Frankfurt Auto Show: Lamborghini Reventon Roadster

Italian sportscar manufacturer Lamborghini unveiled today the Reventon Roadster, "the ultimate driving machine among open-top two-seaters", as they call it. With the growing appeal for a roadster sports car climbing year by year, Lamborghini promises not to make this one a "one-off" and build some 20 units of it. Each and every one priced at 1.1 million euros, before taxes...

Is it worth it? You be the judge of that. The Roadster is powered by one of the most powerful naturally aspirated engines in the world. The 6.5l 12 cylinder unit develops 670 ps at 8,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 660 Nm at 6,000 rpm.

Enough power to beat the hell out of the competition, if any. The Reventon does sixty in 3.4 seconds and keeps on going until it reaches 330 Km/h (205 mph).

As with all Lamborghinis, the engine is mounted mounted longitudinally in front of the rear axle, with the transmission ahead of it, one of the main reasons of the car's road performance. The layout also allows for the Viscous Traction permanent all-wheel drive to be fitted in.

As the performance level of the Reventon far exceeds the realm of normal vehicles, Lamborghini is fitted it with a cockpit-like interior, with no analogue clocks, but with two transreflective and one transmissive liquid-crystal displays. The instruments are housed into a carbon fiber dashboard.

“The Reventon is the most extreme car in the history of the brand,” Stephan Winkelmann, Automobili Lamborghini CEO said when unveiling the car. “The new Roadster adds an extra emotional component to our combined technological expertise – it unites superior performance with the sensual fascination of open-top driving.”

As we said, the Roadster will be sold for 1.1 million euros, taxes not included and only to a selected few. The first ones will be seen on the streets in October 2009.