The Lamborghini Aventador is crowned as Lambo’s most iconic model, and since its introduction in 2011, the family has grown considerably. After the base Aventador hit the road, it paved the way for models like the Aventador J, the LP 750-4 SuperVeloce, the Dreamliner Edition, and was even used as the basis for cars like the Veneno and Centenario. By the time late 2016 came around, the car that was responsible for the aforementioned models – and replaced the Murcielago in the lineup – was due for an update that brought about a revamping of the car’s aerodynamics and its chassis to go along with a mild update to power output as well. Now, in early September of 2017 – at least a month before the new 2018 Aventador S will be delivered to the first customers – Lambo has decided to present us with the Aventador S Roadster, a topless version of the new S that is destined to stand out next to its less-frisky counterpart by means of unlimited headroom packed into a head-turning package.

So that sounds good and all, but what does it really mean? Well, it means that the world’s only super sports roadster with a mid-rear V-12 is its own standalone model that’s highly customizable with five different interior configurations, and an unlimited choice of exterior colors via the Ad Persona program. It takes four-wheel drive to an all-new level alongside things like the active suspension system, four-wheel steering system, and Lambo’s classic LDS and LMS systems that were revised specifically for the Aventador S Roadster. So, even though the Aventador S Coupe is still fairly fresh in our minds, it’s time to take a good look at its topless counterpart. And, you better hurry if you want to be informed – this baby makes its first official debut to the masses at none other than the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show.

Updated 09/18/2017: We added a series of new images taken during the car's official debut at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Continue reading to learn more about the Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster.

2018 Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster

Specifications
  • Make: Lamborghini
  • Model: 2018 Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster
  • Engine/Motor: V12
  • Horsepower: 730 @ 8400
  • Torque: 508 @ 5500
  • Transmission: 7 speed ISR
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: aventador
Pros
Cons

Exterior

Let’s not be delusional here – the Aventador is an absolutely gorgeous vehicle with one of the sexiest profiles on the market today. The shape of the nose and sleek lines, the unique design of the front fascia, the forward sitting cabin, and the sheer aggressiveness are just dominating and commanding on so many levels. The way the short nose overhangs the lower fascia and the way the corner air vents are integrated into the front grille and supported by the lower air dam both contribute to an unmistakable look.

Engineers took care to place every body line in just the right place with the lines of the front hood leading into the nose and wrapping around the front in a way only Lambo can pull off. The shallow wheel wells are flanked by massive wheels, and those huge intakes positioned in the rear serve as a statement that commands respect and attention. The way the rear end opens up with several other vents adds a touch of style and even more aggression while the upright-sitting side view mirrors somehow contribute to the car’s engaging appearance.

Even when you look at the Aventador S from the rear, you know it’s something special. Those sleek tail lights feature the arrow-shaped LEDs and emphasize the car’s low and wide stance. The pair of big vents stacked on either side help provide a bit of emphasis on the car’s height. Meanwhile, the big rear diffuser down below provides a home for the tri-exhaust outlet while allowing for smooth airflow from under the vehicle – it’s quite a view even if you did just get your ass stomped at takeoff from the last traffic light – I mean let’s be honest, you’re probably going to see these taillights more than anything when you come across one of these bad boys on the road. But, what’s important here is how the Roadster differs from the coupe. And, to an untrained eye, I couldn’t blame you if you assumed Lambo broke out the saw-jaw and cut the roof out before calling it a day, but that’s hardly the case as there are some pretty important differences here.

First off, I want you to ignore the press release from Lamborghini that you’ll find at the end of this article. If you read that thing, you’ll be thinking that the Aventador S Roadster features some groundbreaking design cues not found on the coupe version. Sadly, this isn’t really the case. Below the belt line, the roadster is practically identical to the coupe. It features the same front fascia, same headlights, same front hood, same side skirts, and even comes standard with the same wheels and mirrors. It’s no wonder I was scratching my head looking at the pictures trying to figure out what’s different, right? Be that as it may, there are some notable differences up top and in the rear that require your attention. First off, the roof is clearly gone as it should be, and surprisingly, Lambo manage to preserve the same general look by keeping those intakes above the rear quarters intact – it’s refreshing to see, if I’m being honest, and is well executed at that.

When you walk around to the rear; that’s where the big changes really come into play. Let me point out first, however, that Lambo manage to preserve the structural appearance of the rear deck that covers the engine – at least to the sides anyway. Up by the cabin, where there would normally be a roof, is a pair of gloss black supports that have to be in place for safety reasons. And, despite their unique appearance, they actually resemble that portion of the roof on the coupe – it’s a very nice touch and is one of those things the explains why Lambo is as respected as it is. Further back, where the coupe has a handful of elevated louvers, Lambo took some artistic liberties and went with a unique look. Instead of the louvers, you get a flatter, more plateaued area with two openings that are covered with several panes of glass, ultimately giving the Roadster its own unique look but also allowing those who walk by to view the engine easily. Niceeee!

Further down in the rear everything is pretty much the same. You get the same stacked vents, and same rear fascia, the same diffuser, and the same exhaust outlets. Now, the diffuser and exhaust outlets look a little shorter or “squeezed-down” in comparison to the coupe, but this could just be an illusion, and we’ll have to wait until we see the two together to know for sure. One this is for sure, though, and that is that the Roadster has different taillights. Where the coupe has lights that look more like a digital display, the roadster gets units that look more three dimensional. The connected arrows in each taillight appear to stick out a bit and are their own standalone LED units. Meanwhile, the brake lights and amber markers are recessed above and below. A clear lens is in place toward the center of the reverse lights.

Interior

As far as the interior goes, the differences between the roadster and coupe are minimal at best. You’ll get the same dashboard, seats, center console, infotainment system, instrument cluster, and even the same steering wheel. So at this point, you’re probably wondering why we’re even talking about the interior. Well, there’s a good reason we’re here because, despite the abundance of similarities between the coupe and roadster, there’s a couple of really important things. The most obvious is the unlimited headroom.

While this is amazing and all, it’s not a good thing if you get caught out in the rain during a late-night drive. So, Lambo designed the roadster to have two different roof panels that are lightweight and easy to remove. They weigh just 13.22 pounds a piece (6 kg) and fit nicely in the front trunk. The other important thing to note is the rear window that rolls down and allows you to bask in the ambiance of roar that is produced by that amazing and exotic V-12 stashed behind the rear seats. When you’re cruising you can roll up the window to cut down on noise, or you can leave it down and enjoy the natural sound track – either way, the choice is yours.

Drivetrain

Under that rear hood composed of light weight material and glass, you’ll find the same 6.5-liter V-12 found in the coupe. It delivers a cool 730 horsepower at 8,400 rpm and 508 pound-feet of twist at 5,500 rpm. Shifting duties are handled by a seven-speed ISR transmission that delivers power to all four wheels on demand. With the coupe hitting 62 mph in 2.9 seconds on the way to a top speed of 217 mph, it should come as no surprise that the roadster is just a tad bit slower. But, not by much. It can hit 62 mph in three seconds flat while top speed remains the same. That ISR transmission can execute shifts in 50 milliseconds.

Stopping duties are handled quite well with carbon ceramic brakes that are hidden behind those Dione wheels in 20 and 21 inches. Those wheels, by the way, are wrapped in – big surprise – Pirelli P Zero tires that were designed specifically for the Aventador S. The Roadster also benefits from Lambo’s LDS steering system, LMS suspension, ESC longitudinal control, and the active rear wing. Driving modes include STRADA, SPORT, CORSA, and the new, customizable EGO mode.

Engine

6.5-liter V-12

Horsepower

730 HP @ 8,400 RPM

Torque

508 LB-FT @ 5,500

Transmission

7 speed ISR

Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph)

3.0 seconds

Top Speed

217 mph


Pricing

A car like this is designed for a select few with deep egos and even deeper pockets, so it shouldn’t surprise you that you’re going to have to pay an arm, a leg, and your first born to get one. Here in the U.S., you’ll have to pony up at least $460,247. Over in Europe, you’re looking at 313,666 Euro. Over in the U.K., you’ll have to pony up 251,262 GBP, while the Chinese have to shell out 7,478,513 RMB. Finally, if you’re in Japan, you’ll be asked to sign a check for 46,267,692 YEN. Again, it doesn’t come cheap, but nothing as exotic and limited ever does. You should probably talk to the wife before you decide to sign off on the paper work, though.

Competition

When it comes to the Aventador S, it really seems to stand in a niche all its own. You could compare it to something like the Ferrari LaFerarri Aperta, but you could buy 10 Aventadors for the cost of one Aperta, so that doesn’t work, and there’s not really much out there with this kind of power in a similar price range. So, take the following competition with a grain of salt…

Porsche 911 Turbo S

Nowhere near as aggressive or sport as the Aventador S Roadster, the Porsche 911 Turbo S might not come off as something you would want to cross shop, but it’s worth some consideration. It features typical 911 styling which is somewhat bland but still attractive. It has the rear engine configuration and fairly comparable tech, however, if you want something that really falls in line with the Aventador S, you’ll certainly have to opt for some extras.

Under the rear hood, you’ll find a 3.8-liter flat-six that’s good for just 580 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. Shifting duties are handled by the Porsche PDK with power delivered to all four wheels. And, despite the serious lack of power, you’ll find that the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet is actually faster to 60 mph than the Aventador S Roadster. All told, when equipped with the Sport Chrono package, it’ll hit 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, one-tenth quicker. But, the Aventador will beat you in the long haul as the 911 tops out at 205 mph. With that in mind, you’ll actually save a pretty healthy sum by going with the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet as it starts out at just $203,000 – more than $250,000 cheaper than the Lambo.

Read our full review on the Porsche 911 Turbo S

Ferrari 488 Spider

The other option I suggest you consider in this market is the Ferrari 488 Spyder – the topless brethren of the 488 GTB and Ferrari’s replacement for the 458 Spider. Unlike the 911 Turbo, the 488 Spyder actually has a fairly aggressive exterior look with a wide open front fascia and a busy rear end that also features a pretty dominating rear diffuser. And, like the Aventador, the 488 features a rather flat rear deck.

Unfortunately, there’s no glass here to show off what lurks below, but if there was you would see a 3.9-liter, turbocharged, V-8 that sounds absolutely amazing and is good for 660 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. Still a bit less than the Aventador, but considering the engine offers up a little over half the displacement given by the Lambo V-12, it’s quite impressive. And, it pays off as those 660 ponies keep the 488 on par with the Aventador, with the sprint to 62 mph taking just three seconds. If you’re gunning to 124 mph, you’ll get there in 8.7 seconds. It can also run 400 meters in 10.55 seconds or 1,000 meters at 18.9 seconds.

Pricing for the 488 Spider starts out at $272,700 at last check, so even though it’s some $70,000 more than the 911 Turbo, it’s still cheaper than the Aventador by some $190,000. Similar performance and much less money – doesn’t sound like a bad way to go, does it?

Read our full review on the Ferrari 488 Spider.

Ferrari 812 Aperta

When Ferrari changed the name of the F12berlinetta to 812 Superfast, it also brought about a more powerful V-12 engine for plenty of power to go along with plenty of other revisions after just five years on the market. While it doesn’t exist quite yet, and the F12berlinetta was only available as a coupe (aside from the F12 TRS and F60 America, of course,) we got one look at the new 812 and said to ourselves, “wow, Ferrari should really do a roadster version.” So, we put together a nice little rendering to showcase what it could look like. And, it turned out pretty well, as a matter of fact, and a topless 812 would be a perfect addition to the lineup.

If Ferrari did go ahead with such a model, it would undoubtedly get the 6.5-liter V-12 from the coupe model, which is good for 789 horsepower and 530 pound-feet of torque – figures that represent a 59 horsepower and 20 pound-foot gain over the old F12berlinetta. We speculate that the Aperta would be able to hit 60 mph in as little as three seconds flat (the coupe makes 2.9-second sprints) while top speed would be closer to about 206 mph. As such, it would keep up with the Lambo quite well on takeoff, but would still lose out in the long haul. With the 812 Superfast expected to command around $340,000, the Aperta would likely pull at least $360,000 if not a little more. It would still be significantly cheaper than the $460,000 Aventador S Roadster and would be a prime contender.

Read our full speculative review on the Ferrari 812 Aperta.

Conclusion

I have to admit that I’m a big, big fan of Lamborghini, but sometimes it’s pricing is a little bit too high in my opinion. Considering you can get a Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet or a Ferrari 488 Spider for significantly less money and the same performance outside of top speed, it’s kind of a hard sell for me. Of course, it’s also a Lambo, and you can’t really beat that styling or the design of the interior. Whether or not that’s worth shelling out an extra $150,000 to $250,000 is a different story, but I guess if that’s a hard decision for you the price probably isn’t much of an issue anyway.

At the end of the day, the Aventador is about as cool as they come – consider it the Fonzie of the supercar world, you know? It’s got the aggressive, head turning style; the performance creds to back up its look, and with unlimited headroom, it has a perfect view of the sky above day or night.

What do you think? Would you shell out nearly half a mil for a topless Aventador? What do you think of the glass plates that show off the V-12 engine under the rear hood? Let’s talk about it in the comments section below.

References

Lamborghini Aventador S Coupe

Read our full review on the Lamborghini Aventador S Coupe.