2011 Lamborghini Aventador

It's the fastest and most powerful Lamborghini ever! Meet the Aventador LP700-4 – the Italian maker’s eagerly awaited Murciélago replacement. And now we've met the latest raging bull face to face, we can confirm that it has all the drama you'd expect from Ferrari's cross-town rivals.

As you can see, it’s a striking design – especially painted in vibrant Argos Orange, named after the Greek city. The shape pays homage to its dramatic Diablo and Countach predecessors, but is heavily influenced by the sharp, edgy look of the limited-edition Reventón, with the rear end of the Estoque four-door blended in.

Under the skin is a one-piece tub constructed entirely from new-generation reinforced carbon fibre. It tips the scales at 147kg, while the whole chassis including aluminium front and rear crash structures weighs only 229kg. And it’s twice as torsionally stiff as the Murciélago’s.

Thanks to that carbon fibre cell, the Aventador is 90kg lighter than the car it replaces, at 1,575kg.

Power comes from a new 691bhp 6.5-litre V12 engine. This is 18kg lighter than the Murciélago’s, and sits 70mm lower in the chassis. It’s nine per cent more powerful and promises a 20 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency. But it’s still thirsty, with the manufacturer claiming returns of 16.4mpg on the combined cycle. It also puts out 398g/km of CO2.

Huge performance is guaranteed. Bosses claim 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds and a 217mph top speed – although insiders say the car has already eclipsed 220mph. By comparison, the ultimate

Murciélago, the LP670-4 Superveloce, offered 3.4 seconds and 212mph.

The new engine revs to 8,250rpm, while there’s much more flexibility in the middle of the range, plus greater low-down torque. Further improvements come from the new seven-speed automated manual box. In its fastest mode, this changes ratios in only 50 milliseconds. It weighs half as much as the old E-gear automated manual, too.

The suspension is a clever F1-style inboard push-rod spring and damper set-up, while a new all-wheel-drive system is more biased towards the rear. Fresh wheels – 19-inch front and 20-inch rear – and huge ceramic brake discs are standard.

Inside are a dramatic centre console, bright digital readouts and touchscreens, and race-style seats. Material quality is improved throughout, while the car gets an electronic handbrake for the first time.