Lamborghini Aventador J: No compromises

For several months now, the centrepiece of Lamborghini’s Geneva showstand has been the subject of much speculation. Now, it can be revealed in its windowless, pillarless and downright lawless glory – it’s the one-off, million-pound-plus Aventador J.

Much more than 'just' a convertible version of the be-roofed Aventador, the Aventador J is a necessities-only hypercar – and no, Lamborghini does not consider a roof, side windows or A-pillars to be necessities. With that in mind, you can imagine what has happened to the air conditioning and stereo system; they've gone the same way as around 90% of the windscreen. Anything which contributes more to the car’s avoirdupois than to its quest for hypercar supremacy has to sheepishly make its way into the VW parts bin.

It seems, then, that the Sant’Agata sorcerers have drawn inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss of 2009, which employed the same ‘remove weather protection, add extra zero to price tag’ philosophy. However, the Aventador J will not only be more powerful (700HP vs. 650HP) and more expensive (expected to be 2m euros to the SLR’s 650,000 euros), but also much rarer: 75 Stirling Moss SLRs were made, while just ONE Aventador J will be produced.

The car’s rumoured moniker seems to reference this; though early details confirm its name as Aventador J (with ‘J’ not only harking back to the Jota of the 1970s, but also alluding to the ‘Appendix J’ FIA regulations), murmurs from the company have also mentioned the ‘Unica’ name. Although this could denote another new Lamborghini at the show, the word translates into ‘unique’; fitting for the single-example speedster.

Whether Unica becomes the name of this, or another Lamborghini, the uncompromising beast is part of Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann’s plan to expand the currently limited product range. He made this apparent in an interview with Classic Driver back in November 2011, and has now expanded on his disclosures: “With the Aventador J, we have the DNA of our brand resolved in its most consistent form so far. This car is so extreme, so uncompromising, like only a Lamborghini can be”.

The car will make use of the same 6.5-litre V12 as its weatherproof sibling, though the strict diet has seen the 1575kg weight reduced somewhat. The lack of a roof means it sits just 1.1m tall at its highest point, making it less than half as tall as it is wide.

Lamborghini Aventador J: No compromises