The Lamborghini Aventador Roadster

There is no such thing as a Lamborghini for the faint of heart, but this has to the most outrageously theatrical car of them all. Taking this car around the block is a seismic theatrical performance that stops traffic, causes cell phone cameras to go into overload, and makes you wish you had worn something just a little bit cooler as you know you are now on hundreds of Facebook walls.

At the risk of waxing lyrical the Lamborghini Aventador is complete immersive experience, takes everything I ever thought I knew about the exotic car experience and turns it up to 11, and that’s before you’ve even started the engine.

Even starting the car is theatrical, as you flip up the “missile armed” red cover and press the start button, immediately everyone within a mile knows you are armed and dangerous! After a rousing chorus the engine then settles into a fairly quiet idle, that is until you switch the car from STRADA to SPORT and the eruptions happen all over again. Sport Mode makes the back up “blips” and rather decent stereo useless, but it is a thoroughly intoxicating sound with a glorious V12 wail that the Huracan just can’t match.

Once I started driving the Aventador you become aware that this is a HUGE car. Despite the epic noise and pace this is actually a really comfortable car with a nicely designed and beautifully made interior. Audi switchgear is immediately obvious, but his is no bad thing as Audi interiors are a thing of beauty.

The only grip I would have is it’s hard to believe you have to manually dim the mirror on a half million-dollar car. It has been so long since I have done that by hand it took me a while to figure out why I was blinded at every nighttime intersection, especially as you are so low that people’s light are your mirror height.

When I first picked the car up I drove passed my daughters college, it was a beautiful North Carolina autumn day, and we decided to take the roof down. The roof is also rather fiddly, in fact I could never get it to stow properly. Cate (who is much more technically minded that me) managed to get it no problem, but not without risk to her freshly manicured and painted nails. However Cate wasn’t with me that first day, so with the inevitable crowd that the car generates, we fiddled away looking more and more like Lambo Rookies.

Despite the process, once you do get the roof down and stowed, you are rewarded with a much airier cabin, even more engine noise, and unlike most cars, it actually improves the look. The Aventador is actually a targa, not a full convertible, and the profile shape especially is even more epic with the roof down.

The other thing about this car is that is almost as much fun sitting in the garage as it is driving it. There are so many exterior details that delight the eye and senses. The F22 Raptor design cues are obvious, and I love the look of the glass dragon sales over the engine.

Those dragon scales cover the heart and soul of the car. A 6.5 liter V12 with almost 700 horsepower. There are no turbos or superchargers, just a high revving naturally aspirated masterpiece with an engine wail so intoxicating that it’s worth going deep into license risking territory to hear.

Despite it’s large size the steering is extremely communicative, and feels alive even at legal speeds. The only part of the driving experience that is not perfection is the transmission. Auto mode is like getting kicked in the head with each shift, although with some practice manual mode, with a slight lift of the throttle between shifts, does allow for smooth progress.

And finally we get to the Aventador’s party trick – The scissor doors. As if there wasn’t already enough drama with this car, getting in and out is the ultimate expression of the ultimate Lamborghini. They are actually surprisingly practical, and allow opening the wide doors without the risk of knocking doors with a mere mortal.

And finally we get to the Aventador’s party trick – The scissor doors. As if there wasn’t already enough drama with this car, getting in and out is the ultimate expression of the ultimate Lamborghini. They are actually surprisingly practical, and allow opening the wide doors without the risk of knocking doors with a mere mortal.

The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700 Spyder is a masterpiece of modern design, achingly gorgeous to look at, at times it can even lull you into thinking that it is a reasonable purchase at five hundred grand, after all how can you put a price on a car that smashes your sense in everyway. What an experience.