How To Look Good Topless At 50 (Part 2)

We’ve come an hour south of Miami to Homestead Speedway to drive the Aventador like those South Beach poseurs wouldn’t dare. A convertible on a track? Don’t laugh: in testing, Aventador coupe and convertibles posted almost identical lap times. For safety reasons, all of the cars have their roofs fitted, but even so, the cars feel incredibly stiff, and there’s that ultra-responsive steering again. Reggiani says the new Pirelli Corsa types are the reason the front end feels so tight, though they are optional, Pirelli P Zeros being the standard fit. The Roadster gets humungous 20in front and 21-inch rear rims in a new design, the later wrapped in what looks like black Prosciutto, but is in fact a giant 355/30 tire. Model year 2013 coupes can have the same set-up as an option, otherwise they get last year’s 19/20 combo.

We’ve been told not to switch off the ESP, but my wavering finger finally succumbs on my fifth lap.

As you’d expect given the footprint and Lamborghini’s predilection for delivering cars that are less overtly playful, or at least less accessibly playful, than Ferrari’s, grip levels are sky high, but there’s a gentle cushion of under steer waiting for you should you step beyond. In Strada mode, the ESP will have already jumped out with the rubber bullets and water cannons before you’ve even got there, but in Sport, you get a little more latitude. The torque split switches from Strada’s 30:70 front: rear split to a naughtier 10:90, and the ESP is dialed back, but you’ll still find it overeager to ‘help’ when you summon full thrust out of a tightish corner and are hoping for a little wiggle from the hips as your reward.

We’ve been told not to switch off the ESP, but my wavering finger finally succumbs on my fifth lap. Hope no-one notices. Instantly the car feels smoother as you come onto the right pedal, and far from being a liability, you have to be trying hard to get it to really move around. When it does start to go though, you become patently aware that this is a big, big car. It’s palm moistening exciting and I don’t spin, but I don’t feel that comfortable either, so switch it back on. If you want to do lair, a Porsche Boxster or Ferrari 458 is infinitely more indulgent on the track.

The last of the three options is Corsa, which delivers a 20:80 torque split, a sound like the end of the world and bangs the gears with a recoil like a W W1 cannon. This is the quickest way round the circuit but the gearshift feels comically overdone. I stick with it though because I’ve just discovered the reason even the most ardent cabriole-haters would be encouraged to choose the Roadster over the coupe. As on the 458 Spider and 12C Spider, the Roadster’s vertical rear window can be lowered into the bulkhead. This allows the soundtrack: not a Ferrari-like shriek, but a rich, bass-heavy growl, a mechanized lion’s roar, somewhat constrained in the regular car, to positively flood the cabin.

I miss the old Murciélago, but the Aventador feels light years ahead.

It’s time to leave the circuit silliness behind and get back to the twisted reality that is Miami Beach. I miss the old Murciélago, but the Aventador feels light years ahead. Driving position, build quality, refinement, performance; you name it and you can almost guarantee that the new car does it better. Cars swarm around us on the journey home, swapping lanes on the turnpike to get a better look, camera phones set to stunned. Amid the sea of bland Japanese and Yank metal, the Aventador looks like it’s just been beamed down from some other planet.

They’re not car geeks; you don’t need to be to enjoy looking at a car like this. But if they were, they’d notice that the Roadster is differentiated not only by its matt black roof panels and gloss-black pillars, but a completely redesigned rear deck lid. Gone are the series of Miura-style slats bridging the pair of flying buttresses, and in their place lies a flat engine cover designed to look like hi-tech armor plating, and featuring two windows through which the V12 is visible. The Aventador looks great from every angle, but see this one from above and it could be straight out of Jules Verne.

Phones buzzing from irate Lamborghini workshop staff anxious about getting the car back, we stop for some sunset statics next to the water. The land owner, who uses the spot to launch his miniature seaplane, lets us in. Turns out he’s Italian, runs the Miami branch of Elite Models and used to have a Gallardo Spyder. He’s too cool to get overly excited, but you know the Aventador Roadster is made for him, made for Miami.

The Aventador is most definitely a cut above in the eyes of the pavement judges, and the Roadster is the best of the pair by a significant margin.

A Ferrari 458 has a better roof. It’s better to drive. It’s far cheaper. That’s where our money would go. But in Miami, it’s just another Ferrari. The Aventador is most definitely a cut above in the eyes of the pavement judges, and the Roadster is the best of the pair by a significant margin.