What is it?

It's the most hardcore Lamborghini ever, and actually one of the most mental cars committed to metal. Stop. Stare.

Ok then. It's powered by a 661bhp engine sending power to all four wheels, with the bull's peak kick coming at an insane 8,000rpm, and 487lb.ft of torque at 6,500rpm: that's the same pulling power as the regular car, but 30bhp more. Plus it's 100kg lighter, which chops 0.2 seconds off the 0-62mph dash - now down to 3.2 seconds, before the beast tops out at 209mph (or 212 if you fit a smaller wing - but why would you do that?).

Why's it here?

Because Lamborghini can. Simple as that. Where most makers are allaying everyone's guilt by putting eco-friendly metal on their plinths, Lambo is giving all that nonsense a big Italian middle finger. The SuperVeloce is the latest car to show the bull at its unbridled best, just like the limited run Reventon before it. This one, too, will be made on limited numbers (only 350) each costing around £240,000. For that (a £30k-ish premium), buyers get lighter bucket seats and lashings of carbon fibre and Alcantara in the cockpit, as well as a fettled exhaust that Lamborghini reckons sounds like 'the trumpeting of mighty elephants.' Sounds stinky. There's also a set of up-to-the-minute carbon ceramic brakes and, of course, the most outrageous body kit ever committed to a production car (apart from possibly the new Ford Focus RS).

Show stopper or floor filler?

Need you ask. This is one of the very few show cars that doesn't actually need women or dancing celebrities to make droves of cynical hacks flock to the stand. In fact, if we didn't have to do all this pesky reporting, we'd still be there now, wishing we'd tried harder at school or football practice so we could put an order down.

Mark Nichol - 4 Mar 2009