Raging Bull's new Aventador ready to charge Oz

THE replacement for Lamborghini’s flagship Murcielago super-coupe, the Aventador LP700-4, is primed and ready for its Australian public debut at the Melbourne motor show on July 1, when a price of about $790,000 will be announced.

That makes the Aventador more expensive than the outgoing base Murcielago LP640 ($755,000) but less than last year’s limited-edition LP670-4 SuperVeloce, which was the most expensive Lambo ever sold here, at $889,000.

But it hasn’t stopped most of up to 10 examples destined for Australia this year being pre-sold, with first local deliveries of the all-new top-shelf Italian supercar – which recently received official Australian Design Rule approval – set to take place sooner than expected in June.

Lamborghini Australia managing director Andrew Smith said his company’s biggest new model release in 2011 was guaranteed to attract the kind of attention only a redesigned range-topper from the House of the Raging Bull can.

“There are only a couple of examples remaining,” he said. “We think it will do very well.” In fact, Lamborghini SpA says global demand for the Aventador has outstripped the company’s production capacity, with the order bank now stretching out more than a year. In markets such as Singapore, an allocation of 60 examples is spoken for until the third quarter of 2012.

As GoAuto has reported, the Murcielago successor and its Aventador nameplate – which takes its name from a fighting Spanish bull that was awarded for its outstanding courage, in keeping with Lamborghini’s traditional bull-related naming policy – were revealed for the first time on February 28.

Also consistent with modern Lambo nomenclature, the LP700-4 suffix refers to the engine output in horsepower and the fact that it drives all four wheels.

The Italian supercar maker’s new all-wheel drive flagship looks similar to its predecessor but is powered by an all-new high-revving V12 engine and introduces Lambo-first F1-style features including a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis and pushrod suspension.

Although the new 60-degree engine is the same size as the previous V12 at 6.5 litres (6498cc, to be exact), the all-new smaller, lighter and lower short-stroke V12 is rated at 515kW (at a revvy 8250rpm) and therefore produces some 44kW more power than the LP640 and 22kW more than the LP670, while also delivering more torque (690Nm versus 660Nm).

Thanks to a dry weight reduction of 90kg (to 1575kg) over the Murcielago, the more powerful Aventador is claimed to sprint to 100km/h in just 2.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 350km/h, making it one of the quickest and fastest production cars ever built.

Despite this, the new V12 – when matched with a new seven-speed ISR (independent shifting rods) automated transmission – is also considerably more efficient, with Lamborghini claiming both fuel consumption (17.2L/100km EC combined) and CO2 output (398g/km) is down by 20 per cent.

At 4780mm long and 2260mm wide, the Aventador is a little longer and wider than the Murcielago, but sits slightly lower at 1136mm and comes with an optional transparent cover to display its mid-mounted engine.

Lamborghini claims the coupe’s carbon-fibre monocoque tub – to which the engine, transmission and pushrod aluminium double wishbone suspension are attached via aluminium subframes at each end – weighs only 147.5kg but still offers high torsional strength.

The two-door two-seat Aventador also features an electronically deploying rear wing and engine air intakes, 400mm front and 380mm rear carbon-ceramic composite disc brakes, six-piston front and four-piston rear brake callipers, an electric park brake, 19x9.0-inch wheels with 255/35-section tyres at the front and massive 20x12.0-inch rims with 335/30 rubber at the rear, a red switch cover for the start button on the centre tunnel and an all-important reversing camera.