Paired with a revised rear splitter, Lamborghini says the S is now 50
percent more aero efficient while providing 130 percent more downforce
than the outgoing model. Some of the additional downforce comes from a
new active rear wing, which varies between three different positions
based on speed and selected drive mode. Speaking of drive modes, the S
gains a much-needed (though perhaps questionably named) “ego” mode,
which adds a fourth option alongside strada, sport and corsa that allows
the driver to create a preset which brings together their preferred
traction, steering and suspension settings.
“You’re going to feel a
big difference between this car and the standard Aventador out on the
track,” DiGiacomo assured us during the technical briefing. Among the
various updates, its handling revisions are, perhaps, the most crucial,
including revised suspension geometry, a real-time variable damping
system, and a new four-wheel steering system.
Originally debuted last year in the $2 million, ultra-exclusive Centenario,
this setup functions similarly to most other four-wheel steering
systems currently available. At low speeds the rear wheels turn in the
opposite direction of the front wheels, while at higher speeds -- above
roughly 82 mph -- all four wheels move in the same direction. Lamborghini’s implementation
is particularly aggressive, offering up to 1.5 degrees of counter
steering, which effectively reduces the wheelbase by 700mm and extends
it by 500mm when all four wheels turn in unison.
The system is most evident at lower speeds, where the car’s eagerness
to turn in can actually take a moment to acclimate to. That four-wheel
steering system is teamed with a particularly quick rack that makes the
Aventador S more willing to change direction than its size might
suggest. It also improves the car’s turning radius, which is nice around
town.
If anyone ever considered the Aventador a one-trick pony,
those days are over. In corsa mode with minimal intrusion from the
electronics and a 20/80 torque split biased toward the rear wheels, a
midcorner throttle application can kick the back end out and set the car
into a modest four-wheel drift. The chassis feels surprisingly lively,
yet it’s easy to manage at speed. It takes ham-fisted inputs to make the
Aventador S understeer.
Justin Bell certainly wouldn’t be
ham-fisted. Would I be able to keep up? At first, I assumed my ego would
be saved by the lead car keeping us corralled during the session for
the equipment’s sake. Though it lacks elevation change, this 2.8-mile
circuit makes use of about half the superspeedway. Cars like the
Aventador S flirt with 170 mph by the end of the main straight before
scrubbing off speed for turn one. Surely Lamborghini would guard their
coveted, $421,000 flagship model from any abuse. Wouldn’t they?
They would not. The first hint came to me from DiGiacomo’s suggestion
to switch the drive mode to corsa (race), before we headed out of the
pits. Confirmation came shortly thereafter, when Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series champion Shinya Michimi set our speed at “let’s see what you’ve got.”
With
Bell sent out behind me, I was essentially sandwiched between a pair of
motorsport champions. Auto Club’s sports car course is fast and
certainly favors high horsepower cars like the S, but the infield also
offers a few surprises, like the late apex at turn 9 and the kink that
essentially comprises turns 11 and 12, the latter a section which can be
taken flat out in this car but will keep you on your toes as the new
suspension setup allows the back end to step out for half a breath. I’ve
long said that what I lack in talent I do my best to make up for in
courage, and the generous back straight allowed me to mash the throttle
to put a little bit of distance between myself and Bell, who was likely
falling asleep behind me. But we’re hard on those big carbon ceramics
again for 13, and the start of another technical section gathered our
trio back together.
Once we’d reached the oval portion of the
track, Lamborghini’s latest party piece could really be uncorked. As the
infield course funneled traffic out on to the wide banking, I dipped
back into the seemingly endless wealth of grunt on tap from the V12. The
single-clutch seven-speed automated-manual that so often felt out of
sorts at low speeds seemed to find its calling here at wide open
throttle, delivering upshifts with recoil akin to a 12-gauge shotgun as
the digital speedometer rapidly climbed past 160 mph. With the baritone
wail of the V12 behind me and my body reflexively bracing for each shunt
of the gearbox, the experience was genuinely visceral
Midway through our session, Bell and I switched positions and I was
left to trail this particularly quick pair. I looked at this as a free
coaching session and did my best to replicate Bell’s line and braking
points, but inevitably the gap widened, particularly through the
technical sections. I managed to reign them back in on the fast
stretches to some degree -- perhaps my confidence in the capability of
the Aventador S allowed me to momentarily forget that the car I was
pounding on retails for nearly half a million dollars.
It’s
clearly a capable track car, but a heavy one. The new exhaust system is
lighter, but that’s offset by the four-wheel steering system. Overall,
the Aventador S lugs around roughly two-tons of weight in U.S.
specification. That mass is particularly evident when stomping on those
near-infallible brakes from high speeds, as the substantial amount of
hardware situated behind you starts to wiggle around a bit. And while
the new steering and suspension bits do indeed bolster the car’s
cornering prowess, ultimately there’s only so much that engineering can
do to fight the realities of physics.
While imperfect, there’s no
shortage of things to lust over when considering the Lamborghini
Aventador S. We live in an era that increasingly favors
small-displacement turbocharging and the prioritization of civility over
emotion. The fact that this car can leave just about anyone, even jaded
auto journalists, breathless and giggling like children after driving
it is irrefutable proof that Lamborghini’s approach to supercar building
remains a worthwhile endeavor.
