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Lamborghini Aventador SVJ First Drive Review | Worth its weight in carbon fiber

Relentless. If we were to define Lamborghini in 2018, this is the word we'd choose. Led by the indefatigable head of research and development, Maurizio Reggiani, the engineering team at Sant'Agata Bolognese are constantly iterating current models — futzing, enhancing, testing. Give them a problem and they'll hammer away at it. The Aventador has been one of those problems. The V12 flagship was released in 2011 and shone far more for its sharp-edged Lambo-tastic design than its sharp handling. If we were looking for a word to describe that first iteration, we'd say ... wanting. Which brings us to the Autodromo do Estoril in Portugal on a sunny day in September. We're here to drive the new Aventador SVJ, first shown this year at Pebble Beach. It is the fourth major non-roadster model, following the SV and the S. Lamborghini promises that the SVJ is the ultimate Aventador. The fixed Aventador. Or mostly, says Reggiani. "I'm not that arrogant to say that everything is perfect. There's always something that could be better." He shrugs, then smiles. "But our goal is to synchronize all the improvements and create something unique, something special." The SVJ's naturally breathing V12 makes 759 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is 217 mph, and 62 mph arrives in 2.8 seconds. The price, without taxes or extra bits of carbon fiber or seats in novel shades of purple, starts at $517,770. Reggiani and friends have come to the conclusion that the obvious formula of shedding weight while adding power can only take you so far. (That's what they did with the SV and it's only middling.) Hence the SVJ gets every new trick that the company has engineered as of late, including aero vectoring, rear-wheel-steer and all-wheel-drive. And it's already netted results. The SVJ snatched the production-car 'Ring record from the Porsche 911 GT2 RS with a time of 6:44.97. The track surface at Estoril was resurfaced only weeks ago, and oils from the asphalt are weeping out onto the surface. This has caused great consternation among the Lamborghini camp, as grip is closer to driving on glass than nice stubbly tarmac. On my first set of laps, a pro driver suggests that I leave the car in sport mode, which sends more power to the rear wheels. "Easier to turn in," he suggests, as the front wheels are having trouble gaining traction on the slick surface.

The Mansory Cabrera is a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ with a bullish mug

Mansory does not care if a car is rare or special or unique. If it's not a Mansory, it's probably not good enough. But it might qualify to become a Mansory. The aftermarket tuning and design company has captured the limited Aventador SVJ and transformed it into a new vehicle called the Cabrera, which sports new looks and has more power. Lamborghini will only produce 900 Aventador SVJs, and of those 900, three will go under the knife at a Mansory workshop. Mansory quotes a motto, "one car per decade," and says the Cabrera "marks the start of several special editions on the occasion of Mansory's 30th anniversary in 2020." The name Cabrera is a breeding line of the Spanish fighting bull, similar to the names Miura and Gallardo. The Cabrera has an entirely distinct face thanks to a new set of LED headlights. Rather than the chunky stock units that point toward the rear of the car, the new four-unit headlights are slim and horizontal. With the adjustments to the headlights came tweaks to the hood and front fascia. New air inlets on the front apron improve radiator air flow and help improve downforce. The carbon fiber widebody kit, which adds 1.6 inches in width, continues with bulbous wheel arches, aerodynamic side skirts, and a rear "double diffuser." Extra downforce comes courtesy of a massive angular rear wing, and aggressively designed forged lightweight wheels (9x20 and 13x21) are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires. The body kit is also designed to help cool the upgraded 6.5-liter V12 engine. While the "normal" SVJ makes 759 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque, the Cabrera makes 810 hp and 575 lb-ft. Mansory claims zero-to-62 mph in 2.6 seconds and a top speed of 221 mph. Inside, Mansory takes the Aventador's fighter-jet inspiration literally. The forged carbon fiber has "arrow-shaped decorative seams," that look awfully similar to stealth bombers. That's also mimicked with imprints in the seats. Every part of the interior has been redone and refitted with upgraded materials, including the ceiling, which has a colorful accent spine.    The Cabrera is only one of many vehicles that were launched surrounding the canceled Geneva Motor Show. Other new custom creations include the Lamborghini Urus Venatus and the Bentley Continental GT V8 Convertible. Related Video:

Lamborghini expands Huracan range with rear-wheel-drive convertible

The Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2 Spyder completes the game of fill-in-the-blanks in the Italian's automaker's V10-powered lineup. With the brand already having proved its customary formula of "Remove the roof, retain the awesome," we expect this to be another uncommonly pleasing convertible from Sant' Agata Bolognese. The three-layer roof and mechanism migrate from the all-wheel-drive spyder. Taking 17 seconds to lower, the bodywork springs various tricks to maintain the appropriate cabin atmosphere. Two fins emerge from the B-pillar to preserve the car's profile, with narrow ducts in those fins managing wind flow through the engine compartment. Keeping the rear window up also calms the cockpit, lowering it invites the breeze and the wail of the engine. Additional zephyr management measures come in the form of removable mesh windguards that can be fitted next to the headrests. View 26 Photos Minor adjustments to the front and rear are the only visible differences between the RWD coupe and Spyder. The 5.2-liter V10 rocks the same 572 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque and top speed holds steady at 198 mph, but the 0-60 mile-per-hour time creeps up by two tenths of a second to 3.6 seconds. Dry weight clocks in at 3,320 pounds, a 258-pound jump over the coupe, but 330 pounds less than the all-wheel-drive Huracan Spyder we sampled - and loved - earlier this year. Lamborghini says the Huracan rear-wheel-drive spyder price will slot in between the MSRP of the two- and four-wheel drive coupes when the car goes on sale in January 2017. Before then, you can view it for the much more reasonable price of "free" when it's unveiled at the LA Auto Show. Related Video: Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog LA Auto Show Lamborghini Convertible Luxury Performance Supercars Videos Original Video