Come 2017, the coupe and roadster variants of the Lamborghini Aventador is due to receive some minor alterations to its exterior and possibly even some tweaked mechanicals as new footage of a disguised test car has been spotted belting around the Nurburgring.
While we can’t speculate too heavily on the new oily bits, we suspect only incremental changes to the 6.5-litre atmospheric V12. That soundtrack is to remain the same. However, the single exhaust vent is to be replaced with a triangular three-piece tip array which may effect the sonic signature slightly.
Currently, that engine produces 514kW at its base level of tune in the Aventador, increasing to 552kW in the racier SV (Super Veloce). A revised intake and exhaust system could help the car breathe easier and extract some added power.
Sticking with the updated Aventador’s rear end, the new exhaust is flanked by a more pronounced diffuser, even more extreme aerodynamic components, and a revised retractable rear wing. At the front, though, we can see that Lamborghini is fitting it with a new nose and altered air inlets.
It gives us pause to realise that Lamborghini’s flagship supercar, the Aventador, is approaching its sixth year in production - having began its journey from raw materials to factory output in early 2011.
The futuristically angry looking and sounding Lambo still seems fresh in the mind, and over the intervening period, the renegade Italian marque has been under increased pressure to step away from naturally aspirated engines in favour of more carbon friendly, more efficient turbocharged or hybrid powertrains.
This, according to CEO Stefano Domenicali, isn’t bound to happen anytime soon. And we are thankful. It is an almost inevitable outcome, though, and when the time comes for Lamborghini to rely less on large naturally aspirated engines, they will likely take the hybrid route instead of resort to turbocharging.
This is an approach similar to what Porsche and Ferrari chose for their most recent hypercars, the 918 Spyder and LaFerrari. Both of these manufacturers are no strangers to turbocharging, and their decision to forgo forced induction is an indication of how Lamborghini might want to improve the efficiency of its cars without compromising the fury and sensation of a naturally aspirated V12.
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