Lambo Aventador SVJ sets new Nürburgring record

By topgear, 26 July 2018
1

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record. Relax, no-one’s gone quicker than Timo Bernhard in the Porsche 919 Tribute, instead it’s the fastest production car record that’s tumbled again.

The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, a car that isn’t even officially unveiled for another month, has done a 6m 44.97s lap. To save you the bother of having to wield your thumbs in a Google direction, that’s 2.27secs faster than the previous holder, Porsche’s 690bhp GT2 RS.

Prior to that, it was another Lamborghini, the Huracán Performante that held the lap record, a 6m 52.01s. But the comparison you actually want to draw is between the new SV Jota and 2015’s Aventador SV, which in doing a 6m 59.73s lap gave us some of the most memorable on-board footage ever.

1

The bravery on that occasion came in the form of Lamborghini factory driver Marco Mapelli, so it was him they turned to again to send the Jota around the ‘Ring. The fact that, wearing the same optional Pirelli Trofeo tyres as the SV, it went 15 seconds faster is a demonstration of just how significant the Jota update is. New ALA v2.0 (active aero), four wheel steering, 40 per cent more downforce, retuned 4WD and suspension, plus another 20bhp from the 6.5-litre V12 for a 760bhp total.

Last week I went to Vallelunga and drove the lap record Jota. It’s not only faster, but more confidence-inspiring than the SV. Handy, I should imagine, when you’re faced with the most daunting 20.6km of tarmac on the planet.

The GT2 RS’s record stood for 11 months. How long’s this one going to hang around? And what’s going to beat it?

Video below.