Lamborghini unveils SVJ 63 special edition

For those not sufficiently wowed by 770hp Aventador 'Jota', there's an even rarer variant

By Nic Cackett / Friday, 24 August 2018 / Loading comments

You wouldn't think the official unveiling of the Aventador SVJ needed much of a kicker given its recent ascent to the top of the Nordschleife production car leaderboard. Its scintillating, 911 GT2 RS-toppling 6:44.97 lap, with Marco Mapelli driving, has already made the development mule famous - and there was still the small matter of stripping off the camoflauging to come at Pebble Beach.

But apparently that wasn't enough for Lamborghini, so the firm accompanied the flagship's reveal with news of another, even more exclusive version - the SVJ 63, a car intended to pay homage to 1963, the manufacturer's founding year. How exactly? Well, with a unique colour and trim, of course - and, more notably, the tantalising fact that just 63 (obvs) will be made, making it considerably rarer than even the 'standard' SVJ.

Owners of the latter will have to live with the fact that there are 899 other lucky souls who've found around £356,000 for the pleasure. (Yes, you read that figure right.) Still, we should imagine first sight of the thing took the sting out. As we thought it might, the Superveloce Jota lives up to its billing as the 'absolute pinnacle of (the Lamborghini) super sports car product range.'

It's worth drinking in because much of what distinguishes the SVJ from the previous SV is to be found on the bodywork, doing improbable things with the airflow. Lamborghini targeted a 40 per cent downforce improvement on both axles (along with 1 per cent improvement of the drag coefficient figure). No mean feat when you consider what a pumped-up prospect the SV already was.

It has been achieved with merciless pursuit of a 'form follows function' approach, which includes the fitment of the second generation of Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA) - the manufacturer's patented active aero system. Its inclusion adds new air inlets and aero channels to the Aventador, as hinted at by the side fins on that new wider front bumper.

It's the upper body that leaves the biggest impression though. Those air intakes? Bigger. That Y-theme rocker? New, and made from carbon fibre. Underneath? Vortex generators. That exhaust? High mounted, naked and lighter. The rear diffuser? 'Extreme-design' Lamborghini calls it, and, in conjunction with that new wing, a contributor of 30 per cent of the total downforce.

Not enough for you? Well, there are the oily bits to consider, too. The 770hp V12 has been fettled for a higher flow rate and had its seven-speed ISR 'box recalibrated. The suspension has been reworked, with anti-roll bar stiffness increased by 50 per cent compared to the SV and a 15 per cent increase in damper force. Lamborghini calls the rear-wheel steering system 'further engineered to exploit aero load' and says the steering has been rebalanced to reflect the chassis alterations.

The SVJ's all-wheel drive system is also tweaked to allow an additional 3 per cent of available torque travel rearward. It also meets the ground with new, specially developed Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres which have a higher rated vertical stiffness to accommodate the enhanced downforce. Which rather says it all.

"The challenge to Lamborghini designers and engineers was to improve the purest essence of the Lamborghini super sports car, drawing on every inspiration from a space ship to a jet fighter: all the most exceptional examples of super-fast, super-athletic, aerodynamic superiority," said Stefano Domenicali, CEO. "The Aventador SVJ takes another step into the future, shaping the potential for super sports car development."