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as I walk towards the parking lot at oribi airport in

pietermaritzburg I don’t have to guess where the aventador is

parked. there is a large crowd gathered around on the far side,

staring, taking photos, laughing and smiling. when the roadster

comes into view I understand their reaction, it is achingly

beautiful to behold.

the aventador is a stunning light metallic blue colour called

‘azzuro thetis’, a throwback to the beautiful 1968 Miura

Roadster. there is obvious purpose to this colour choice, the

Muira is considered the genesis of the high performance, two-

seater, mid-engine sports car. Just as the Muira ushered in a new

age of sports car in 1968, I can’t help but think that this roadster

has ushered in a new belle époque of the supercar.

opening the lamborghini’s trademark scissor doors, I climb

into the Sabbia neferem leather seats, handmade in Sant’agata

bolognese. the interior is simply sumptuous, lamborghini

rightly calling it bicolore elegante. Sitting in the roadster makes

me feel energised, powerful and content all at once. looking

around I feel like I am in the pilot’s seat of a fighter jet. there is

a real passion here; real love of detail has gone into each piece

of switchgear. all the controls fall naturally to hand for easy

adjustment; the ergonomics inside the cabin are quite simply,

perfect.

after a quick introduction to dave tarry-Smith, my cool, calm

and nonchalant co-driver from lamborghini Sa we do a quick

checklist; mirrors, indicator stalk, up-shift and down-shift

paddles, check. dave then selects Strada mode invites me to

start the aventador. I lift the red switchgear cover that hides the

start button like lifting the missile switch on a fighter jet, I press

firmly, the french expression “joie de vivre” does not do justice to

what follows, but the Italian does, “euforia”. life is an event. In the

aventador your life unfolds with Rossini, bellini, donizetti, verdi

and puccini streaming a soundtrack for your life, 60 centimetres

behind your ears.

In its heart the Roadster holds a 6.5 litre, 12-cylinder engine

weighing just 235 kilograms. It delivers 515 kilowatts at 8,250

revs per minute and 690 nanometres of torque. all of this

power is transferred perfectly to the road via its permanent

all-wheel drive system all the way through to 350 kilometres

per hour. acceleration is monumental. using the shift paddles

on the steering wheel, I change through the 7-speed gearbox

effortlessly. officially the aventador reaches 100 kilometres per

hour in 2.9 seconds. 1st gear is like a volcanic eruption, 2nd gear

is like a nuclear explosion, 3rd gear is like sitting in cannon that

I have just fired, and there are still 4 gears to go. In this mode

I will drink to the dregs of the 90 litre tank and get about 365

kilometres down the road. on the open road the aventador will

return 10.7 litres per 100 kilometres or about 841 kilometres on

a single tank. lamborghini have used state of the art technology

to improve fuel consumption and reduce carbon emissions

including cylinder deactivation as well as a start stop system,

with restart taking a mere 180 milliseconds.

Achingly beautiful lamborghInI aventador lp 700-4 roadster

The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster has arrived in South Africa not with a whimper – with an almighty roar.

102 I South AfricA DEluxE I Motor & SportS luxury car I 103

the drive from pietermaritzburg to durban is sublime and epic

all at once; the aventador is completely controllable in all kinds of

situations and on all types of roads. It encourages a very sporty driving

style and gives me a huge amount of confidence. Just past cato Ridge

on the R103 dave was generous enough to change the setting from

Strata, through Sport all the way to corsa mode for me. this improves

throttle response and feedback from the perforated leather steering

wheel. I think that this showed dave’s confidence of the lamborghini’s

forgiving nature more than my skill as a driver, but never in my life

have I enjoyed good hearing or having a right foot more than in corsa

mode. the suspension setup is something special, not once did I feel

the slightest under-steer as I carved my way through the valley of a

thousand hills.

the aventador isn’t a car that just excites the driver’s every sense. It’s

sleek hexagonal and trapezoid lines and deep primal roar project the

roadster’s bold, sporty character, exciting the senses of all who see it.

as I pass school children, people out shopping, fellow road users, the

reaction is the same - real admiration, real joy.

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A glorious ride

after reaching durban I hop into the beechcraft Kingair 250 at

virginia airport, en-route to the dezzi Raceway in port Shepstone

where the aventador will meet me a little later. It is a short 30 minute

flight and ends with the beechcraft landing on the actual race track.

the flight is ridiculously good fun and it puts into perspective just how

accommodating and versatile life can be when you have your own

plane and your own race track.

after a quick introduction to dezzi gutzeit, who has built the Raceway

as his own personal drift-track, I am introduced to our untamed race

driver for the day, Reghard Roets. Roets’ mission for the afternoon is to

drive the aventador around the Raceway as fast as possible allowing

me and my fellow journalists to better experience the true capabilities

of this glorious ride.

before we begin we re-fit the roof to the roadster for added safety

on the track. the roof pieces are in themselves an engineering

masterpiece, made of carbon fibre and weighing less than 6 kg. I

retrieve them from the front luggage compartment and in seconds

have the roof in place; easy enough for anyone to accomplish. Roof

on, sighting lap completed by Reghard, I jump into the passenger seat.

experience is usually a good thing; it prepares you for life and for what

it throws at you. nothing prepares you for what can be accomplished

by this car when driven to the limit by a professional on a racetrack.

flying around dezzi Raceway I come to understand that the aventador

Roadster remains an uncompromising driving machine, there is no

scuttle shake, no flexing, just perfect poise, perfect control, lap after

flying lap. this precision doesn’t come by chance; it is due to the work

of the master craftsman at lamborghini who spend over 120 hours

building a single carbon fibre monocoque chassis.

the lamborghini is completely intoxicating and all consuming.

time becomes your enemy on a day like this and with a car like this.

eventually I tear myself away from the aventador and board the

beechcraft for the return trip to durban unaware of the deal struck

between the pilot and the photographer craig owen, who wants to

shoot a few aerial shots. a series of sharp banks allow all on board to

witness the splendour of the aventador from above as it shimmers

in the glow of the setting sun splashing across the raceway. then we

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turn for home, skirting the shoreline, twenty-five meters above the waves.

as we cruise at 400 kilometres per hour, sipping casually on a glass of

veuve clicquot, we reminisce about the day’s adventure. I am convinced,

travelling around as I have today, that this is why the wright brothers

invented the airplane. they didn’t want to just fly; they wanted to be free

to come, to go and to do whatever they please, whenever they pleased.

flying for pleasure and whimsy is what people dream about. It speaks of

personal freedom, achievement, and absolute comfort.

I imagine too that this is why ferruccio lamborghini started automobili

ferruccio lamborghini in 1963. he determined that he would build a super

sports car to compete with the best in the world; without compromise,

because he was impassioned and pleased to do so, because he was

determined to do so. the lamborghini aventador lp 700-4 Roadster

is the car for people who are built the same way; passionate, focused

on the details and determined to achieve great things. It is for those in

search of perfection, who do not compromise. the roadster is for those

who are the master of their fate, the captain of their soul. nick ehrke

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