The Lamborghini Aventador follows the tradition of big, bold, V12-powered Lambos culminating with the Miura in 1967 ? the world’s first supercar. The Aventador came charging into our consciousness with the same effect as when the Countach gave car-crazed teenagers the heebie-jeebies from the late 70s to the early 90s. First produced in 2011, the Aventador proved to the world that big Lambos offer something more than drop-dead gorgeous looks and straight-line savagery. However, Lamborghini is correct in saying Aventador’s appeal is not just about raw power or exhilarating performance. As it turns out, Aventador became a hotbed of technological innovations for the past decade.

Carbon Fiber Construction & All-Wheel-Drive
When production for the Aventador LP700-4 began in 2011, the plan was to build only 4,000 units. But as 2016 came to a roaring start, Lamborghini had already sold 5,000 Aventadors. Still, there was a problem: The molds used in making the Aventador’s carbon-fiber monocoque could only accommodate 500 body shells, and Lambo only made eight molds in total.

With the Aventador, Lamborghini became the first automaker to produce carbon fiber parts of such significance in-house. It also established the brand’s leadership in developing and producing lightweight composite materials, and the proof is in the pudding. The Aventador’s single-shell monocoque and its front and rear aluminum subframes tip the scales at a lithe 229.5 kg...