Lamborghini Veneno Roadster
Strictly limited special edition models have been a certain tradition at Lamborghini since the Reventón of 2007. Since then, the Veneno, Centenario and Sián have been based on the respective top V12 model, and the Countach LPI 800-4 will be launched shortly. The Veneno was the wildest and most unusual design for a road sports car. This model debuted as a Coupé at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and easily outshone the Ferrari LaFerrari, which also debuted there. Even before the world premiere, the three production cars had been sold to VIP customers in Asia and the USA – sight unseen at a unit price of around three million euros plus taxes. The model name came from a fighting bull that took the torrero José Sánchez Rodríguez on its horns and killed him in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in 1914. Lamborghini thus remained true to the old naming tradition begun with the Miura. A fourth example of the Veneno Coupé remained in the Lamborghini Museum.
Chassis and drive from the Aventador
The Veneno’s platform and carbon monocoque came from the Aventador. This also supplied the technology. Behind the two passengers, a 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine was at work. Its 552 kW/750 hp was transmitted to the permanent four-wheel drive via a seven-speed ISR transmission (Independent Shift Rod, an automated manual gearbox that is only half as heavy as a comparable dual-clutch gearbox). The increased use of carbon-fiber body panels reduced the weight by 125 kilograms to 1,440 kilograms compared with the Aventador. This helped the Veneno accelerate from a standstill to 62 mph in just 2.8 seconds and reach a topspeed of 220 mph. As the Veneno was officially intended to be a gift from Lamborghini to itself and its fans for the company’s 50th anniversary, each customer car received special color accents in one of the three colors of the Italian flag. The rest of the body wore the “Grigio Metalluro” color.
Roadster followed at the end of 2014
Around a year and a half after the premiere of the Veneno, Lamborghini also presented this supercar as a Roadster. In contrast to the brand’s other open-top vehicles, it deliberately dispensed with side windows and a soft top. Additional stiffening of the chassis increased the weight by 50 kilograms compared with the Coupé. This additional weight also resulted in an acceleration time that was a tenth of a second slower (2.9 seconds to 62 mph). The limited number was nine customer cars plus one car for the factory museum. Despite this, the sales price was increased to 3.3 million euros plus tax. The number 2 car will go under the hammer at Silverstone Auctions on November 25 as part of the Riyadh Car Show in Saudi Arabia. On the outside, this Veneno Roadster is finished in matte black with green accent lines. This green is echoed inside on the seats and parts of the dashboard, center tunnel and door panels. Less than 1,700 kilometers of mileage have been accumulated so far.
Images: Lamborghini
