The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster.Photography by Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
It’s wrong to get into the most extreme Lamborghini money can buy and think that you’re about to drive a car. You’re not, not really. What this is is entertainment. It’s a pastime, like flying a wingsuit or big-wave surfing, only without the immediate mortal danger and requiring no great skill, only wads of cash.
This Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster is one of 800 in the world, which adds a thrilling element to the driving experience. If you stuff it into a street light, that’s it – now there’s 799. It costs $700,238, not including options. The Blu Neuhaus paint, which looks, well, blue, is a $16,800 extra. The Pirelli winter tires developed just for this car are a must-have $6,900 option, because you wouldn’t want to let a sprinkle of snow immobilize your favourite toy. All told, you probably won’t get much change back from a million dollars.
To put it in perspective, the Roadster is less than one quarter the price of Bugatti’s Chiron supercar and wouldn’t even cover the down payment on a superyacht. Still, it’s no bargain.
If you try to use the SVJ as a car, you will be disappointed. As an appliance for getting from A to B, the Lamborghini is predictably awful. Every bump in the road jolts the car and my head is tilted sideways and pressed up against the carbon-fibre roof. At least this is the convertible version, so the roof can be removed.
Removing the carbon-fibre roof from the convertible version of the Aventador is a complicated process.
Lowering the convertible top isn’t simply a matter of pressing a button; it’s a complicated dance. You pop the hood, flip the seats forward, flick a latch, then another one, and then you carefully heave this precious slab of carbon-fibre off the top of the car. After that, you repeat the process for the other side of the roof. Finally, you must solve the 3D jigsaw puzzle that is slotting both roof pieces into the front trunk. You’re now ready to experience the wonderful wind-in-your-hair feeling at 350 km/h, assuming you have access to a runway.
Even by supercar standards, outward visibility is atrocious. You can see the bumper of cars in front, and through the porthole-like rearview mirror, there is only the car’s wing. The infotainment system is ancient. In traffic, the seven-speed automated manual gearbox occasionally makes the car lurch violently back and forth like there’s a new driver at the wheel. Any ramp or speed bump is a hazard that will have you holding your breath, hoping not to hear the sound of a carbon-fibre splitter scraping pavement.
The Aventador has barely any rear visibility and an ancient infotainment system.
Well, what did you expect? This is a supercar. They are difficult and impractical because that’s part of their charm, like a straight razor. Over the years, however, supercars have been losing their sharp edges. Newer machines from Lambo, McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche are relatively reliable. They won’t melt down like an overheated reactor when forced to sit in traffic. Drift-angle sensitive stability control systems offers drivers a much-needed safety net, whether they admit it or not. These are all undeniably good things, but as a result, many supercars have become too easy – but not this one.
The Aventador is one of the few outliers. It has electronic assists and heated seats, but these luxuries are a façade. The Aventador, even the newer Aventador S, are among the last of the difficult, old-school, white-knuckle supercars. The limited-edition SVJ Roadster simply takes that idea to the extreme; it’s stripped bare, ultra-light and ultra-fast. It doesn’t even have carpets. The bare floor is covered with a strip of grip tape, like on a skateboard. Stones ping off the undercarriage and echo through the carbon-fibre monocoque.
The ridiculous-looking wing is actually part of an ingenious electronically-controlled active aerodynamic system that vectors air over the inside wheels in high-speed corners to reduce understeer. It works shockingly well, making the car feel pinned to the road as if by the hand of god just at the moment you’d expect it to start pushing wide. As on a modern Formula 1 car, the SVJ has an adjustable flap to stall the rear wing to reduce drag, helping the Roadster achieve a top speed in excess of 350 km/h.
The bare floor is covered with grip tape instead of carpeting.
If that seems pointless, you’re missing the point. The big numbers (like 350 km/h) are an end unto themselves. The SVJ is meant as an entertaining distraction, an escape from the daily grind, and at least in that capacity, it is superb.
The jewel-like 6.5-litre V12 engine is right behind your head. It’s noisy and mechanical at idle, but the sound coalesces as the speed rises into a life-affirming, skull-rattling howl. When the tachometre ticks past 8,500 revs and the engine is pumping out its maximum 770 horsepower, it is simply not possible to think. It’s too loud and the horizon is rushing toward you so fast it seems like a cosmic glitch. In this moment, there is no stress, no to-do-list.
Even at low speeds, the SVJ Roadster focuses your mind in ways other cars can’t. You’re busy thinking about avoiding potholes and watching out for inattentive drivers craning at the car, and working to smooth out the shifts of the finicky gearbox. It always demands concentration.
Everyone is looking for a momentary escape right now. Sales of sports cars in Canada were up 19.2 per cent in the third quarter of 2020, compared to the previous year, according to market research firm DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. Cottages, motorcycles and personal watercraft have also seen sales boom during the pandemic.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lamborghini also reported strong sales last year, with a record-breaking September. As an escape and a shortcut to mindfulness, the Aventador SVJ Roadster is far better than any sort of meditation, yoga or dubious wellness product. Bungee jumping or indoor skydiving probably offers a better bang for your buck, though.
Tech specs
2020 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster
- Base price: $700,238 ($791,578 as tested)
- Engine: 6.5-litre V12
- Transmission/drive: 7-speed automatic
- Fuel economy (litres/100 kilometres): 27.9 city, 15.7 highway
- Alternatives: McLaren 765LT, Ferrari 812 GTS or SF90 Spider, a nice lakefront property
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