CEO Stephan Winkelmann reveals the one-off Lamborghini Aventador J.
It’s definitely not the sort of car you’d want to take you back into downtown Geneva after the auto show winds up for the day but for a run through the Swiss countryside there’d likely be few things that could beat the Lamborghini Aventador J making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show today.
The 700-horsepower, one-off “comes from a different time,” suggested Stephan Winkelmann, the CEO of the Italian automaker, “a time when cars were lighter, and naked.”
We’re not sure about the naked part but you’re definitely exposed to the elements behind the wheel of the 700-pound roadster, which draws power from a 6.5-liter V-12 that pumps out power through a permanent four-by-four system.
Priced at $2.1 million – before the unnamed buyer coughs up the additional VAT tax – the Aventador J was meant to underscore “one of the missions of Lamborghini,” suggested Winkelmann, which “is to fulfill dreams. And as long as we do cars like this, our brand as a bright future.”
The Aventador J's 6.5-liter V-12 will get you from 0 to 100 kmh in just 2.9 seconds.
This wild child can launch from 0 to 100 kmh (62.5 mph) in just 2.9 seconds and reportedly has a top speed in the 200 mph range – which can clearly mess up a hairdo.
Described as a “radically open automobile,” Lamborghini skipped the windshield and roof – the “J” designation a reference to Formula One’s “Appendix J,” which covers such details. A driving helmet becomes a requirement, much as it does with the racing series.
The essentially handmade supercar makes extensive use of carbon fiber, notably for its monocoque, which helps it come in under the roughly 3,500 pounds of a stock Aventador.
Impossibly low and long, it features a front slightly narrower than the rear, with unique, upward-opening doors and special front and rear end details. The Lamborghini Aventador J rides on 20-inch tires up front, 21s in the rear.
While Lambo says it won’t build another J, the Aventador line has been a clear success, helping push sales for the Volkswagen subsidiary to pre-crash levels. Even with the new model just coming online last year, Lamborghini managed to sell 1602 vehicles, a 23% increase, and Winkelmann expressed confidence 2012 will do even better with the Aventador now up to full speed.
That means that the maker will now be able to start filling up its bulging order bank – which the CEO estimated will take at least 18 months.
Before wrapping up the Geneva Motor Show preview, Winkelmann dropped a hint that there’s more to come from Lamborghini, telling his audience, “In the future, we might have a third model.” What that will be he’s not saying, but it’s all but certain to at least have a windshield.