by Steven Perez
posted on February 26, 2019
It’s very, very red
Nobody does ostentatious, wake-the-neighbors supercars quite like Lamborghini. Like every vehicle in their V12-powered flagship lineage, the Aventador is as aggressively cool as it is a screaming lunatic. But the good folks at Lambo thought it wasn’t quite enough, so they turned every dial up to 11 to create the Aventador SV, or Superveloce (“super fast” in Italian — brilliant!). This 2017 Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster is the exact opposite of subtle in every way, and we are very proud to present it as our February 2019 car of the month!
When the Aventador SV was unveiled at 2015 Pebble Beach Concours, Lamborghini said “the Superveloce was designed as the sportiest Lamborghini ever, the fastest and most electrifying of all time.” It certainly looks the part. The SV has everything you want in a hardcore Lamborghini: a massive mid-mounted V12 engine, copious carbon fiber go-faster bits, doors that go up, and considerable impracticality. A perfectly excessive number of “SV” badges and decals adorn the angular body. 20-inch wheels wear Pirelli P-Zero tires with red lettering on the sidewalls. It looks like pure evil.
The Superveloce drops 110 pounds from the standard Roadster to help it become lighter, harder, and angrier. The visually striking but barebones interior includes door straps instead of handles, alcantara trim, and a bunch more carbon fiber alongside Lamborghini’s signature fighter-jet switches. It’s a cockpit that will not let you forget that you’re sitting in something special.
And this is something special. Only 500 Superveloce Roadsters were produced worldwide. It features the Aventador’s hand-built 6.5L V12, cranked up from 690 to 740 horsepower. Which seems like plenty. It shrieks and howls and spits flames and is by all reports, offensively loud. And it’s fast. Fast fast. It does zero to 60 in 2.9 seconds and is capable of a sub-seven-minute lap around the Nurburgring. Lamborghini’s website lists the top speed as “> 217 mph.”
The Roadster’s two-piece carbon fiber hardtop stows away in the trunk so you can hear the thunder of that V12, but also so you can bask in the ogles of onlookers. Sure, the SV Roadster has legitimate race car performance, but it is meant as a show for anyone who glimpses it — every element of the car is designed for maximum presence on the road, track, and valet parking lot.
This car flaunts a level of drama that might compel distracted commoners on the road to part for you like the waters of the Red Sea. But the Aventador SV is so theatrical that it’s beyond the oligarch-like pretension of other exclusive vehicles whose price tags can be expressed in fractions of a million dollars. It is self-aware, basking in its own joyful absurdity and extraordinarily focused abilities.
Like all machines that wear the fighting bull badge, the Aventador Superveloce is wholeheartedly committed to being cool, committed to making a statement. It’s safe to say that it’s effective — Dmitry’s SV Roadster might just be the most exciting car on Turo right now. Next time you find yourself in South Florida, give the SV a shot and see if it doesn’t blow you away.
Steven Perez
Steven is an avid car guy and content maker at Turo. Between Golden State Warriors games he can be found getting lost somewhere in California.
