Lamborghini Veneno Roadster priced at $4.7m

Lamborghini has released photos and details of its Veneno Roadster -- the open-air variant of the radical Veneno coupe built to help mark the brand's 50th anniversary. The hardtop saw a global debut at the Geneva motor show in March this year, and is being built in an edition of just four for $4.5 million. The Roadster will see a bigger production run -- okay, it's still just going to be nine vehicles -- and for the loss of the roof you pay about $200,000 more.

Based on the Aventador, the Veneno shares its 6.5-litre V12 -- tuned to deliver 552kW of power (a lift of 42kW over the donor car) and 690Nm of torque, driving all four wheels via an automated manual transmission. The figures give the coupe the crown as the most powerful of Lambo's road cars, and the fastest, with a 0-100km/h time of 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 356km/h in both hardtop and open forms.

The roadster is not far behind, with 2.9 seconds and 355km/h, and is able to match the coupe's performance because it's not hindered by its kind's usual weight penalty. It tips the scales at 1490kg, just 40kg more than the coupe, with liberal use of aircraft-spec carbon fibre using the brand's own forged production process that blends short threads of carbon into the resin and then pressure-cures it in heated molds in just minutes.

The wedge body has an aerodynamic setup designed for extreme downforce and stability -- including a deep multiple-plane front spoiler, track-bred rear wing and finned engine cover -- but Lamborghini says the Veneno Roadster also has extremely low wind resistance.

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