Skip to main content

Lamborghini chops the Aventador’s top

Lamborghini Unica side viewIn the world of high-performance cars, Lamborghini is one of the most evocative names. The company’s flagship Aventador, with its outrageous styling, scissor doors, and massive V12 engine, is the poster child of supercars. It can hit 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and its looks cannot be ignored. Where could Lamborghini possibly go from here? How about a one-off roadster version?

Such a car may be making an appearance at the Geneva Motor Show. AutoForum.cz says the car in the above image, which it calls the Aventador J, will be there. Lamborghini released a teaser video for a car called Unica, which it says will be unveiled March 6 at 9:00 a.m. The engine in the video sounds like the Aventador’s V12, and what look like Aventador headlights can be seen in brief glimpses.

It would be a shame if this car was not real; it takes the styling of the Aventador coupe to a whole new level. Unlike most cars sold today, the Unica really is a roadster: it has no roof at all. It also doesn’t have a windshield which, along with the way the hood meets the center console to separate driver and passenger, makes the Unica look like a Star Wars airspeeder.

The rest of the body also looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. The front end blends the Aventador’s look with the pointed prows of the Murcielago SV and Gallardo SV. Elements of the sides and rear fascia that are normally body-colored are blacked-out for this roadster, which gives the Unica a sleeker profile view with less visual mass. The Unica is topped off with a fixed rear spoiler and spindly mirrors.

According to AutoForum.cz, only one Aventador J/Unica will ever be built, and this unique car will be sold to an extremely lucky (and wealthy) customer. So unlike a concept car, the Unica would be fully drivable, probably sharing its powertrain, suspension, etc. with the Aventador.Lamborghini Unica top view

Why would Lamborghini only make one Unica? Italy’s raging bull has done limited-production specials before. The Sesto Elemento started out as a concept car, then 20 examples were made for track use. Twenty $1.5 million Reventons were also made, along with a rumored 15 Reventon roadsters.

Lamborghini will definitely make an Aventador roadster to replace the Murcielago roadster, so the Unica could be a concept car that just happens to get sold after auto show season is over. The Gallardo Spyder was previewed by a flashy concept, the Concept S, which also had a twin-cockpit interior that separated the driver and passenger. Whatever Lamborghini’s true purpose is, it would be silly to build more than one of a car whose name means “only” in Italian.

The price of the one and only Unica was not announced, neither were any other details beyond Lamborghini’s shadowy teaser video. Is this car for real? Wait until 9:00 a.m. (Geneva time) on Tuesday to find out.

Updated: The roofless Aventador’s official name is the Aventador J, which references FIA Appendix J, a set of technical specifications for different classes of race cars. It also alludes to another one-off Lambo, the 1970 Jota.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
The Kia EV3 could be the cheap electric SUV we’ve been waiting for
White Kia EV3

The Kia EV9 was already one of the cheapest ways to get an electric SUV, but now the company is taking things to the next level. After teasing the Kia EV3 last year, the car is now official.

The EV3 is built to be a slightly smaller, cheaper version of the EV9 -- following the path of the Rivian R2, which arrived after the Rivian R1S. It's certainly not as technologically advanced as the EV9, but it still looks unmistakably like a modern Kia, and is clearly a sibling of the larger SUV. On the outside, the vehicle has the same split taillights and very similar Tiger Face front. But it is quite a bit smaller. The vehicle will be available in nine finishes -- however only "Aventurine Green" and "Terracotta" are being announced right now.

Read more
Kia EV3: release date, performance, range, and more
White Kia EV3

Kia is on a roll. Hot on the heels of the success of the Kia EV6 and EV9, the company is already announcing what could be its cheapest electric vehicle yet -- the Kia EV3.

The Kia EV line seems to follow the rule of lower numbers indicating a lower price — and if so, the EV3 will end up being the cheapest electric car Kia has released to date. That, however, thankfully doesn’t mean that the EV3 will be a low-end car — it just means that Kia may be pushing the boundaries on electric car pricing.

Read more
Kia EV3 vs Tesla Model Y: Can Kia’s new entry-level car take on Tesla?
White Kia EV3

The Kia EV3 is finally coming, and it could well end up being the best small-size electric SUV to buy when it finally rolls out. It's smaller than the Kia EV9, but it offers many of the same design elements and features. But there's another small-size electric car that's currently one of the most popular vehicles out there -- the Tesla Model Y.

How does the Kia EV3 compare with the Tesla Model Y? And is one vehicle actually better than the other? We put the Kia EV3 and the Tesla Model Y head-to-head to find out.
Design
The design of the Kia EV3 is very different than that of the Model Y, though they're both reasonably good-looking vehicles.

Read more