Advertising is one thing, choosing the right moment to display your automobile at the right show is another – but breaking the production car lap record at Nürburgring is something that lingers long after the event.
A Lamborghini Aventador SVJ is now the proud owner of such an accolade, with a lap time of 6:44.97 seconds. This beats the record held by a Porsche 911 GT2 RS by a full 2 seconds. It seems that Lamborghini certainly has achieved something of note in the new aerodynamic bodyshell of the Aventador. The car also houses a Lamborghini ALA (Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva) 2.0 active aerodynamics system. This uses intelligently controlled electrically actuated flaps that reduce drag and increase vehicle downforce.
The Aventador Super Veloce Jota, driven by Factory Driver, Marco Mapelli, completed the lap in the usual disguised pattern body wrapping, but we won’t have long to wait now until we see the sports car in all its glory. The changes compared to a standard Aventador are there purely to improve performance, and knocking 2 seconds off the existing lap record proves that Lamborghini know their numbers and how to use a wind tunnel.
Interestingly, the SVJ is likely to be the owner of the last ‘traditional’ V12 engine to be produced by Lamborghini, as head of R&D, Maurizio Reggiani, has stated that the future for the V12 and V10 will be electrically assisted engines. This new Nürburgring record could actually prove to a bit of a pain for Lamborghini, as future engines will now be judged by the success of the Aventador SVJ with its 760bhp V12.
The use of the name Jota is not one that Lamborghini dishes out lightly; the first time we saw a Lamborghini Jota was the Miura P400 Jota in 1970, with 1993 seeing the Diablo SE30 Jota. It’s safe to say that the name is reserved for the most extreme that Lamborghini has to offer and the Aventador SVJ is certainly living up to the name very early in its life in spectacular fashion. Lamborghini didn’t aim for anything but to be the best when it came to the Nürburgring, the Aventador was put together with the aim of breaking this record and to “be the best” according to Reggiani.
The Super Veloce Jota looks to have larger air intakes feeding all that power put out by the 6.5-litre engine, which also features titanium air intake valves. Another of the obsessions with Lamborghini is the weight shaving to aid getting the best performance possible out of their creations, and the rumour is that the power to weight ratio of beyond 4.37lb/hp on the SVJ super sports car is the best yet. To say that this car is going to be among one of Lamborghini’s all-time elite models might well prove to be an understatement.
Images: cnet.com, robbreport.com, automobilemag.com
For more articles like this, receive our weekly e-newsletter, including partner deals and all things motoring, register your email below.
Please note: You cannot subscribe to Smart-Motoring unless you put a tick in the checkbox below to indicate have read and agreed to our privacy policy.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.