The Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster makes a useful distinction between refinement and character. Its appeal is not simply that it is loud or open to the sky. It is the contrast between an engine that rewards revs and a chassis packed with systems intended to manage the resulting performance. Lamborghini’s technical history of the model describes both halves of that personality: a 6.5-liter V12 and coordinated steering, suspension and all-wheel-drive controls.
Calling it the craziest open-top supercar ever built is a matter of taste, not a measurable verdict. Nor does its appeal require accepting that every newer exotic is quieter or less involving. The more interesting question is how this particular Lamborghini combines mechanical spectacle with electronic assistance—and why some of its rough edges deserve scrutiny rather than automatic celebration.
A Roadster From a Specific Moment
Lamborghini announced the Aventador S Roadster on September 6, 2017, ahead of its Frankfurt motor-show appearance. The original manufacturer release positioned it as the open-air counterpart to the S coupe, adopting that car’s updated chassis technology rather than merely removing its roof.
That chronology matters today. This is an examination of an established model, not a new-car announcement. The broader Aventador family finished production in September 2022, as confirmed in Lamborghini’s contemporary business update. Its own pre-owned model page now provides the relevant shopping context. An enduringly dramatic car does not have to be a currently manufactured one.
The V12 Rewards Revs, Not Just a Big Number
The engine’s figures need careful translation. Lamborghini specifies 740 CV, or 544 kW, at 8,400 rpm. That is approximately 730 mechanical horsepower, not 740 U.S. horsepower. Its official specifications also claim 0–100 km/h in 3.0 seconds and a 350 km/h, or 217 mph, maximum speed. The acceleration figure is for 0–62 mph, not 0–60, and these are manufacturer claims rather than results from an independent instrumented test.
The power peak explains something more useful than bragging rights: this engine’s strongest output sits high in its operating range. Natural aspiration means there is no turbocharger to build boost, but describing its response as literally instantaneous would still be an exaggeration. Engine response, clutch engagement and the delivery of acceleration to the road are related, not identical, experiences.
That distinction helps explain why a spectacular engine can coexist with a less polished drivetrain. The attraction is the progression toward the upper reaches of the rev range, not a promise that every interaction will be seamless.
The Gearbox Supplies Some Unwanted Drama
The Roadster’s seven-speed ISR transmission is a single-clutch automated manual. In his May 2018 first drive for MotorTrend, Chris Walton reported awkward low-speed clutch engagement and pronounced interruptions during automatic upshifts. Those observations belong to Walton’s test, not to a drive conducted for this article.
His account gives the script’s talk of amplified gear changes a more concrete foundation. Not all the sensation comes from speed or sound; some comes from the interruption and return of drive. That can be memorable without being desirable in every situation. A transmission’s ability to make an occasion of an upshift is not the same thing as making it comfortable in traffic.
This is an important distinction for an enthusiast considering the car. Enjoying mechanical involvement does not require pretending that every compromise is a virtue. Walton’s experience suggests that the transmission should be evaluated as seriously as the engine, rather than excused because both happen to occupy an extraordinary-looking Lamborghini.
The Chassis Is Trying to Contain the Theater
The S was not engineered simply to overwhelm its driver. Lamborghini’s original S engineering release explains its rear-wheel steering: the rear wheels turn opposite the fronts at lower speeds to improve maneuverability, then in the same direction at higher speeds to support stability. The wheelbase does not physically change; steering geometry changes the car’s response.
The Roadster combines that arrangement with variable-ratio front steering, electronically controlled damping and all-wheel drive. Its four driving modes include EGO, which allows individual settings rather than requiring one fixed combination of chassis and powertrain behavior. Technology is therefore central to its character, not something it somehow escaped.
Aerodynamics also serve control rather than appearance alone. The Roadster launch documentation describes a rear wing that adjusts according to speed and driving mode. The angular bodywork may communicate aggression, but the engineering objective includes managing balance. Emotional intensity and deliberate control are not opposites.
Removing the Roof Changes the Priorities
The roof is a pair of removable hardtop panels stored in the front luggage compartment, not a powered folding assembly. Lamborghini also provided an electrically operated rear window to vary the sound and airflow reaching the cabin, according to its period press kit. Open-air driving is therefore a deliberate configuration choice, with a luggage-space consequence.
Walton’s period review reported substantially more engine noise and airflow when that rear window was lowered. That supports the car’s sensory appeal more precisely than claiming every vibration is automatically intensified by an absent roof.
The Aventador S Roadster does not need an all-time superlative to justify itself. Its interest lies in the tension between involvement and convenience: a demanding transmission alongside sophisticated controls, and open-air access to the engine’s soundtrack purchased with practical compromises. Appreciating that combination means acknowledging both sides. The spectacle is more compelling when the engineering—and the inconvenience—remain visible.
Cover: Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster at IAA 2017, photographed on September 13, 2017. Photo: Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0. Photographer: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Alexander-93 ; License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Photo source · Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Original photograph; WordPress may create display-size derivatives.
Sources
- Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster — Official Model History
- The new Aventador S Roadster: Breathtaking performance with open-air driving sophistication
- Automobili Lamborghini raises the bar once again
- Used Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster Convertible
- 2018 Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster First Drive: One of a Kind
- Lamborghini Aventador S — Manufacturer Engineering Press Release
- Aventador S Roadster — Lamborghini Press Kit, September 2017
