Japan is a country of many mysteries, legends, and surprises. Though Ancient China had an important role in shaping up Japanese culture to what it is today, the two countries are as different as chalk and cheese in this day and age. And when operating in Japan, an automaker must first understand the culture if it wants to succeed. And Lamborghini, of all automakers, succeeded in doing it.
The Land Of The Rising Sun is very lucrative for the Raging Bull from Sant’Agata Bolognese. Head honcho Stefano Domenicali highlights that Japan is the second-biggest market for Lamborghini, and that’s impressive in its own right considering that the UK trails in third and Germany in fourth. The powerhouse known as China? Well, that’s the brand’s seventh market by sales.
In light of the commercial success of Lamborghini in Japan, as well as the 50th anniversary since the first Lamborghini was imported to the island nation, the Italian automaker came up with a special-edition Aventador S Roadster. It’s the first of five “50 Japan” models, and its exterior appearance is a nod to one of the five natural elements of Japanese culture. Water, that is.
Developed by the company’s Ad Personam department in collaboration with Centro Stile, what you see here is an Aventador S Roadster painted in a deep blue with a shading effect that tends to black. Lamborghini says “the artisan creation of the paintwork required 170 hours of labor and the contribution of ten specialists,” and boy, does it look alright with all that exposed carbon fiber!
Look closely at the interior, and you’ll notice a plaque made from carbon fiber that features the kanji for “mizu.” And as you might have guessed by now, mizu means water in Japanese. The cabin also features a smaller carbon fiber plaque that reads “opera unica,” which means “unique work” in Italian, a.k.a. “one-off.”
As we wait for the other four “50 Japan” special-edition Aventador S Roadster models to come out of the oven, Lamborghini underlines that it has high expectations from the Urus, both on a worldwide scale and in Japan. As a brief refresher, the big reveal is set for December 4.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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