2022 Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae review

This is the last of a long line of rapid and head-turning supercars from a famed Italian brand that signals the end of an era.

There’s nothing else like the Lamborghini Aventador … and this isn’t a compliment. Now, with the Ultimae, the story of a uniquely brutal car comes to an end.

This limited-edition version of Lamborghini’s top sports car is the last of a long line.

“The Aventador LP 780-4 denotes the final, purest, timeless naturally-aspirated production V12 Lamborghini,” says company president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann of the Ultimae.

That LP 780-4, by the way, means its 780hp engine is in the rear and drives all four wheels. Lamborghini is building only 600 Aventador Ultimaes; 350 Coupes and 250 Roadsters.

The Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae is the last of the exclusively V12-powered machines.

With the end of the stand-alone V12, Lamborghini in future will rely on turbochargers and electric motors to deliver the big-money driving thrills. It’s a move the Aventador’s sports car competitors have already made or are making.

The Aventador can trace a direct line of design descent, via the Murcielago and Diablo, from the Lamborghini Countach of the 1970s.

That iconic two-seat supercar made wedge the rage when it appeared in 1974 and Countach posters adorned the bedroom wall of many a teenager, some of them destined for distinguished careers in car design. Now these designers are reaching retirement age, but Lamborghini isn’t ready to leave the shape behind yet.

The Lamborghini Aventadoir has dramatic styling.

“There are shapes on this planet that are just perfect,” says chief designer Mitja Borkert. The wedge profile defines the brand, he argues, and this will not change even as Lamborghini embraces electrification and engine downsizing.

Though the wedge is a great visual signature, there are practical side-effects. The luggage compartment in the Aventador’s sloping nose is tiny; only 140 litres. And from the driver’s seat the view for tall drivers is restricted by the low windscreen header.

The car’s dramatic butterfly doors have no storage; stuff would fall out as it opens. And there are few places to put anything inside the luxuriously trimmed and very snug-fit cabin. The massive centre tunnel is full of driveshaft and cooling pipes, not storage space. A pocket for sunnies and a cupholder are both optional extras.

The interior lacks storage space.

As with the exterior design, the Aventador’s engine is a blast from the past. It’s a big V12 with an appetite for revs. For the Ultimae, the 6.5-litre engine’s maximum power has been wound up higher than ever, all the way to 574kW.

The Lamborghini V12 does sound glorious anywhere above 3000rpm, all the way to peak power at 8500rpm. But, compared to the smaller turbocharged and turbo hybrid engines from Ferrari, not to mention a top-end dual-motor EV like the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, the big non-turbo Lamborghini feels lacking in bottom-end punch and overall responsiveness.

Despite all-wheel-drive traction, Lamborghini’s claimed 2.8 second 0-100km/h acceleration time is slower than its most obvious rival, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale plug-in hybrid, propelled by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 and three electric motors.

The Ultimae is properly fast.

The Aventador’s most serious shortcoming is its seven-speed transmission. It’s an automated single-clutch manual from Italian company Graziano. It’s slow-shifting in normal driving and prone to shuddering in slow stop-start traffic. Gearshifts are brutal when driving quickly (which is the way Lamborghini’s customers prefer it, apparently).

Single-clutch automated transmissions were briefly popular in performance cars, including, for example, the BMW M3, in the 1990s. They lingered longer in some European small cars. In both cases they were made redundant by double-clutch gearboxes. The Aventador is a reminder of how bad the good old days really were.

Still, Lamborghini has taken some steps to make the Aventador more civilised since its initial 2011 launch. The Ultimae no longer has the rock-hard ride of the earlier versions. It also steers very nicely and brakes very well.

The last Aventador will appeal to some who value the attention-magnet effect generated by its nostalgic shape and sound. But if you believe that about $1 million should also buy oodles of engineering finesse, up-to-date tech, dominant performance and bare-minimum practicality, you can wave farewell to Lamborghini’s last V12 with a sigh of relief.

LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR LP 780-4 ULTIMAE COUPE VITALS

Price: $1 million (est)

Engine: 6.5-litre V12; 574kW/720Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automated manual; AWD

Thirst: Not yet available

0-100km/h: 2.8 secs

Originally published as 2022 Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae review