Lamborghini Aventador: 10 innovations in 10 years

The Aventador is the epitome of Lamborghini’s constant push towards the future, not only for the power of its naturally aspirated V12 engine or its performance features, but also for the technical and technological innovations introduced over the years through its four versions: LP 700-4, Superveloce, S and SVJ.

Today we take a look at the 10 innovations that in 10 years enabled the Lamborghini Aventador to reach the Olympus of Supercars:

Lamborghini has always been a leader in the production and development of composite materials, and it was the first company to use carbon fiber to produce important components in large numbers. In the Aventador, the use of the carbon fiber monocoque ensures the maximum aesthetic effect and stiffness while maintaining extreme lightness, for a perfect balance between the parts. 

The extreme power of Lamborghini cars, since the very first version, has demanded reliable transmission systems. The Aventador’s transmission is capable of adapting the torque distribution to the dynamic conditions of the car, and in the most critical cases it can give 60% of the torque to the front axle according to the driving mode selected by the driver.

The innovative push-rod suspension system, later incorporated with Magneto-Rheological Suspension (MRS) on the Aventador Superveloce, allows the car to respond immediately to road conditions and driving style. Wheel damping is adjusted individually at each turn, greatly reducing body roll and making the car’s steering and handling significantly responsive, even under braking.

The Aventador is equipped with a seven-speed ISR robotized gearbox, with dual simultaneous carbon fiber synchronizers to reduce weight, one for gear engagement and one for disengagement. This system has made it possible for Lamborghini to achieve a gearshift time of just 50 milliseconds, the speed at which the human eye moves.

Driving style customization has also evolved along with the Aventador, going from the LP 700-4’s five shift styles to the Superveloce’s Drive Select system with three modes – STRADA, SPORT and CORSA – and then to the addition of the EGO mode on the S model, which allows for additional customizable configuration profiles.

In the Aventador, longitudinal control is provided by the LDVA control unit, a sort of electronic brain that receives precise real-time information on the mobility of the vehicle through inputs transmitted by all the sensors in the car. It can therefore instantly define the best set-up for all active systems, guaranteeing the best handling behavior for all driving conditions.

The SVJ version introduced Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva 2.0 and an improved second-generation LDVA, which manages all of the car’s electronic systems in real time and causes the flaps of the ALA system to be activated in less than 500 milliseconds to ensure the best aerodynamic configuration of the car in all driving conditions. 

With the introduction of the Aventador S, lateral control is enhanced by the four-wheel steering system – Lamborghini Dynamic Steering (LDS) on the front axle and Lamborghini Rear-wheel Steering (LRS) on the rear axle – adopted for the first time on a Lamborghini production car. This system provides greater agility at low and medium speeds and more stability at high speeds.

In line with the brand’s vision for environmental sustainability, the Aventador implemented an innovative and ultra-fast stop-start system equipped with a supercapacitor for storing electrical energy, which allows a significant reduction in fuel consumption and weight reduction of three kilograms.

The second efficiency-boosting technology is the Cylinder Deactivation System (CDS), which reduces the Aventador’s combined fuel consumption by 7% by shutting down one of the two cylinder banks at speeds below 135 km/h, without penalizing the exciting driving emotion in any way.

During the 1993 bullfight in Zaragoza, the bull named Aventador proved to be the most valiant of all. Lamborghini could not have chosen a better name for its iconic supercar, which in ten years of innovations has shown the same roaring determination in the automotive field.