Lamborghini unveils $3.9 million supercar

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Never one to let rivals like McLaren and Ferrari have all the fun unveiling their $1-million-plus supercars, Lamborghini brought its $3.9-million Veneno to the Geneva Motor Show.

by David Undercoffler| Los Angeles Times

The automaker unveiled the 750-horsepower car Monday to celebrate Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary.

Only three copies of the Veneno will be made — all already sold. Two of the buyers live in the U.S., one of whom happens to own a Lamborghini dealership in Long Island.

So what do these three buyers get for their money?

A street-legal race car that accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds and has a top speed of 220 mph. Like the Aventador on which it’s based, the Veneno has a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 engine, a seven-speed automated manual transmission and permanent all-wheel drive.

Although the car also shares a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis with the Aventador, all of the carbon fiber body panels are unique to the Veneno. Lamborghini said a key goal of the new body was to maximize the car’s downforce, hence the various splitters, air ducts, diffusers and a large, adjustable rear spoiler.

The car comes with 20-inch wheels in the front and 21-inch wheels at the back. The rims have a carbon fiber ring designed to work like a turbine to provide additional cooling to the carbon-ceramic brakes.

In keeping with Lamborghini’s tradition of naming its cars after fighting bulls, the Veneno is named after a bull known for being among the fastest ever, according to the automaker. The bull gained notoriety in 1914 by fatally wounding a famous bullfighter of the era.

david.undercoffler@latimes.com