This Lamborghini marks the end of an era

September 27, 2022

End of an era

And yet another page in automotive history has been turned. Not only has production of the Avantador come to an end, but the Italians will no longer build atmospheric V12 engines from now on. That last fact is perhaps the biggest reason to shed a tear.

Lamborghini V12

Despite the fact that the brand has actually only developed two generations of V12 engines in its entire history, the V-shaped twelve-cylinder is strongly associated with Lamborghini. In the very first Lambo – the 350GT – there was already a V12. This engine remained in use for nearly fifty years; the last version with 6.5-liter displacement was in the Lamborghini Murciélago. Lamborghini discontinued their first-generation V12 after the Murcielago and opted for a brand new engine in 2011, first used in the Lamborghini Aventador. The V12 will once again make an appearance in the Aventador successor – which the brand is likely to unveil in 2023 – but it will be supported by an electric motor.

Lamborghini Aventador

At least we are not going to see the Aventador again. The last example left the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory and is now in the hands of its happy owner in Switzerland. We cannot speak of a very exclusive car by now, if we are talking about the Aventador. A whopping 11,465 units have been built since production began in 2011, making the Aventador more successful than all of its V12 predecessors combined. There are 600 units of the Aventador Ultimae, 350 with the roof closed and 250 with the roof open.

Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Automobili Lamborghini: “The Lamborghini Aventador was a game-changer at its launch and Lamborghini’s flagship for 11 years of production. The V12 engine has been part of Lamborghini’s heritage since the company’s early days; the beating heart of models from the Miura to the Diablo, from the Countach to the Murciélago.”