A very rare and very, very expensive Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster was totally destroyed in the USA recently, after it was engulfed in flames following an accident on the Long Island Expressway in New York.
The flamboyant chrome and pink Aventador was being driven by its owner, high-profile divorce lawyer Bryan Salamone, during a charity run, when it was clipped from behind by another Lamborghini and spun into the centre median. Emergency services reported that the Aventador was well ablaze when they arrived, but Salamone had already been pulled from the vehicle by other drivers. He was air-lifted to a nearby hospital with “non-life-threatening burns and injuries”. Police said that the driver of the other Lamborghini involved was uninjured.
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The roadster version of the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ LP-770-4, a lightweight version of the SV with advanced aerodynamics, is one of the most expensive Lamborghinis made, with a retail price of $1.1 million when it launched in 2021.
The Aventador SVJ was the first production V12 Lamborghini model to feature Lamborghini's “Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva” (ALA) system that allowed it to develop 40 percent more downforce than the SV and made extensive use of carbon fibre to bring its weight down to 1,525 kg.
The SVJ is powered by a naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine that pumps 566kW and 720Nm to all four wheels through a seven-speed automatic transmission, and launches the roadster to 100km/h in blistering 2.9 seconds before topping out at 350km/h.
In July 2018 an Aventador SVJ set a lap record for road-legal production cars around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, beating the previous record-holder - the Porsche 911 GT2 RS - with a lap time of 6:44.97 with Lamborghini test driver Marco Mapelli behind the wheel. The 911 would take the record back later that year, only to be dethroned again this week by the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar.
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Lamborghini only produced 800 examples of the topless version of the SVJ (Super Veloce Jota) and it is safe to say that Salamone’s was quite likely the only pink and chrome example in existence.
Salamone is said to have a collection of supercars that he used for children’s charity work, as well as entering road rally events such as the Gumball 3000.
"Bryan has always cancelled meetings to attend events for the children," charity Smiles Through Cars, a nonprofit organisation that “aims to bring love and hope to children battling illnesses through showing them nice cars”, wrote on Facebook.
"He has a heart of gold and needs our prayers. Please pray for his complete and speedy recovery so he can return home to continue visiting children.”
Salamone is expected to make a full recovery, but the Aventador was completely destroyed.
