Lamborghini unveils $3.9 million supercar
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.
- The new Lamborghini Veneno is introcuded by CEO and Chairman Stephan Winkelmann during a preview of Volkswagen Group (VW) ahead of the Geneva Car Show in Geneva. (Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images)
- The new Lamborghini Veneno is introcuded by CEO and Chairman Stephan Winkelmann during a preview of Volkswagen Group (VW) ahead of the Geneva Car Show in Geneva. (Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images)
- The new Lamborghini Veneno is introcuded by CEO and Chairman Stephan Winkelmann during a preview of Volkswagen Group (VW) ahead of the Geneva Car Show in Geneva. (Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images)
- The new Lamborghini Veneno is introcuded by CEO and Chairman Stephan Winkelmann during a preview of Volkswagen Group (VW) ahead of the Geneva Car Show in Geneva. (Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images)
- The new Lamborghini Veneno is introcuded by CEO and Chairman Stephan Winkelmann during a preview of Volkswagen Group (VW) ahead of the Geneva Car Show in Geneva. (Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images)
- The new Lamborghini Venenos is seen during the 83rd Geneva Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland. Held annually with more than 130 product premiers from the auto industry unveiled this year, the Geneva Motor Show is one of the world’s five most important auto shows. (Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)
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