What in twelve types of Titan is this?!

It's called the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. And it's truly demented.

It looks it - but SVJ? What does that mean?

Superveloce Jota. That, roughly translated, equates to 'stupidly fast, track' and it's an evolution of the already-rapid Aventador SV, which in turn takes the, um... 'standard' LP700-4 Aventador (which is a 217mph car, remember!) and turns up the wick. So insane is the SVJ that it holds the record for all production cars at the Nordschleife, turning in a frankly ridiculous 6m 44.97s lap time in July.

Good grief! So is it more powerful, lighter... what?

It weighs in at the same 1,525kg as the SV, but the screaming 6.5-litre V12 has been uprated again, to 770hp at 8,500rpm and 720Nm at 6,750rpm; increases of 20hp and 30Nm, respectively. Driving all four wheels through the seven-speed ISR dual-clutch transmission, the stats are mind-boggling: 0-62mph is done and dusted in 2.8 seconds, 0-124mph takes just 8.6 seconds and its top speed is somewhere in excess of 217mph. The brakes are also up to the task, bringing the SVJ to a complete halt from 62mph in just 30 metres according to Lamborghini.

What else has Lamborghini changed on the SVJ?

The looks have been altered, with much dramatic 'Y'-motif-ery, a wider front end and revised aerodynamic panels front to back. This is because the SVJ runs ALA v2.0, ALA being the company's active aerodynamics and v2.0 indicating it's a more advanced system than already seen on the magnificent Huracan Performante. Downforce is increased by 40 per cent on both axles, when compared to the SV, and the wildest Lambo is also one per cent better for its drag coefficient. Other changes from SV to SVJ include specially developed Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres on super-lightweight aluminium Nireo alloys (Leirion wheels are an option), 50 per cent stiffer anti-roll bars front and rear, recalibrated Lamborghini Magnetorheological Suspension (LMS) with a 15 per cent increase in the damping force range, re-engineered four-wheel steering and a 4WD system that flings up to 93 per cent of torque rearwards (an increase of three per cent).

Go on, then - how much will this cost me?

In the UK, £291,667... excluding taxes. Just 900 Aventador SVJs will be built, with first deliveries to lucky customers beginning in early 2019. The car gets its debut at the Monterey Car Week event taking place over in California this month.

So, er... what's the other Aventador in the pictures?

That's the SVJ 63. Built to celebrate the first year of Lamborghini's car-making enterprise, it's an SVJ with a load of extra carbon fibre on it and some graphics. It is exclusively revealed in Monterey and a mere 63 examples of this one will be made, with the price unconfirmed.

24 Aug 2018