After about a decade of Lamborghini Aventador production, the current V12 flagship from Sant’Agata is facing the final curtain in 2022, at which time the long-awaited successor will replace the Linea Aventador at the factory, and usually, a modification of the assembly line is started when the factory goes into the Summer holiday in August, so chances are the last Aventador will be completed by August 2022, and it will most likely be one of the limited-edition Aventador Ultimae versions.
If you want to take a look at the different models in the Aventador range you might want to check out our ‘ultimate guide‘, but we’ll take a look at the highlights now, with the original Aventador LP700-4 being introduced at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
The production models
2011 – The Aventador LP700-4
Lamborghini intended to build a total of 350 units of the impressive 2009 Murciélago LP670-4 Super Veloce, but in the end, only 186 were sold before they introduced the next step in the V12 evolution from Sant’Agata, the Aventador LP700-4, the new flagship that seemed to have been influenced by the Reventón styling, no longer available with a manual transmission, but still retaining those trademark upward-opening doors, although on the Aventador they also open outward a little to make it easier to get into this low slung supercar.
Back in 2011, Lamborghini announced they would be building 4,000 units of their new Aventador, they ordered eight monocoque molds, each of which would be able to produce up to 500 carbon fiber Aventador ‘tubs’, and with the Murciélago being built in 4,099 units over a decade of being in production, that number made sense to the Lamborghini management team … little did they know things would turn out differently.
2012 – The Aventador LP700-4 Roadster
We were all expecting to see the open-top version of the Aventador at the 2021 Geneva Motor Show, and while the Roadster was ready at that time, Lamborghini decided to showcase the one-off Aventador J, more on that one later on, by the end of 2012, at the Los Angeles Auto Show we did get to see the Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, and it was without a doubt an absolutely stunning looking convertible, closed it resembled the Coupe with the two rigid but lightweight roof panels, but when open the car still boasted a stunning design.
Sales on the new Lamborghini V12 flagship soared, and it took just over five years to reach 4,000 units, a number that took the Murciélago about double that time, and sales were still strong, both on the Coupe and the Roadster, but it was time for the mid-life facelift version to come around, which happened in December 2016.
2016 – The Aventador S
After building the original Aventador LP700-4 for about five years, the time came to freshen up the model, and Lamborghini revealed the Aventador S in late 2016, inspired by models like the Miura S and the Countach S, this new Aventador came with a host of improvements over the original model, including differently styled front and rear bumpers, fixed air intakes, and a centrally mounted exhaust system.
The Aventador S also introduced rear-wheel steering to the V12 production model from Sant’Agata, something that really changed the driving experience of this large supercar, some drivers complained about the fact the experience became too easy, too smooth, not raw enough for a Lamborghini V12, but if you wanted raw, Lamborghini had something else in store for you, more on that one later on.
2017 – The Aventador S Roadster
It took Lamborghini nine months to officially introduce the Aventador S Roadster version at the 2017 IAA in Frankfurt, finished in a stunning blue metallic over a white leather interior, the Aventador S didn’t come with any surprises, we’ve all seen the LP700-4 Roadster and the Aventador S coupe, so this was just a mix between the two, the updated S edition, but with the added bonus of driving with the top off.
Being introduced in late 2017, chances are the first units of the new Aventador S Roadster weren’t delivered to customers well into 2018, and while it’s a stunning model, it would turn out the Aventador S would become the rarest of the production Aventador models because it was built just over three years, at the end other, limited-edition models took precedence on the assembly line and the orders for both the S Coupe and the S Roadster were somewhat toned down by the factory to make sure they had enough production capacity for the more expensive models using the same chassis.
The Aventador S would be the final production version of the V12 flagship model built at the Linea Aventador in Sant’Agata, every other model in the range was either a one-off, a few-off, or a limited production model … the latter we’ll take a look at now.
The limited-edition models
2013 – The Aventador LP720-4
In 2013 Automobili Lamborghini SpA was celebrating her 50th anniversary, with the Grande Giro that took over 300 Lamborghini through Italy on some of the most beautiful roads ever, but it was also the opportunity to unveil a special ’50th Anniversary’ edition of the current flagship, which became the Aventador LP720-4, slightly more power, a different styling on the exterior and the famous Q-Citura stitching option for the seats, door panels, and roof, available in either Coupe or Roadster version, but more importantly, only 100 units would be made of each, so this is a rare Aventador today.
