In a new era, dominated by big turbos and even bigger battery packs, Lamborghini and their naturally aspirated V12 engine still have something to prove.
Autosport took a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ to Hockenheim GP and broke a new record for fastest lap – 1 minute 47.3 seconds – almost a second faster than the previous best.
Top 5 fastest laps on Hockenheim GP:
- Aventador SVJ – 1:47.30
- McLaren 720S – 1:48.20
- Porsche 918 Spyder – 1:48.50
- Porsche 911 GT2 RS (991) – 1:49.10
- Mercedes-Benz AMG GT R – 1:50.50
The Aventador was driven by Autosport’s test pilot – Christian Gebhardt. Gebhardt handled the car masterfully, pushing it to 170 mph in the straights and taking the corners with up to 1.5 Gs of lateral acceleration.
It just goes to show that four-figure horsepower, which seems to be the standard for high-performance flagman cars these days, is not everything about motorsports. Setting records lap times requires finely tuned weight balance, responsive suspension, and active aerodynamics.
Lamborghini is an artisan manufacturer. The company continues to prove racings is more than just a numbers game. You need all the components to work together and connect with the driver almost telepathically. And that’s something Aventador SVJ delivers in full.
So congratulations to Lamborghini, Autosport’s team and especially Christian Gebhardt for this phenomenal performance.
To show the evolution of the naturally-aspirated V12, Autosport also brought a Countach 5000 S for some impressive footage around the track. The full story will come out in Autosport’s April edition.