Lamborghini unveils $5.6m car after leaks

Tuesday, 5 March 2013

ONE OF THREE: Lamborghini will build only three Venenos at a predicted cost of NZ$5.65 million each.

Following day a day of photo leaks, Lamborghini has officially confirmed its 50th-anniversary hypercar, the Veneno.

After car websites and blogs went into overdrive yesterday when an image taken from an unnamed car magazine appeared online claiming it was the new Lamborghini, the company confirmed the new car's looks with a series of photos this morning.

The Veneno is named after one of the fastest and strongest fighting bulls ever and gained recognition back in 1914 for fatally wounding a matador.

Lamborghini will only build three Venenos to sell - one each in green, red and white (the colours of the Italian flag) - to be built this year and they are already all spoken for. The car in the accompanying photo gallery is number 0, the company's test vehicle.

The Veneno shapes as one of the world's most expensive cars with a staggering price tag of £3.1m (NZ$5.65m).

The Veneno is based around the Aventador's carbon-fibre monocoque and powered by an improved version of its 6.5-litre V12 engine. It has an 'extremely fast-shifting 7-speed ISR transmission with five driving modes and permanent all-wheel drive' a company press release says.

The powerplant, according to Lamborghini, will produce more than 552kW, with a 0-100 kmh time of just 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 355 kmh.

The carbon fibre bodywork has been specifically tuned to improve the Veneno's performance on a racetrack, although it will still be able to be road registered.

Last year Lamborghini stole the limelight at the Geneva show with its one-off Aventador J concept.

This year Lamborghini will have to compete against a pair of hyper cars from its biggest rivals - Ferrari and McLaren.

Ferrari will take the wraps off its long-awaited replacement for the Enzo supercar. The new car, codenamed F150, will be powered by a 6.3-litre V12 engine with a hybrid system for a power boost.

McLaren will debut the production version of its P1 supercar, which like the Ferrari, will have a hybrid system to support a 3.8-litre V8 engine.

-Fairfax News Australia/NZ