Supercars are supposed to be loud, fast and flashy. And what says flashy more than a convertible? The king of flashy supercars, Lamborghini has made it a habit to produce a convertible version of its flagship cars for years now—usually announcing them with great fanfare. That’s why it might be surprising to some that information on the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster got leaked the way it did, by the Environmental Protection Agency, no less.
Recently, the EPA’s fuel economy database (fueleconomy.gov) was updated to include the 2012 model year since many 2012 model-year cars are starting to roll off dealer’s lots and into consumers hands. Under the 2012 model year is where the discovery of the 11/17 mpg Aventador Roadster was made before Lamborghini even confirms its existence.
Speaking of fuel economy, like its roadster sibling, the Aventador Coupe also obtains 11/17 mpg out of its 6.5-liter 691 hp V-12. That’s pretty impressive when you compare the Aventador to its Murcielago predecessor. In 2002, its first year on the market, the 6.2-liter 572 hp V-12-powered Murcielago could only obtain 8/12 mpg on the EPA test cycle. That’s a dramatic improvement.
Starting with the Diablo, Lamborghini has made it a point to offer a roadster version of its flagship supercar. The Diablo, which debuted in 1990, had its convertible version, the VT Roadster released in 1995. The Diablo’s successor, the Murcielago was released in 2002 and its convertible version, the Murcielago Roadster, was released two years after that in 2004, likely because Lamborghini was trying to keep its HALO car fresh.
That’s why it’s somewhat unexpected for the Aventador Roadster to show up so soon. The hard-top Aventador goes on sale this summer as a 2012 model and so it would seem somewhat premature for the Aventador Roadster to make its debut now. But alas, the EPA doesn’t lie. Official confirmation of the Aventador Roadster could come as soon as this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show in November.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
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