Lamborghini Veneno: the 50th-anniversary Aventador special

The Lamborghini Veneno (Spanish for “poison”) is a limited-production, high-performance sports car made by Lamborghini. Based on the Aventador, it was developed to celebrate Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary and was introduced at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show at a price of US$4,000,000, making it one of the most expensive production cars in the world.

Lamborghini Veneno at a glance

The English and German Wikipedia pages differ in detail: the German page gives 751 PS, 1,450 kg and a 355 km/h top speed, and dates the presentation to 28 November 2012; the figures here are those of the English page.

History of the Lamborghini Veneno

A road-going prototype

The Veneno is Lamborghini’s interpretation of a racing prototype built for the road, with a front designed for maximum airflow and downforce, redesigned arches, a smooth underbody and a large carbon-fibre rear wing, three-way adjustable and connected to the car by an LMP-style central fin. The 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels have a turbine-like design that directs air to the carbon-ceramic brakes. The design is a large departure from earlier Lamborghinis: the Y-shaped elements are carried over from the Aventador, and the rear wheel arches hark back to the Countach.

Engine and chassis

The V12 is a development of the Aventador’s 6.5-litre, with 750 PS from enlarged air intakes and a modified exhaust. The car keeps the Aventador’s carbon-fibre monocoque with aluminium subframes, the pushrod suspension and the 7-speed ISR transmission, now with a “track” setting. The interior is based on the Aventador’s but uses the “carbon skin” element first seen on the Aventador J. Braking distance from 97 km/h is 30 m.

Roadster and production

The Veneno Roadster was unveiled on the Italian naval aircraft carrier Cavour in Abu Dhabi on 1 December 2013, then at the 2014 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. It performs like the coupé but is 50 kg heavier because of chassis reinforcement, and went on sale for €3,300,000 before tax. Lamborghini built just four coupés, one kept for the factory museum and three for customers in Grigio Metalluro with a red, green or white accent, the Italian flag colours, plus nine roadsters that could be fully customised.

Design and features

• Wing: three-way adjustable, on an LMP-style central fin.
• Wheels: turbine-style, centre-lock, 20 inch front and 21 inch rear.
• Interior: carbon skin elements from the Aventador J.

Lamborghini Veneno versions

• Veneno coupé (2013): four cars.
• Veneno Roadster (2013): nine cars, 50 kg heavier, €3.3 million.

More Lamborghini cars are in our Lamborghini collection, including the Aventador the Veneno is based on.

Sources

• Lamborghini Veneno, English Wikipedia: specifications, production
• Lamborghini Veneno, German Wikipedia: name, presentation