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2013 was a very important year for Automobili Lamborghini SpA as is marked the 50th anniversary of the company that was founded back in 1963 in Sant'Agata by the late Ferruccio Lamborghini, not only did they put together the largest event ever with a total of more than 350 Raging Bulls doing a road trip in Italy over 1,200km called the Grande Giro, but they also created a celebration model.

Just like back in 1988 when the Countach 25th Anniversary was introduced, and the amazing purple metallic Diablo SE30 marked the 30th anniversary while the by now highly sought after 1/18 scale AutoArt made Murciélago 40th Anniversary finished in the exclusive Verde Artemis ... Lamborghini came up with a restyled Aventador to mark 100 years of innovation in half the time ... the 50th Anniversary model also known as the Aventador LP720-4.

Not only did this limited edition model receive a 20hp power increase, but the entire front and rear section of the original Aventador was modified to receive a more aggressive look, with these additional parts finished in matte black instead of clear carbon fiber like the rest of the exterior body parts that were usually black on the base Aventador.

A total of 200 LP720-4 would be built, all numbered and available on special order only, 100 units of the LP720-4 and 100 units of the LP720-4 Roadster ... despite a $100,000 premium over the Aventador LP700-4 model these Anniversary editions sold out rather quickly.

Also note the LP720-4 introduced the return of that fabulous looking Q-Citura stitching first seen on the Murciélago LP640 an on the Gallardo, but up to this moment not available on the Aventador ... and despite many future owners request the Q-Citura option would not be available on the regular Aventador until all the LP720-4 were sold, and still it remained a very expensive Ad Personam option.

The Lamborghini Aventador LP720-4 50th Anniversary edition was first unveiled at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show finished in a very bright yellow metallic shade that was in fact specifically created for the new LP720-4 model ... as it turned out yellow was the most popular shade on the Lamborghini built over the last 50 years, and as the company was founded in May 1963 this new shade was called Giallo Maggio ... May Yellow, a new mix of yellow with additional metallic flakes that makes this car literally 'sparkle' in the sunlight, very bright, but extremely beautiful.

For the Shanghai show car Aventador LP720-4 the optional Dione wheels received a glossy black finish and were mounted over black black calipers, the glass engine cover boasted a green tint and the exterior received the optional carbon fiber pack ... the vents on the front hood, in front of the windshield, the intakes on the lower side and upper side all show a clear carbon fiber finish now while the central console, seats and door handles inside also receive the carbon fiber touch.

Furthermore the interior was a combination of black and yellow leather, with yellow stitching and naturally the beautiful Q-Citura option for the seats and door panels ... a small Forged Composite plaque was mounted on the driver's side of the dashboard showing the 'Serie Speciale' name and a serial number xxx/100.

On the outside a similar Forged Composite plaque found a place on the side section of the new, rear lower diffuser proudly boasting the stylish '50' digits making sure you know this is the 50th Anniversary edition. Because the side sills on this yellow show car received a coat of matte black paint to match the new front and rear sections the LP720-4 badge was moved to the front bumper.

In the end it would take AutoArt a little over a year to create their highly detailed 1/18 scale model of the Aventador LP720-4 ... so was it worth the wait? Absolutely ... the yellow shade looks perfect on this scale model, and as the original 1/18 Aventador is still one of the most highly appraised models today, this new evolution takes the model even higher up with impressive details and a fit and finish that warrants the high price for these AutoArt Signature Series models.

Still there are a few details even the masters at AutoArt seem to have missed in the final quality check ...

Take a closer look at the engine compartment of this 1/18 scale model for the LP720-4 ... the T-section between the manifolds shows a nicely scaled down carbon fiber print ... however on the Shanghai show car for the LP720-4 the complete engine surround ... the so-called engine bay is in fact finished in clear carbon fiber ... this isn't there on the AutoArt model.

Also the race inspired suspension wasn't taken from the show car in this AutoArt recreation, the latter installed bright colored springs, which are an option in fact on the real car ... but the yellow press release and show car for the Aventador LP720-4 came with black springs, I know this is a minor detail, but then again I prefer having the press release shade on my scale models, it would have been a nice touch for AutoArt to really have the exact configuration as shown during the unveil.

AutoArt did include the carbon fiber finish on the side air intakes, both those on the doors in front of the rear wheels and the smaller ones behind the side windows ... however the two vents in front of the windshield should also be clear carbon fiber in this case ... not on this AutoArt model however.

Which brings us to the interior of the 1/18 scale model for the Aventador LP720-4 50th Anniversary, the yellow seats with their Q-Citura stitching look really amazing, and I do love them, but the real car also had contrasting, yellow stitching on the seats ... AutoArt did put yellow stitching on the dashboard however.

Also note the central console and the dashboard pod show a carbon fiber finish on this AutoArt model, just like the real car in Shanghai did ... however AutoArt forgot the handles on the door panels ... the yellow section shows the beautiful Q-Citura stitching on the armrest panel, but the door handle should be carbon fiber too so it matches the console and dashboard.

So at first sight the 1/18 scaled down Aventador LP720-4 from AutoArt looks like a perfect model, there are in fact a few, albeit small items that seem to have been missed by the final inspection before production.

Should this keep you from adding this model to your collection? Absolutely not, this is without a doubt the best looking scale model of the limited edition Aventador LP720-4, and you just need one of these models finished in the special Giallo Maggio shade ... it just doesn't get more 'Lamborghini' than this.

Originally released in December 2014.

our RATING

Overall rating

10/10

Original price : € 180