Despite being around since 1963, Lamborghini has proven time and time again that it’s here to stay. While it has switched up its portfolio in recent times, such as slowly moving away from fossil fuel-powered cars, Lamborghini’s bets seem to be paying off. In recent times, Car and Driver reported that the Italian legacy car brand continues to hit record-breaking sales in 2023 — the first time in history it has sold over 10,000 cars in a year. Through the years, several cars have contributed to the Italian carmaker’s coveted position at the top. Among them, you may have encountered the letters “SVJ” after the names of some popular Lamborghini models, like the Aventador SVJ. So, what does it actually mean?
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SVJ is short for the Italian words “Super Veloce Jota,” which basically means it’s really fast. Additionally, Lamborghini mentions that the “J” is actually a reference to the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) race car specifications, which fall under the Appendix J. Surprisingly, the Aventador is not actually the first Lamborghini to use the Jota standard. In 1970, the “J” letter first graced the Lamborghini lineup with the high-performance version of the Miura. Made by Bob Wallace, the Miura SVJ is a rare iteration of the Miura SV that graces actor and car collector Nicolas Cage’s garage. Soon after, a few Lamborghini Diablo units were also retrofitted to be able to carry the name.
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How fast is the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ?
When it was first released in 2018, Lamborghini revealed that its Aventador SVJ hit a record-breaking 6:44.97 minute lap time at the 20.6 km Nürburgring Nordschleife track in Germany. On its website, Lamborghini shares that the Aventador SVJ has no problem clocking in ungodly speeds that can reach up to 217 miles per hour (350 kph), so it’s unsurprising that it joins our list of one of the most powerful Lamborghinis ever made. Additionally, the 770 horsepower isn’t something to laugh at on the track.
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Thanks to its V12 engine, the Aventador SVJ has an absurd acceleration time. To reach 62 miles per hour (100 kph), the supercar only needs 2.8 seconds. It’s no wonder that it joins our list of cars that we were excited to drive in Need for Speed Unbound. That said, the Aventador SVJ has been a subject of recalls in the past. In 2020, we reported how more than two dozen cars were recalled for door handle issues.
