Lamborghini Aventador SVJ: hardcore supercar retakes Nurburgring record

Lamborghini’s new track-focused Aventador Super Veloce Jota (SVJ) is now the fastest production car to set a lap time around the famed Nurburgring circuit in Germany.

The Italian carmaker says the new supercar set a time of six minutes and 44.97 seconds around the 12.9-mile circuit. The company’s test driver, Marco Mapelli, was behind the wheel.

Mapelli’s lap is around 2.3 seconds faster than the previous record holder Porsche and its test driver Lars Kern, who clocked six minutes and 47.3 seconds in the new 911 GT2 RS last September.

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The two car manufacturers have been exchanging blows on the circuit in recent years. Porsche set the benchmark of six minutes and 57 seconds in 2013 with its 918 Spyder, before being beaten by Lamborghini’s Huracan Performante three years later with a time of six minutes and 52 seconds.

Porsche responded with its run in the GT2 RS last year, but Lamborghini’s recent attempt at the Nurburgring record has put it back on top.

The record marks a strong start for the new Aventador SVJ. Lamborghini gave fans a glimpse of the car on Tuesday, but the hardcore supercar has yet to be seen without its camouflage wrap used for pre-production testing.

While details are scare, Autocar says a leaked report suggests the SVJ will be powered by an uprated version of the standard Aventador’s naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine. This produces 759bhp – 69bhp more than its Porsche 911 GT2 RS rival.

The car is equipped with a “significantly larger” front splitter aimed at improving turn-in response at higher speeds, the magazine says. It also has an all-new rear wing.

Lamborghini plans to unveil the Aventador SVJ in its final production-ready form at the Monterey Car Week motor show in California, which runs from 18 to 26 August.