The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700–4 is a two-door, two-seater sports car publicly unveiled by Lamborghini at the Geneva Motor Show on 28 February 2011, five months after its initial unveiling in Sant'Agata Bolognese. Internally codenamed LB834, the Aventador was designed to replace the ten-year-old Murciélago as the new flagship model in the Lamborghini lineup starting in 2011. Soon after the Aventador unveiling, Lamborghini announced that it had already sold over 12 months of the production vehicles, with deliveries starting in the second half of 2011. The suggested retail price is €255,000 in Europe, GB£201,900 in the UK and US$387,000 in the U.S. Not cheap, but the car will do 217 mph if you can find a road smooth enough to allow it to reach that velocity.

The 2013 Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster was announced for production on 27 December 2012, equipped with the same V12 engine as the coupé version, Lamborghini claims again that it can reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.9 seconds and a top speed equaling that of the coupe, at 349 km/h (217 mph).

The removable roof consists of two carbon fiber panels, weighing 6 kg (13 lb) each, which required the reinforcement of the rear pillar to compensate for the loss of structural integrity as well as to accommodate the rollover protection and ventilations systems for the engine. The panels are of easy removal and are stored in the front luggage compartment. The Aventador Roadster has a unique engine cover design and an attachable wind deflector to improve cabin airflow at high speed as well as a gloss black finish in the A-pillars, windshield header, roof panels, and rear window area. The car has a US$441,600 base price. With a total weight of 1,625 kg (3,583 lb) it's only 50 kg (110 lb) heavier than the coupé (the weight of the roof, plus additional stiffening in the sills and A-pillars).

This latest super car kit from Aoshima is molded in a variety of colors, though most sprues are white. Red and orange clear bits are provided as are nicely plated aluminum parts. It is not a simple build, though it should not be difficult if the instructions are closely followed. The care is a semi-curbside in that it does not have a complete engine, but there is plenty of upper engine detail as it will be quite visible through the opening hood.

There is not a ton of suspension visible on this car thanks to a nearly enclosed under tray. However, there is well defined brake detail and each corner of the car is supported on stub axles. Tires are very nicely molded and they are handed so one has to pay attention to the instructions when assembling these parts. Most of the building will be in assembling the interior and the various body parts. The interior is quite well appointed and there are decals for the instruments, seats and steering wheel. Typical of many car models, there is no driver or passenger seat harness.

The glass on this car is quite extensive and Aoshima have provided the builder with masks to place over these parts when it is time to paint. The doors have metal hinges so that they may be posed open or closed as one wishes. A metal stay for the hood is also provided so that can be displayed open as well.

 As you can imagine, the major change from the earlier kit is the new body. Some of the other parts have been relocated, but most of what comes in this kit is from the earlier boxing. This includes the removable roof panels. I found it interesting that there is an option to install a plate on the bottom of the car that will allow you to fix it to a base.

Instructions are very well drawn providing clear images of how the kit is assembled. Included in the kit is an alternate method of installing the metal door stays that looks to be a better alternative. In order to provide the proper alignment and strength during the build, the instruction tell you not to remove the sprue runners that connect the front and rear body sections until the lower door sill sections have been mounted.  The decal sheet (not shown) is basically logos and instruments and is quite well printed.

This is a super kit of a very cool looking super car. I like Lamborghinis for the same reason I like Ferraris and am always pleased when I see a well designed kit for one of these. I can guarantee that this one will be a talking point when shown to friends and at shows. If you can't afford the near $400,000 for the real thing, this is a good substitute.

As an additional note, your editor thinks this would be a great car to replace his 89 Pontiac so any kind reader who would like to mail me a cashier's check for the price of one of these would be held in great esteem.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini_Aventador

December 2014