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NEWS
World debut: Lamborghini Veneno Roadster
Raging bull unleashes its €3.3 million topless hypercar on Italian aircraft carrier in the UAE capital of Abu DhabiLamborghini rolled out its most expensive car to date, the €3.3 million ($4.97m, excluding taxes) Veneno Roadster at a seemingly unlikely location – aboard an aircraft carrier in Port Zayed, in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.
The 240m-long Nave Cavour (which carries eight V/STOL Harriers and more than a dozen choppers) was in the city as part of a five-month tour of the Middle East and Africa to dispense medical services, as well as promote the “Made in Italy” campaign.
As such, the raging bull of Sant’Agata was there on behalf of the Italian car industry, which Christian Mastro, Lamborghini’s boss for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said was a rare honour.
“We have been selling cars in this region for many, many years, since the beginning of Lamborghini. And here in Abu Dhabi we have been present since 2005, with an official dealer and showroom,” he said.
“In a few weeks we will have a completely new show¬room in Abu?Dhabi to prove the commit¬ment of our brand towards the region.”
The Middle East has been a fruitful hunting ground for Lamborghini, as it’s currently the brand’s third biggest market. What’s more, almost half of the nine Veneno Roadsters have allegedly been snapped up by buyers in the Middle East.
“Lamborghini has been very successful in the Middle East in the past few years. In 2012, we sold and delivered almost 150 units, an 82 per cent increase, and this year we will see another two-digit growth,” said Mastro.
The Veneno Roadster’s eye-watering pricetag might seem over the top for a car that owes its origins to the Aventador (which costs about one tenth as much in the Middle East), but the former’s exclusivity, collectible status and jaw-dropping looks should see the nine units disposed of without too much difficulty.
Apart from its Batmobile-esque looks, the topless Veneno gets an uprated 6.5-litre V12 that pushes out 552kW (versus 515kW for the Aventador), although the 2.9sec 0-100km/h split and 355km/h top whack are more or less on par with the lesser Lambo.
It’s the outlandish fighter-plane-inspired carbonfibre bodywork that is the Veneno Roadster’s real USP, with Lamborghini claiming it offers “perfect airflow and downforce”.
The front end works as a large aerodynamic wing, while the smooth underbody transitions into a substantial diffuser framing the four sizable exhaust pipes divided by a splitter. Meanwhile, large openings serve to ventilate the engine bay and direct airflow to the rear wing.
The eye-catching reddish-orange “Rosso Veneno” paintwork was developed exclusively for the Veneno Roadster, although each customer can specify the colour of their car to suit their tastes.
While it appears tailored for the racetrack, the Veneno Roadster is fully road legal, although it’s a sunny day-only proposition as there’s no roof (just a pair of roll hoops aft of each seat).
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Written byGautam Sharma
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