The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4. Image: Lamborghini
If you were hoping the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster would pack a slick, power-retractable hardtop like Ferrari’s 458 Italia, it appears you’re out of luck. If reports from Italy’s Quattroroute are correct, the topless Aventador will come to market with a removable targa roof, similar to that used by Bugatti on the Veyron Grand Sport.
The Aventador Roadster’s top panels will be made from carbon fiber or carbon composite, and will be split in the middle for easy removal or deployment. That may make them small enough to carry on board the Aventador, eliminating the need to decide on topless motoring before leaving the garage (like the Veyron Grand Sport, whose roof can’t be stored on board the car).
As for the “why,” the answer is relatively simple: adding any kind of folding top, whether manual or powered, would add more weight and would require redesign of the Aventador’s intricate engine cover. Not only is such a redesign cost-prohibitive, but it also would added significantly to the car’s development time.
Assuming, of course, that the car actually exists. Lamborghini is neither confirming nor denying a topless Aventador, which means we’ll have to wait until the international auto show schedule resumes this fall before any official announcements are made.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