2015 – The Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce
Just four years after the introduction of the original Aventador LP700-4, Lamborghini revealed the ultra-aggressive looking Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce, or the SV edition, in line with the Miura SV from the Sixties and the Diablo SV from the Nineties, the SV was the high-performance version of the ‘normal’ Aventador, adding 50hp into the mix together with a more aggressive front bumper, rear diffuser and massive, fixed rear wing, with many parts being finished in clear carbon fiber, the Aventador SV was a more track-focused model while the regular Aventador was more of a street model.
The Aventador Superveloce did have a very interesting option, while the show car in Geneva didn’t have any SV decal on the side, the option was to either have a small SV script on the lower part of the door, near the front wheel or go for the much larger SV script on the fender above the rear wheel … most of the customer cars were ordered with that large logo it appears, but you had the option … if you were fast enough to get your order in that is, as only 600 units of the Superveloce would be made for the entire world, some dealers were only allocated one unit for instance.
2015 – The Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce Roadster
The impressive Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce was introduced in March 2015 in Geneva, while Lamborghini showed the Roadster version in the same year already, being unveiled during Monterey Car Week in California in August 2015, and things got even more interesting for the topless version of the Lamborghini V12 ultimate road car, only 500 would be made available to customers, 100 units less than the Coupe version.
For years the Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce Roadster was the ultimate supercar to own, a brutal looking, high-performance road car with track influences that could be driven with the top off, what more could you ask for, and for the Superveloce Lamborghini introduced the carbon fiber lightweight sports seats, absolutely stunning, but rather harsh to drive for longer periods of time … but in my opinion, this raw car just needs these seats, but there was an option to install the electric comfort seats, with the special SV stitching pattern … naturally.
2018 – The Aventador SVJ
Lamborghini introduced the Aventador SV back in 2015, and they quickly sold out, so when the Aventador S marked the facelift model for the V12 line, it was time to make a ‘superfast’ edition on that model, hence we got the Aventador SVJ, a 770hp supercar with the wildest looking aero ever on an Aventador from the factory, this was the version that set the record time at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife for a production car, completing the 20.6 km lap in just 6:44.97 minutes.
Just like the Aventador SV, this new SVJ, or Superveloce Jota edition would be limited, but instead of 600 units, the SVJ would be made 900 times in total, and they did sell-out eventually, the final units are being built at the time of writing, and if you really wanted something special you could always opt for the SVJ 63 of which … you guessed it, only 63 were available.
2019 – The Aventador SVJ Roadster
The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ introduced ALA onto the V12 range, the Active Lamborghini Aerodynamics consists of moveable flaps both in the front bumper and on the large rear wing, in case of the latter the central air intake would be able to be redirected inside the rear wing to have more downforce while cornering, or decrease drag for straight-line top speed runs.
About six months after the Coupe, the Aventador SVJ Roadster was unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, finished in a very special Bronzo Zenas shade, a matt gold, the SVJ Roadster is the ultimate model in the entire Aventador production line, only 800 were made and you could even get hold of an SVJ 63 Roadster if you were fast enough to order one, as those 63 Roadsters sold out very quickly.
2021 – The Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae and LP780-4 Ultimae Roadster
As a final production model from Lamborghini with the NA V12 engine, they came up with the Ultimae, the ultimate edition of the V12 flagship model, the swansong of the Aventador range, the LP780-4 Ultimae is the most powerful model ever made in Sant’Agata with just an internal combustion engine, taking the elegance of the Aventador S and combining it with the aggressiveness of the Aventador SVJ, but the Ultimae does not come with ALA as seen on the latter.
Automobili Lamborghini SpA introduced both the Coupe and the Roadster at the same time for their Ultimae edition, and once again we’re looking at a limited-edition model, only 350 Coupe and 250 Roadster were available … and yes, you’re reading that right ‘were available’, as they are sold out by the time you are reading this.
That also means that the Lamborghini Aventador is sold out! Currently, they are assembling the final units of both the Aventador SVJ and Aventador SVJ Roadster, after that, the first customer cars in the Aventador Ultimae series will be built, with between 4 and 5 Aventador being completed on a daily basis, building these 600 Aventador Ultimae (combined production for the Coupe and the Roadster) will take the Linea Aventador about 120 working days, with on average 20 days a month of activity this means another six months worth of production for this model alone.
The one-off model
2012 – The Aventador J
Probably the most radical Lamborghini Aventador ever, the 2012 Aventador J, a one-off build that was introduced just one year after the initial model, and while many were expecting to see the Aventador Roadster at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Automobili Lamborghini SpA surprised us all with this stunning dark red metallic topless version, complete with very low windshield, bespoke seats, an innovative rearview mirror, and a stunning custom bodywork with the most beautiful rear wing I’ve ever seen on a factory-made Lamborghini.
