THE QUORUM

From its jagged leading edge and faceted air intakes to the terraced-glass engine louvers and improbably angled tail, the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 is one menacing machine.

Its sharply creased body melds a series of striking sculptural shapes that bring to mind the venerable Countach and wicked Diablo. Beneath those angled creases lie all manner of bleeding-edge technology confirming the car’s malicious intentions, including a carbon-fiber monocoque weighing just 325 pounds, Formula 1–inspired push-rod suspension and an ungodly powerful V-12 engine. How quickly the late, great Murcielago has become a low-slung relic.

Lamborghini’s new flagship is, in a word, nuts. Nothing else describes a 690-horsepower projectile that shoots from zero to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. Yet Lamborghini has managed to build a 217-mph machine with surprisingly approachable handling.

Don’t get me wrong. The Aventador is still one mean beast. But it’s a mean beast you can control, if not quite tame.

Insistent Forward Motion
All that frantic computing governs everything from the torque distribution of the all-wheel-drive system to the level of traction-control intervention. Typical among cars of this caliber, a launch-control system enables maximum acceleration: In corsa mode, mash the gas and brake pedals to the floor until the engine hits 5,500 rpm, then let off the brake. Lamborghini officials discouraged us from engaging launch control, but suffice it to say that hard acceleration in the Aventador offers a rush of insistent forward motion that makes it nearly impossible to move your head forward. The sensation is accompanied by the synchronous shriek of one dozen angry cylinders.

Approaching 140 mph on Vallelunga’s back straight requires some fortitude, but you’re in good hands as you approach the sharp right-hander; massive carbon ceramic brakes are poised at all four corners, ready to scrub off speed with alacrity. Repeated deceleration reveals that the brakes, in fact, work even better when warmed up, as evidenced by weight transfer that lightens up the car’s tail. Pull into pit lane, and a slight charred smell is the only clue to their extreme stopping capabilites.