► New Lambo Centenario unveiled
► 20 coupes, 20 roadsters to be built
► Marks centenary of Ferruccio’s birth
Now this is what we call a terrific way to mark the centenary of your founder’s birth: this is the outrageous new Lamborghini Centenario, unveiled at the 2016 Geneva motor show.
It’s the latest in a long line of limited-edition Lambos, this one taking the innards of an Aventador and wrapping it in a bespoke composite couture. Think of it as the successor to the madcap Reventon.
It’s 100 years since eponymous founder Ferruccio was born. We’re sure he’d approve of this distinctly wild, scissor-doored supercar overload…
What’s new on the Centenario?
Plenty. Although the mid-mounted V12 is familiar from use in the largest Lambo road car, it’s been given a full going-over: with 760bhp developed close to the naturally aspirated engine’s peak speed of 8600rpm, this is the most powerful engine Sant’Agata has ever built for a road car.
Yes, the Centenario is a road-going car, of which just 40 will be built. That’s 20 coupes, as pictured, and 20 roadsters, and all have already been sold. The price tag for such exclusivity? A cool €1.75 million, plus taxes. Let’s call it £1.7 million on the road.
How fast is it?
Seriously, eye-wateringly quick, even by Lambo’s standards. The role call of performance claims is gut-wrenchingly brutal:
- 0-62mph: 2.8sec
- Top speed: ‘Over 217mph’
- 0-186mph (300kmh): 23.5sec
- 62-0mph braking: 30 metres
- 186-0mph braking: 290 metres
A Lamborghini tech-fest
This car is the pinnacle of everything Lambo knows about fast cars. There’s ample composite material throughout, contributing to a low (for a 4924mm long car) 1520kg kerbweight. The aerodynamics are carefully managed, too, with a rear diffuser large enough to slice and dice any rogue pedestrians into quarters and a wing that extends by 150mm – and up to 15deg in angle – to squash the Centenario into the tarmac at speed. And it’s the first Lamborghini with rear-wheel steering too.
Outgoing Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann said: ‘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.’
Read more of CAR’s 2016 Geneva motor show coverage here
Click here for CAR’s A-Z guide to the 2016 Geneva motor show
