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Five V12-Lambos Line Up for a 10-Second Race, Hold Your Bets

What was your favorite part of the Need for Speed Porsche videogame? Was it the Factory Driver mode or the Evolution Mode? Either way, experiencing all Porsche models from the early days up until the year 2000 was quite exciting. Jumping from an '80s 911 to a '90s version would reveal how much faster the newer car was. And we recently had the chance to witness an all-out 911 Turbo drag race.
Five V12-Lambos Line Up for a 10-Second Race, Hold Your Bets 17 photos
Photo: CarWow
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Today's drag race is built around a similar concept. It would have been more exciting to see the Aventador going up against all of its predecessors, including the Murcielago, the Diablo, the Countach, and the Miura.

But achieving that seems almost impossible, at least if you're not in close connection to the factory. Instead, we're looking at five different versions of the Aventador. Lamborghini's flagship has been around for more than a decade now, and there are quite a few different iterations of it.

This challenge feels like an appropriate way of saying goodbye to the Aventador, as Lamborghini will be replacing it with something else quite soon. Mat Watson is driving the Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae. Next to him, there's an SVJ LP770-4, an SV LP750-4, an S LP740-4, and the base-level LP700-4.

A naturally-aspirated, 6.5-liter V12 can be found in each of the five cars. Power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox. You can tell that there's a difference in horsepower by just looking at the names of the cars.

Five V12\-Lambos Line Up for a 10\-Second Race, Hold Your Bets
Photo: CarWow
The LP700-4 is rated at 690-hp (700 PS) and 509 lb-ft (690 Nm) of torque. The LP740-4 takes things up a notch to 730-hp (740 PS), while the LP750-4 is up to 740-hp (750 PS). The driver of the SVJ has got access to 759-hp (770 PS), while Mat Watson is sitting on 769-hp (780 PS).

Both the LP740-4 and the LP750-4 have the same torque figures as the LP700-4. The two most powerful Aventadors here have 22 lb-ft (30 Nm) more of torque to play with, so you can already guess where this race is headed. Drivers are, of course, going to play a major role here, so it's not 100% certain who will emerge victoriously.

Sadly, the Ultimae pulls out of the race before it even begins. So this might have been just a marketing stunt from the beginning. This is still the wisest decision, considering that this car has barely been driven. It doesn't make sense to go all out on an engine that hasn't even been broken in yet. But oh well, we've still got four other Aventadors that are ready for action. For the first run, the SV takes the lead, as the SVJ seems to have had a rather difficult launch.

We don't remember the last time we've seen a sight like this! It's hard to tell which is more spectacular: the sight of them trying to outrun each other or the sound of the V12s revving up to 8,000 rpm? The SV scores the first point of the day, while the S and the SVJ deliver a spectacular photo finish!

Five V12\-Lambos Line Up for a 10\-Second Race, Hold Your Bets
Photo: CarWow
The SVJ does a much better job at launching on the second run, and just seconds later, it too scores a victory. So a third run is required. This time it's even closer than before. The only thing that's for sure is that the base-level Aventador will be finishing last.

The S, SV, and SVJ cross the quarter-mile (402 meters) finish line in 10.8 seconds, and it's almost impossible to tell who won, at least at first glance. Surprisingly, it's the lower-spec S that wins this run, with the SVJ in second place. The standard Aventador was only 0.4 seconds slower overall.

The SV scores another victory by the end of the first half-mile (804 meters) rolling race. The fact that the slowest car here finished second is quite intriguing, but it may all be down to how fast the driver reacted. With the cars now in their sportiest mode, and the gearboxes in manual, it's the SVJ that comes out on top once again.

With that in mind, there's only one more test left: the braking test! Normally, the lightest car here should be the first one to come to a complete halt. The LP700-4 weighs in at 3,472 lbs (1,575 kg), and the same goes for the S version.

Meanwhile, the SV and SVJ are about 110 lbs (50 kg) lighter. Of course, one should also consider the tire and brake setup for each of these cars before making any bet. But an analysis like that requires more data if you want an accurate result. So we'd best stick to watching how the four drivers managed to do in real life instead.

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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