From up above, I spotted the trio of Lamborghinis parked in formation. The unmistakable sharp, angular forms cast in red, white, and blue sparkled in the sunshine. My heart jumped as the helicopter descended onto the Poconos Raceway in Pennsylvania. The effect was as it was orchestrated to be — stunning and seductive. I was part of an effort to woo a small cadre of journalists on the attributes of the Aventador S, or at least to give us a glimpse into how some Lamborghini customers use their sports cars.
Lamborghini will sell this spiked-up version of the six-year old Aventador for $422,000, as one co-worked pointed out, the cost of 84 24-karat gold NES video game systems, a system The Verge called the “most unnecessary, luxurious, awesomeness ever made.” Still, the Aventador S shares much in common with this gaming system, at least in spirit and in target audience. While some might opt to drive the car to the track, customers in the market for a new Lamborghini typically own at least half a dozen other ultra-luxury rides that they could use to drive (or be chauffeured) to their local heliport, as their handlers gas up their new ride and detail the wheels. That’s what I imagined, as the distinctive Italian-born brand spared no expense whisking us from Manhattan to the Poconos to show us how this car’s technical proficiency outshines the base model — on slick turns that open up into a delightful straightway on the family owned track, where NASCAR and Indy car races will take place later this summer.
Photo by Tamara Warren / The Verge
This over-the-top effort to convince me of the Aventador S’s wicked ability was persuasive. Building on the Aventador form, the S is a work of improved technical savvy that’s a byproduct of its parent company Volkswagen’s R&D arm and user experience team. It’s even equipped with Apple CarPlay and it has a racing video game aesthetic on its display when you punch the dial into Corsa driving mode, a variation of sister-brand Audi’s approach to screens. But what makes the Aventador S most beguiling to drive is the delirious sensation of pushing that accelerator pedal to the floor for a few brief seconds. It’s a potent form of intoxication that gets the blood flowing.
Photo by Tamara Warren / The Verge
Most people will never drive a Lamborghini, and seat time in one of these rare models earns you instant bragging rights. I’ve test driven about 950 vehicles since I began writing about cars, but opportunities to test certain models stand out. Lamborghini is among the more unforgettable. This brand inspired a cult of automotive enthusiasts in the latter half of the last century. Besides being a symbol of excess, the Lamborghini brand has long been an influence on culture. The Verge has noted the funky, futuristics designs created by designer Marcello Gandini made the car a work of coveted geometry. The angular surfaces of the Countach feels like the sharp edges the early personal computer era.