The few-off models
2014 – The Aventador LP700-4 Nazionale
In 2014 Lamborghini showcased a special edition of the Aventador LP700-4 called the Nazionale and it could be considered as the V12 version of the Gallardo Tricolore from 2011 as the Nazionale shown in Beijing was finished in Bianco Opalis and featured an Italian flag running from the front, over the roof to the back of this flagship model. The Nazionale was not really a special edition, but more a pre-configured Ad Personam package, much like the current Pearl Capsule on the Urus, still only very few were ever made, besides white over blue edition you could also go for a blue version with a white interior, as far as I know, the Aventador LP700-4 Nazionale was only made as a Coupe.
2015 – The Aventador LP700-4 Pirelli Edition
To celebrate the long term relationship between Automobili Lamborghini SpA and Pirelli that has been going on ever since the Lamborghini 350GT back in 1963, the Sant’Agata exotic supercar builder created an exclusive edition of their V12 flagship in 2015, the Aventador LP700-4 Pirelli Edition, available both as a Coupe or as a Roadster, this new Pirelli Serie Speciale comes in a select palette of shades only, and all of them boast a black roof.
The black Alcantara upholstery continues this red shade inside, with bespoke stitching and red piping on the seats and headliner, while the seats also receive both the Lamborghini crest and the Pirelli script embroidered in contrasting red, the door panels and the sides of the seats receive leather inserts to create a more special feeling while a ‘Pirelli Serie Speciale’ plaque will be fitted to each of these Bulls that leave the assembly line.
2016 – The Aventador Miura Homage
With the magnificent Lamborghini Miura celebrating her 50th anniversary in 2016, Lamborghini came up with the Aventador Miura Homage, a special ‘trim’ of the LP700-4 model at that time, with typical Miura inspired colors for the body, but combined with either silver or gold sections at the bottom of the body, to mimic the side sills of the Miura. Only 50 units of the Aventador Miura Homage were built, and all were Coupe, they didn’t recreate the Azzuro Cielo Miura Roadster on an Aventador, which might have been a good idea nonetheless.
2020 – The Aventador SVJ Xago Edition
Only ten Aventador SVJ Xago Edition were built, each one of them individually put together by an Ad Personam consultant together with the customer during an initial two-hour virtual meeting. The client could request this meeting at the local dealership, during which they could call in from all over the world and be in direct contact with the Ad Personam specialist right at the factory, surrounded by samples of what was possible, each of the ten units would have a bespoke detail color, no two Xago would be the same, and all of them were Roadsters.
The end of an era
Sadly the completion of 350 Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae and 250 Ultimae Roadster will also mean the end of the naturally aspirated V12 for Lamborghini, the end of an era, as the successor to the Lamborghini Aventador will still retain a V12 engine, but it is unsure we’ll be seeing a large displacement on this new powerplant, what is for sure is that we’ll be talking about a hybrid production car, a first for Lamborghini.
Just like the Lamborghini Urus Super SUV was the first production car from Sant’Agata with turbochargers, the new flagship model will be the first real production hybrid for Lamborghini, the Sián and Countach LPI800-4 are limited-edition models, so they can’t be considered production models.
So this will conclude the Aventador reign, all of the models that will be built at the Linea Aventador until it’s shut down are sold already, so the Lamborghini Aventador is officially sold out at the time of writing, there is no way to order a new Aventador at a local dealership at this time, and unless you’ll find what you are looking for as a car the dealer ordered in advance, you’re out of luck until the replacement flagship is available to order.
Now I know I haven’t listed cars like the Veneno, the Centenario, the Sian, or the new Countach LPI800-4, and yes, I’m aware these are using the Aventador chassis, but Lamborghini isn’t calling these ‘Aventador’ as is, so personally, I don’t feel they are to be listed in this article, those cars are so special, they deserve a separate publication, perhaps later.
The Lamborghini Aventador deserves an article all for herself, by the time the last ever will leave the Linea Aventador in Sant’Agata we’ll have seen about 12,000 units of this flagship model been built, that is more than all the other v12 models from Lamborghini in history put together, that has to mean something, so I’m sure the Aventador will get her place in automotive history, just like the Miura and the Countach before her, the Lamborghini legacy will live on in the new V12 hybrid model for sure …