At the
Geneva Motor Show today Lamborghini is presenting a
special open topped version of the Aventador featuring
new innovations including new lightweight materials and
a redesign of the carbon tub to suit a car that doesn't
feature a windscreen.
The Aventador J is a radically open automobile –
exterior and interior meld into each other. The
designers and engineers in Sant’Agata Bolognese have not
only dispensed entirely with the roof, but also with the
front windshield. This requires that drivers of the
Aventador J must have the right equipment for driving at
top speeds higher than 300 km/h. While a one-off, the
Aventador J offers a first look at the basis of a future
open-topped version of the V12 sports car which will
gain a a windscreen, removable roof and other
practicalities.
This kind of driving at the limit is a highly exclusive
experience – the Lamborghini Aventador J is fully
functional for road use. It is an absolute one-off: a
one-of-a-kind piece of art.
“With the Lamborghini Aventador J, we have molded our
brand DNA into its most definitive form to date. This
automobile is as extreme and as uncompromising as only a
Lamborghini can be,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President
and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “The new Lamborghini
Aventador J is the most radical open supersports car of
Lamborghini’s history. Its name comes from our tradition
and combines an unconventional design with technology
innovation. Nowadays we are confronted with several
regulations that we face in the spirit of challenge. The
Aventador J is the proof that, despite the rules,
Lamborghini will always make people dream, even in the
future.”
Continuation of a glorious tradition
With the Aventador J, technically based on the
Aventador, Automobili Lamborghini is carrying on its
glorious brand tradition. The 1970 Jota, for instance,
was the stuff of legends – a Lamborghini Miura with
improved performance and virtually redesigned in every
detail. It remained a one-off; although some owners
subsequently had their Miuras modified to look like the
Jota.
The letter J is derived from the sporting rules of the
FIA world motorsport organization. Its “Appendix J”
defines the technical specification of race cars in the
various classes.
The Aventador: Extremely open, overwhelming power
The Lamborghini Aventador J is a super sports car of
positively dramatic single-mindedness and openness. It
combines the overwhelming performance of the Lamborghini
Aventador with the most intense experience of power and
dynamics imaginable in an automobile.
The technical basis for the Aventador J is the Aventador
LP 700-4, Lamborghini’s new twelve-cylinder model.
Presented in 2011, the Aventador has been acclaimed by
customers and journalists alike. The Lamborghini
Aventador LP 700-4’s technology package is unique – its
structure is based on an innovative monocoque made from
carbon fiber reinforced polymers that combines
systematic lightweight design with optimum stiffness and
safety. The new twelve-cylinder with a displacement of
6.5 liters and 515 kW / 700 hp combines the best in
high-revving thrills with mighty pulling power. Its
super-fast ISR transmission, permanent all-wheel drive
and push-rod suspension combine this potent power with
the utmost handling precision.
Systematic lightweight design – considerable weight
reduction
Naturally, the Aventador J benefits enormously from this
unique technology package. Yet the Aventador J has a
significantly different interpretation to the Aventador
coupé. In this open version, the monocoque has a largely
new design, including the two safety bars behind the
seats. The absence of a roof, of the large windshield,
of the air conditioning system and of the navigation
system obviously takes it to an even lower weight. With
a dry weight of 1575 kilograms, the series production
Aventador LP 700-4 is already extremely light for its
performance class thanks to its carbon fiber
construction.
Carbonskin, a brand new carbon fiber material
The unique expertise of Automobili Lamborghini in the
field of carbon fiber reinforced polymers is evident not
only in the hi-tech monocoque, but also in the research
into further innovative solutions. Unlike traditional
seats, in the Aventador J seats are made of Forged
COMPOSITE®, with inserts of flexible carbon fiber
fabrics: a result of an innovative Lamborghini patent.
The specialists at Lamborghini have developed an even
more amazing version of carbon fiber material for the
Aventador J. In its first automotive application, this
carbon fiber fabric called “Carbonskin” is made of woven
carbon fibers soaked with a very special epoxy resin
that stabilizes the fiber structure and keeps the
material soft. Like a hi-tech fabric, the carbon fiber
mats fit perfectly to every shape. In the Aventador J,
the complete cockpit and parts of the seats are clad in
this material and shimmer in matt carbon fiber black.
It’s conceivable that in future there will be many
potential applications for this freshly patented and
extremely fine-looking material, even very high-end
clothing.
The Design: uncompromisingly Lamborghini
An extreme Aventador obviously needs an equally
single-minded design, which goes without saying at the
Centro Stile Lamborghini. Every single model from
Sant’Agata Bolognese bears the unique design of the
brand. Clear, precise surfaces, as well as sharp, often
broken lines are among the unmistakable styling tools.
