NEW MODEL: Meet the fire-breathing Lamborghini Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae
JOHANNESBURG - Automobili Lamborghini has announced the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae: a final celebration of its iconic V12 supercar and combustion engine in a last-hurrah production model, cramming the best of the best features of all Aventador editions into what they say is a “perfect finale”. According to Lamborghini, the new Aventador LP 780-4 harnesses the performance of the SVJ and intensifies the sophisticated elegance of the Aventador S, converging design and dynamism into a decisive collector’s piece in both coupé and roadster formats.
“The Aventador LP 780-4 is the final, purest, most timeless naturally-aspirated production V12 Lamborghini ever,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “It delivers the essential twelve-cylinder experience in terms of inimitable design, engineering solutions and the most emotive driving experience, and is the definitive Aventador concluding an extraordinary era. It is the last of its kind: it delivers the maximum power and conclusive performance expected from Lamborghini’s current V12 engine.”
The Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae coupé and roadster will make their public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend.
UNMATCHED POWER AND PERFORMANCE
Lamborghini says this car’s elegant lines belie the performance of this final edition. The twelve-cylinder, 6.5-liter ‘Longitudinale Posteriore’ (LP) engine delivers 574kW: 29kW more than the Aventador S and 7kW more than the SVJ to its permanent four-wheel drive system. The LP 780-4 Ultimae celebrates the visceral character, power and performance of the Aventador’s ten-year evolution, including the know-how of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife record SVJ powertrain set in July 2018.
The Aventador LP 780-4’s unique, extremely rigid and lightweight carbon fibre monocoque, and extensive use of carbon fibre throughout the body, contributes to a dry weight of just 1550kg. The coupé version, weighing 25kg less than the Aventador S, delivers the same weight-to-power ratio as the SVJ at 1.98kg per horsepower accelerating from 0-100 km/h in a mere 2.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 355km/h, with 720Nm of torque at maximum 6750rpm, and optimised VVT (Variable Valve Timing) and VIS (Variable Intake System) for an optimised torque curve. Its carbon ceramic braking system delivers 100km/h to standstill in just 30 metres.
Lateral control is optimised through four-wheel steering, introduced on the Aventador S, ensuring agility at low and medium speeds and enhanced stability at high speed. Lamborghini Dynamic Steering (LDS) on the front axle is calibrated for responsive feedback with sharp turn-in while adapted to integrate with the active rear-wheel steering on the rear axle, meanwhile separate actuators respond in five milliseconds to drivers’ steering movements.
The LP 780-4 Ultimae’s design adopts a specific front bumper concept for increased aero load on the front, with longitudinal performance similar to the SVJ. The stability control system is calibrated for fast, precise traction control and vehicle dynamics, recognising and adapting to differences in grip, including on low-grip surfaces such as snow and ice. The permanent four-wheel drive, due to the rear-wheel steering, is calibrated to allow more torque to the rear axle so that when powering off, less torque is shifted to the front axle to allow sporty but safe over-steer situations. The systems are managed by Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Attiva (LDVA) that processes precise, real-time information on body motion via sensors, thus defining the best response of all active systems to deliver the best vehicle dynamics in every condition.
Delivering the state of the art aerodynamic performance, the front splitter and open ‘mouth’ of the LP 780-4 directs additional airflow to optimise aerodynamic efficiency, engine and radiator cooling. The front bumper’s air ducts and side cooling inlet reduce aerodynamic interference from the front tyres and optimise wake flow to the rear radiator, with the Ultimae’s lightweight rear bumper completing the dynamic exterior and celebrating the SVJ’s track-oriented heritage.
The active aero system’s rear wing moves into three positions – ’closed’, ‘maximum performance’ and ‘maximum handling’ - dependent on speed and the drive mode selected, optimising the car’s overall balance and working with vortex generators created in the front and rear of the chassis’ underside to maximise air flow and assist with brake cooling. Transmission is via Lamborghini’s lightweight Independent Shifting Rod (ISR) 7-speed shifting system, providing robotised gearshifts in up to 50 milliseconds. The Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae’s drive modes allow you to select not only STRADA, SPORT and CORSA dynamic options, but in EGO mode you can choose own parameters for optimum set-up of the Lamborghini active suspension (LMS), traction controls (engine, gearbox and four-wheel drive) as well as steering.
A FINAL PRODUCTION MASTERPIECE
The Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae celebrates the Lamborghini Aventador’s complex yet elegant lines and surfaces: the culmination of Lamborghini’s aspirated-V12 design legacy. Paying homage to the benchmark performance of the SVJ and the ageless super sports elegance of the S model, it takes the best components of both to create a perfect balance between performance and dynamism with an enduring sophistication.
A new palette of options for exterior and interior is created for owners of the 350 coupés and 250 roadsters numbered editions of the Ultimae, offering a refined yet dynamic, elegant yet distinctive representation of the last Aventador. The new collection of tone-on-tone colours are elegant while recalling the Aventador’s powerful original design cues taken from the world of aeronautics. Offered as standard are 18 colours, with an unprecedented range of options and more than 300 colours available through Lamborghini Ad Personam, allowing you to create your own, unique piece of Lamborghini V12 motoring history.
The Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae coupé seen in these pictures sports a two-tone, grey-on-grey configuration, with lines and details such as the front splitter’s outline and ‘teeth’ picked out in matt red Rosso Mimir, with the accent line continuing along the car with matching accents on the rear fins of the visible carbon fibre rear diffuser. On the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Roadster, the roof is also offered in visible carbon fibre.
The press car’s matt Grigio Acheso and Grigio Teca external colors’ elegant yet sporty two-tone is echoed in the interior: black leather and Alcantara base materials feature stitching and trim in a complementary grey to the exterior, with ‘Y’ seat inserts in black Alcantara. An optional laser cut ‘Y’ repeat motif with contrast backing colour on seats and dashboard, distinguishes the Ultimae model further. The LP 780-4’s comfort seat is taken from the Aventador S, with the ‘Ultimae’ name embroidered into the seat bolster, while the A-pillar driver dashboard area carries the 001 of 350/250 reference to the limited edition.
You can can play with the ‘S’ line highlights in seat, door and dash trims with three standard colours, (silver, bronze and white), a further five optional colours and, of course, the almost infinite spectrum of options through Lamborghini Ad Personam. A standard carbon fibre package highlights exterior and interior features, and the exterior is available in a matt finish to match the exterior colours with low gloss.
Silver Dianthus 20-inch and 21-inch forged alloys come as standard together with further 20-inch and 21-inch options in Dianthus, Leiron and Nireo in bronze, black and titanium, fitted with Pirelli PZero Corsa tyres. The exterior features the extension of the colour accent livery in three colors: white, silver and bronze matching the accent on the front bumpers and the rear diffuser fins. Silver calipers as standard are joined by a range of further optional caliper colours that are echoed in the wheel monolock.
The Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Roadster is launched in Blu Tawaret and Blu Nethuns with the roof panels in high gloss black carbon fibre.
The Roadster press car’s driver and passenger environment is just as refined as the coupé’s: the customisable TFT digital dashboard displays driver modes as well as controlling in-car connectivity. Apple CarPlay manages voice activated communications and entertainment, with the Lamborghini telemetry system available as an option for those wanting to celebrate the last Aventador on track.
From international launch this week, the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae will be available in both coupé and roadster configurations in the Lamborghini network with the exception of China, South Korea, Vietnam, Brazil and Chile. Lamborghini South Africa hasn’t confirmed how many are coming to Mzansi nor what the vehicle could cost, but looking at current Aventador prices it might set you back around R12 million before you tick any of those juicy options boxes.
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