2022 Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae Review Car News

So that’s it, but not really. The new Lamborghini Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae is the latest version to use only 12-cylinder power, but it won’t be the last time we see an almighty V12 in the innards of something handcrafted in Sant’Agata. . The imminent successor to the Aventador will also be powered by V12, with electric assistance but above all no turbos. It is therefore an end but also a beginning.

Instead of dwelling on the demise of the purely V12 Lamborghini, whose time, you could reasonably say, has well and truly come, let’s focus on how such a momentous car like the Aventador bows out. Momentary because it was such an epic statement of intent when it arrived in 690hp LP700-4 form in 2011, when CEO Stephan Winkelmann described it not just as a generation after the Murciélago, but effectively like two. Significantly improved ergonomics, a super stiff carbon fiber monocoque to replace the steel trellis frame and an all new lower V12 (being dry sump) all saw to that.

And capital even now because the £345,000 Ultimae is not a cynical special run, as it might have been. Blending the best bits from the recent lineup, it’s the most compelling Aventador of them all and one of the great V12 Lambos, and it starts in the engine bay. Betrayed by the big-bore exhaust tips, which burst high (though, ridiculously, still only at knee height) through the vented rear and bronze cam covers, the 6.5-litre heart of this car is a transplant from the Aventador SVJ, only with even more firepower. All 769bhp is offered at 8,500rpm, barely 200rpm before the redline requires a reload.

What follows is ballistic performance for something so big: 62mph passes in 2.8 seconds and the claim is 221mph flat, making it the fastest Lambo we’ve yet seen.

The chassis is essentially a straight Aventador S, although the Ultimae weighs 25kg less than that car, likely due to the new exhaust, titanium SVJ engine and reduced Centenario-style rear bodywork and associated diffuser. Strongly rear-pointing four-wheel drive (with the front axle engaged via a Haldex clutch pack only when required) and four-wheel steering are both available. The same goes for the ISR gearbox which dates the Aventador more painfully than anything else, with the possible exception of the Audi-sourced infotainment switchgear.

How does the Ultimae feel? Just like the S, only subtly sharper – and faster. Yes, it’s clear the S already has more thrust than any sane person knows what to do with, but on an empty straight on our test drive in the hills of Modena, with the Ultimae already pulling at a pace obscene, I was shocked to find out how much pedal travel was left. This SVJ-lite is blazingly fast beyond 6000rpm – perhaps even faster now in terms of perception, as the uncorrupted engine feels so mechanically raw and rich compared to turbo alternatives. So does the artificially sharp throttle response you get from powerful electric assist, like in the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. In the Ultimae, it’s just you and the oversquare V12 gusset on your back.