What's all this about?

Superveloce, or SV, is a very special epithet for a Lamborghini and - for the first time - it is being applied to a series production open-top model.

Which convertible feels the benefit of the SV tag?

The Aventador, giving us the full name of the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV Roadster. This glorious, glorious thing has been unveiled at an event over in California, part of the Monterey Car Week.

What sort of power are we looking at?

Taking the same inspiration as the Aventador SV coupé, which is more powerful and lighter than the regular hard-top Lambo, the SV Roadster is also lighter than the open-top LP 700-4 by 50kg and has 50hp more in total, delivering astonishing stats of 750hp at 8,400rpm and 690Nm at 5,500rpm from its normally aspirated, 6.5-litre V12 engine.

I take it that it's quick, then?

Naturally. The 0-62mph sprint takes a stunning 2.9 seconds, a tenth off the pace of the coupé SV (which itself is 50kg lighter than the Roadster's 1,575kg kerb weight), and the top speed is 'in excess of' 217mph. That's what happens when you have a power-to-weight ratio of 476hp-per-tonne, Haldex IV all-wheel drive traction and a seven-speed robotised manual gearbox.

Wow! And how about the rest of the mechanicals?

Magnetorheological suspension with pushrod dampers and Lamborghini Dynamic Steering (LDS) ensure that the SV should be a sharper drive than a 'mere' LP 700-4 Aventador Roadster.

Can you talk to me about the aesthetics?

It takes its cues from a number of SV Lamborghinis of the past, with plenty of black detailing - including a mainly black rear end in the finest tradition of the rampant Murcielago SV - some bloody big and beautiful alloys, an aggressive aero kit and four exhaust pipes crammed into the centre of that malevolent rear end. The interior is stripped out compared to a regular Roadster, with plenty of carbon fibre on show and not much in the way of carpets or sound deadening. The SV Roadster also gets a powered rear window, so you can hear the V12 sing better with the roof down. God love Lambo!

What about the roof? Is it a fiddly piece of fabric that's only loosely attached to the body?

Absolutely not. It's a two-piece, carbon fibre affair that weighs less than 6kg, which can be tidily stored in the luggage compartment of the Aventador Roadster when it's not in use.

Any words on price or availability?

'Expensive and very rare' would be the short answer. To expand on that, just 500 SV Roadsters will be made (there are 600 SV coupés) and as the coupé SV was £322,000 the Roadster is likely to carry a premium on that. Deliveries will commence in early 2016 but as the coupé SV was pretty much sold out as soon as it was revealed in Geneva earlier this year, expect all the SV Roadsters to be built to be already allocated to owners. Damn.

Matt Robinson - 17 Aug 2015