Lamborghini Aventador: New Italian Super Car Laid Bare

by David Kiley (RSS feed)
Feb 25th 2011 at 6:01PM

Loosen up your checkbooks. Italian super-car builder Lamborghini is expected to unveil its new Aventador next week at the Geneva Motor Show. The Aventador is the successor to the Murcielago, which went out of production last November, having finished off a decade long run of 4,099 cars produced.

Though the "Aventador" name is still technically unconfirmed by Lamborghini, it is known that the company trademarked the name. Industry sources say the new flagship super-car will produce around 700 horsepower from a new 12-cylinder engine, reach 62 mph in just 2.7 seconds, and reach a top end of 217 mph.

The speed of the new Lambo is achieved in part by a new carbon fiber monocoque cell that weighs just under 325 pounds. The entire body-in-white, which is the shell of the car, weighs just 505 pounds according to reports.

The Murcielago was priced between $350,000 and 450,000 depending on fitment. The Aventador will probably be in the same range, but with a higher bottom starting price.

Lamborghini is owned by Volkswagen AG. See the video and gallery.

Gallery: Lamborghini Aventador