It’s always exciting when a new Lamborghini hits the streets. Remember when the Countach was put to rest and the Diablo was introduced? Yeah, it was a let-down for me too, though that excitement continues to always be there. While we currently don’t know what the next V12 Lambo sports car will be, we do know what the very last Aventador looks like, as it was built in July and just delivered to a happy owner in Switzerland.
Officially known as the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae (which was Lamborghini’s 2021 update of the Aventador), this last-of-the-line was built as a homage to the one-off Miura P400 roadster that debuted at the 1968 Brussels Motor Show. Painted in Lamè Sky Blue Acrilico paint with Pelle Bianco (“white skin”) interior, this show car was a true roadster with several modifications that preserved the overall aesthetics of the Miura while maintaining the structural integrity of the mid-engine supercar.
However, the vehicle never made production, and the actual show car was sold to the International Lead and Zinc Research Organization, which replaced every body component with zinc or lead, repainted it in dark green and rechristened it ZN 75 as it toured the world to promote lead and zinc materials. Thankfully, after being traded among collectors, the roadster was returned to its Brussels configuration in 2008.
The new roadster has been painted in Azzuro Flake, a similar color to Lamè Sky Blue but loaded with the paint technology afforded by time. “The rocker cover is in Grigio Liqueo with a Nero Aldebaran pinstripe, extending from front to rear of the Aventador and complementing the visible carbon fiber of the sill, front splitter and rear diffuser,” adds Lamborghini. Other details, like the Bianco Leda leather with complementary Nero Aldebaran around the headrests, are another nod to the Brussels car. While the wheels are different between the two, they both share the same shade of silver.
Of course, the Aventador uses a V12 like its descendant, the modern one being 6.5 liters with 769 horsepower, which is more than twice as much as the P400. Something that wasn’t imagined back then (though Jensen fans will argue that point) is the all-wheel drive that’s been part of the Aventador model since its inception. Another thing that couldn’t be imagined back then was a Lamborghini without a manual transmission, but we currently live in a world with a seven-speed single-clutch automatic.
So, what’s next for Lamborghini? Bite your tongue, but with Lamborghini’s CEO predicting that all its models will be hybrid in 2024, there’s a good chance the successor will be (sakes alive!) a plug-in hybrid.
