By Joe Lorio
Bummed that you missed out on the chance to snag one of the twenty Reventon coupes that Lamborghini built two years ago? Well, my rich friend, Lamborghini is giving you a second chance -- that is, assuming you've still got the dough (1.1 million Euro, or nearly $1.6 million at current exchange rates).
Two years after the debut of the ultraexclusive, hyperexpensive Reventon at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show, the company is rolling out the equally exotic Reventon Roadster at the 2009 Frankfurt event.
The Roadster largely follows the coupe's formula, to create what Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann calls, "the most extreme car in the history of the brand." Underneath, the Reventon is essentially a Murcielago Roadster. That means a 6.5-liter, quad-cam V-12 is mounted longitudinally, just ahead of the rear axle. Four glass windows in the long engine cover allow bystanders to ogle the V-12. Its output here is 661 hp at a suitably racy 8000 rpm, and 487 lb-ft of torque at 6000 rpm; the engine uses dry-sump lubrication. All Reventon Roadsters are fitted with Lamborghini's six-speed E-gear paddleshifted automated manual transmission, as well as an all-wheel-drive system that sends a minimum of 65 percent of the torque to the rear wheels. Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard.
As was the case with the Reventon coupe, the wild custom body shell is made almost entirely of carbon fiber (save the door skins). It features a rear spoiler that deploys at 80 mph and extends further at 136 mph to create additional downforce. Overall weight is listed at 3725 pounds, just 55 pounds more than the hardtop. No surprise, then, that the claimed 0-to-62-mph time is an identical 3.4 seconds. Top speed, though, is a bit lower, at 205 mph versus the coupe's 217 mph -- so you'll need to leave the house a few minutes earlier. Don't forget also to budget for fuel stops, considering the Reventon Roadster's EPA ratings of 10 mpg city, 16 mpg highway. (As always, your mileage may vary.)
The Reventon coupe pioneered the use of matte-finish paint; the Roadster wears a different shade of matte-metallic gray. To help protect its wild bodywork, the Reventon (like other Lamborghinis) has a feature whereby the driver can raise the nose of the car by 1.6 inches, to help clear steep ramps and driveways. The custom cockpit again forsakes traditional gauges for driver-reconfigurable LCD screens, with g-forces among the information that can be displayed.
Lamborghini once again is severely limiting the build run. According to the company, "less than twenty Lamborghini friends and collectors," will get the chance to buy one. If that's you, better hop to it.
2010 Lamborghini Reventon Roadster
