless design and technical solutions in a final edition: Ultimae.’
What’s next? New 2023 Lamborghini V12 supercar secret plans