We all knew the 2013 Geneva Auto Show would be bringing us something special from Automobili Lamborghini SpA, in fact the entire 2013 year will be special for the Sant’Agata based factory as it is celebrating 100 years of innovation in 50 years … being founded in 1963 the company is exactly 50 years old, and that calls or a special celebration.
In May we will see the amazing Giro in and around Sant’Agata, bringing together hundreds of Raging Bulls to enjoy a once in a lifetime event bringing together both owners and enthusiasts as a tribute to one of the most coveted car builders ever, the late Ferruccio Lamborghini just didn’t take no for an answer and created what we now know as one of the most innovative makes on the exotic car market … or as Stephan Winkelmann, current CEO and director of the company puts it :’always different, always Lamborghini.
Back to the 2013 Geneva Auto Show that will open its doors in a few weeks, usually the stand holds three models, this time we can be fairly sure there will be a MY2013 Aventador LP700-4 with the optional Dione wheels and carbon fiber pack next to the brand new Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, the current flagship V12 convertible … that has a delivery delay of 18 months by now, while being unveiled only months ago.
But the third model should draw all the attention this time … a lot of talk has been going round the last few weeks, some sources mention an upgraded LP720-4 evolution as a 50th Anniversary edition, with 20 hp more than the regular models, finished in a special color and with modified bumpers … in line with the magnificent Diablo SE30 … and if we take a look at both the 30th and the 40th Anniversary models I think we’ll be seeing a custom interior for the 50th Anniversary Aventador edition too.
Earlier Anniversary edition Raging Bulls like the Diablo and Murciélago derivatives were always built in a very limited, numbered edition, the Diablo SE30 was made 150 times, the Murciélago 40th Anniversary was limited to 50 units … on the other hand the Countach 25th Anniversary was initially intended as a limited edition too, but it left the factory doors 657 times, so we can hardly call it limited now can we.
According to the Lamborghini design director Filippo Perini the 50th Anniversary edition model will be extremely limited, we first heard numbers like 100 units of an Aventador LP710-4, later we learned from an interview with Mr Perini in Miami production would be limited to less than 10 units of something truly special … naturally with a price to match … and Mr Perini mentioned most of them were already sold right now … as usual I guess, the Sesto Elemento was also already sold out by the time Mr Winkelmann announced the limited production of 20 units.
What we did learn from the interview with Filippo Perini is the fact this special edition Lamborghini will be the fastest ever made … which isn’t so hard if you think about it. The current Aventador LP700-4 puts 350 Km/h down as the top speed … which is the fastest production Lamborghini ever right now … add 20 or more hp and drop some weight and you will no doubt end up with a Bull that’s even faster … instantly making it the fastest Lamborghini ever made.
You might ask why Lamborghini wants to create such a car in so little numbers … the answer is as simple as it is logical … to shock the world as Mr Perini states, and just in case you are wondering about it … Lamborghini director of research and development Maurizio Reggiani confirmed this new car will be completely street legal, unlike the Sesto Elemento that is a track only car … and Lamborghini still managed to sell all 20 units of the latter one at a staggering €1.9 million ($2.5 million) a pop.
So despite the economic problems still being around for most of us, there is no shortage of avid fans that can spend a lot of money on a very special car like a limited edition, wild looking Lamborghini … just look back at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show when they showed the one of a kind Lamborghini J … the most aggressively styled Aventador yet impressed … not let’s make that ‘shocked’ the world … it even overshadowed the competition with their FF at the time. Still it was sold the same day it was unveiled to the VIP invited to the evening show, for a solid €2 million … and to make things even more impressive … they had three people ready to pay this amount right there.
So whatever Automobili Lamborghini SpA will unveil in Geneva this years, I’m sure it will sell like hot cakes … if they make only 10 and put a price tag of €1 million on it I just know it will be sold out before it hits the stand in Geneva … just look at the Reventón … same price, even higher production … and sold out from the start … history is bound to repeat itself.
Mr Reggiani did state it will not be a totally new model, but more a radical evolution of an existing model, and I sure hope it will remain true to the anniversary models of the past and be based on the V12 flagship model … so an Aventador 50th Anniversary edition … and according to Stephan Winkelmann they will continue to invest in special edition cars, he stated: “One-offs and low volume special editions are part of Lamborghini’s DNA – they allow us to be purists.”
I’m really looking forward to seeing this car in Geneva in a few weeks … if all goes as planned I will once again be at the press conference on March 5th …
