Post by officergroyman on Sept 13, 2007 21:49:54 GMT -1
2008 Lamborghini Reventón Photo: Bruce Whitaker
Story Filed: 9/12/2007 1:49:17 PM EST
By Alex Popple
A fighter jet-inspired exclusive special edition for 2008.
“Uncompromising . . . a true automotive superlative.” That’s how Stephan Winkelman, president and CEO of Lamborghini describes his company’s latest product. And it needs to be: With a price of nearly $1.4 million U.S. — plus tax — it’s more than four times the price of the “ordinary” Murcielago that it’s based on.
It will be exclusive, too — just 20 of these exceptional cars will be produced, and all will be sold during 2008.
Everything about this car is more extreme than the Murcielago and every carbon fiber panel is new. Sharper edges; large, angled, forward-facing air intakes; deeply faired-in rear light clusters; a hood with open ventilation slots; asymmetrical body side air vents...seen side by side with the super-aggressive Reventón, the Murcielago looks almost tame.
Reventón will be offered in only one, exclusive color: an opaque green-grey, also called Reventón. It’s a metallic paint with an unusual matte finish in contrast to the high shine finish common to most vehicles. The matching wheels have carbon rims screwed to aluminum spokes.
The Murcielago’s 6.5-liter 12-cylinder engine has been upgraded to 650 horsepower and 487 lb-ft of torque for the Reventón, with an 8000 rpm redline. A specially contoured near flat floor provides superior aerodynamics, giving the car a 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) performance of 3.4 seconds. A robotized gearbox transmits the power to all four wheels.
Inside, the fighter-jet theme is carried through. The Alcantara, carbon, aluminum and leather interior has a no-nonsense air of functional luxury, but the pièce de résistance is the LCD instrument panel, which presents drivers with two modes (selectable at the flick of a switch), either striking high-tech, multifunctional aircraft-style instruments, or more traditional (simulated) analogue dials. Both options display a “3-D” g-meter, which measures both longitudinal (accelerative) and lateral (cornering) g forces.
The one thing that’s not fighter jet-inspired is the name. No, Lamborghini found an even more bloodthirsty source for their new car’s badge: Reventón was the name of a bull that famously defeated and killed top bullfighter Felix Guzman in 1943.
It’s an impressive package, and a characteristically flamboyant way to fulfill Lamborghini’s pledge to bring a new car to market every year.
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