Onto the driving impressions. Admittedly, the term ‘driving’ seems a bit lacking when describing your experience at the wheel of an Aventador. Perhaps 'piloting' is a more apt description. Driving dynamics aren’t at the forefront of its design philosophy; although it is surprisingly agile. It’s about much more than that. A curious mix of old-school V12 housed within a space-age design, which just works. In a world where every car seems to be a carbon copy with just a different badge, it's so refreshing to see a manufacturer stay true to its original brand values. There’s nothing like a Lamborghini on the road, and it will always be that way.
On our final day with the car, we decided to head to Mugello circuit. Just as we were washing the few thousand unfortunate bugs off the front of the car in a petrol station, two local motocross riders came up to us and told us about Mugello’s street circuit history. It turned out Mugello wasn’t always the private, smooth racetrack we know today. It started off as a pretty hairy street circuit. Without delay, we hopped back in the car ready to head out and have a look for ourselves. Our lap provided thrill and bewilderment in equal measure. We couldn’t even begin to believe what it would have been like to actually race on these roads. Countless blind hairpin bends, narrow sections, and unforgiving crests all combined in a formidable course. It’s one thing hearing old stories about the crazy average speeds that the likes of Stirling Moss achieved over the years, its a whole other thing witnessing first hand the roads on which they completed such feats.
The Aventador made light work of the straights and provided a fair few eye-widening moments barreling into the corners. As we headed down towards the current Mugello Circuit, we stumbled upon what appeared to be the old stage of an epic Hillclimb. There was barely enough room to fit two cars down, yet it wound down into the valley like nothing I’ve ever seen before. The Aventador was a bit too wide to push on this road, yet it was still utterly breathtaking and we cruised down to the typically Italian countryside below, with the road starting to become lined with mile after mile of the iconic cypress trees. Italy at its finest.
We looked at our watches, realising that time was running short and there was only 1 hour left for a 1.5 hour drive back to the factory… Luckily we had the right kind of car to make up time. It was an epic blast back through the hills towards the factory, with the V12 howl staying with us for the whole journey. We hit the Bologna traffic after making up for lost time and relaxed a little. It’s in the normal traffic when you really get to appreciate how wild this thing is. The normal traffic towers above you, and everyone is looking. Everyone. People’s reception towards supercars in Italy was like nothing I’ve ever encountered before, and when you’re in the hills surrounding the factory, everyone has a cool story to tell.
As we rolled through the factory gates once more and found a parking spot, we were forced to come to terms with the fact that we had to return ‘our’ car. Luca prised the keys out of Dad’s hand and we had a chance to reminisce on our weekend to end all weekends. This kind of experience not only deepens your respect for the company but reveals the extensive passion underlying a brand like Lamborghini.