While McLaren, Ferrari, and Porsche continue to fiddle around with hybrid hypercars, Lamborghini is sticking with its tried and true formula: brutal, naturally aspirated motivation and lightweight design. Case in point: The Lamborghini Centenario, which made its US debut last week at the redesigned Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The new model has the distinction of being the fastest and most powerful street-legal production car that Lamborghini has ever made.
Designed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ferruccio Lamborghini’s birth, the Centenario backs up its wild visuals with serious high performance hardware. Like the Aventador, the new model is constructed from a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and sends the power to all four corners by way of Lamborghini’s seven-speed Independent Shifting Rod dual-clutch transmission.
The Centenario’s mid-mounted, 6.5-liter V12 trumps the track-focused Lamborghini Aventador SV with a whopping 770 metric horsepower (or 760 hp by American standards). It boasts a screaming 8,600 rpm redline, and it has enough power to propel the company’s latest supercar to 62 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds—on its way to a top speed of 217 miles per hour.
For handling, the Centenario uses adaptive dampers that can adjust to road conditions on the fly, while a four-wheel steering system—not unlike the systems used by the Porsche 911 GT3 and Ferrari F12 TdF—help bolster the Centenario’s cornering capabilities. To reign things in from high speeds, six-piston calipers clamp down on carbon ceramic discs up front, with four-piston units installed in the rear.
“The Centenario is a car that perfectly combines tradition and innovation” said Stephan Winkelmann, Automobili Lamborghini’s former chief executive, speaking at the car’s European debut earlier this year. “It looks to the future while honoring the legend that is Ferruccio Lamborghini.”
e Centenario is an opportunity for our designers and engineers to transcend some of the constraints of series car production to achieve an incomparable result: the Centenario has immediately proved itself as a desirable collectors’ car, while demonstrating new Lamborghini technologies and outstanding performance. It is the most fitting tribute to Ferruccio Lamborghini in his centenary year: a man who created an exceptional brand, believed that anything was possible, and produced extraordinary, iconic cars. The Centenario is a super sports car for Ferruccio Lamborghini and the future he and we believe in today.”
– Stephan Winkelmann, Automobili Lamborghini’s former chief executive
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Centenario is its bold bodywork. Constructed of carbon fiber, the new model is arguably the most visually aggressive factory-made Lamborghini built to date, with the car’s massive side air intakes and motorsport-style rear diffuser channeling airflow with great drama.
Just 40 Centenarios have been earmarked for production at a price tag of $1.9 million each, with 20 examples to be built as hardtops while the other half as roadsters. All 40 cars are already bought.
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