They consistently emphasize the power and enormous
presence of these Italian super sports cars. Not one
line is ever accidental – the defining principle is
always ‘form follows function’.
Rear view mirror like a periscope
Virtually every part of the outer chassis was redesigned
for the Aventador J, yet it shows the spirit of
Lamborghini in its most concentrated form. The car’s
dimensions are extreme: the overall length is 4890 mm,
the overall width (excluding mirrors) is 2030 mm while
the height is 1110 mm.
The highest points are marked by the rear view mirror,
which is perched on an arm like a periscope, and by the
two safety bars behind the seats. In place of the
classic front windshield there are two small wind
deflectors. The occupants of the Aventador J are
confronted by the element of the wind in much the same
way as a superbike rider – therefore the right clothing
is prerequisite for every trip.
Front scoop with winglets
The front of the Aventador J is somewhat narrower than
that of the Aventador. The front end is dominated by a
highly distinctive carbon fiber air scoop, with central
fixing braces and upward tilting winglets on the outer
edges. Viewed from the side, the front end of the
Aventador J looks like a Formula 1 racing car.
Red with chrome effect, wheels with CFRP fan
The black of the carbon fiber parts is visibly evident
throughout the car – the significantly wider sill
elements and the mighty rear diffuser form a perfect
contrast to the rich red body paintwork. The special red
color was developed specifically for this Aventador - a
highly intensive red with a slight chrome effect.
The wheels, of course, were also developed specifically
for this car, with 20-inch rims at the front and 21-inch
at the rear. The five-spoke aluminum wheels have a
central lock system and an additional carbon fiber
insert that functions like a small fan for optimum brake
ventilation.
Naturally, the doors on the Aventador J also open
upward. They are considerably thinner than on the
Aventador and are fitted with a tiny, fixed side window.
The muscular flanks around the rear wheels are hallmark
Lamborghini and make it immediately apparent where this
particular bull keeps his power.
Rear end purely for aerodynamics and ventilation
Because of its ample dimensions, the eye is drawn
inexorably to the rear end. It consists in principle of
just three elements – the carbon-fiber rear diffuser,
the four huge tail pipes and the rear lights with their
typical Lamborghini light signature in the form of a Y.
The remaining surface area is for heat dissipation and
is enclosed only by a black metal mesh. The rear end is
crowned by an enormous fixed spoiler mounted on the
bodyshell by two arms. ‘Form follows function’ to the
nth degree. The spoiler is supported by two pillars
connected by the diffuser: clearly inspired by racing.
Special bumpers
In comparison with the Aventador LP 700-4, the exclusive
Aventador J has special front and rear bumpers. Both
bumpers have been supplemented with carbon fiber fins
that act as flow deviators. Their purpose is to achieve
a significant increase in the vehicle’s downforce at
both the front and the rear.
The outside comes inside
The Aventador J’s exterior and interior forms flow
seamlessly into each other. This supersports car turns
its inside outward and is as open as it can possibly be.
Conversely, the exterior ‘flows’ through the interior –
a red stripe runs from the front hood, between the two
wind deflectors, over the dashboard, down the console to
the center tunnel and back up between the seat backs,
before leaving the interior and heading for the engine
cover panel.
Interior is minimalist and single-minded
This band of color connects the front and the rear of
the car, creates a visual separation between the driver
and passenger space and is interrupted only by a small
control panel housing the starter button and the
switches for lights and transmission. The Aventador J is
equipped neither with a navigation nor car audio system,
nor does it have the associated screen or air
conditioning controls – these would simply detract from
its one and only raison d’être as an extreme driving
experience. What remains, of course, are two
programmable TFT displays behind the steering wheel.
The engine cover also brings the inside to the outside.
To be more precise, it is not so much a cover but more a
framework. This part has a new geometry (X shape) and is
made of carbon fiber. Two large openings lay bare both
cylinder banks of the mighty V12 power unit with its 6.5
liters of displacement – a truly stunning sight for
every automobile aficionado.
A unique work of art licensed for the road
However, at the end of the Geneva Motor Show, this sight
will be the preserve of just one – the future owner of
the Lamborghini Aventador J. There is only one of them,
no prototypes and no others for the Lamborghini Museum.
The buyer can look forward to a truly unique,
street-legal work of art. He will possess the most
extreme expression of Lamborghini DNA in existence and a
real masterpiece of high technology. But the many other
fans of the super sports cars from Sant’ Agata Bolognese
can rest assured - the Aventador success story has only
just begun.
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