The Petersen Museum has the beginning of an era that’s over now.
The legacy of V12-powered Lamborghini flagship supercars is one of the most important aspects of the over sixty-year-old manufacturer, with each one being a pioneer of automotive excellence in its time that would go on to help define the echelon of performance it occupied. Until a few years ago, that flagship position was occupied by the Aventador, which would end up being Lamborghini’s last non-hybrid “pure” naturally-aspirated V12-powered flagship.
Now, the new Revuelto has taken the Aventador’s place, reaching an unprecedented level of performance with its plug-in hybrid powertrain assisting its naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine, giving it a total of 1,001 horsepower. Since its discontinuation, the Aventador represents the end of a cherished era of performance in an automotive landscape that is rapidly changing amongst manufacturers’ approaches to electrification, and it’s quickly become an icon of times gone too soon.
Dedicated to showcasing and celebrating automotive history, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California, specializes in vehicles like the Aventador, and because of that, Automobili Lamborghini has donated the very first North American Lamborghini Aventador to the museum.
The car, which is from 2011 but received the 2012 model year designation, has an important legacy as the vehicle used for VIP preview events in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles before many people knew about the Aventador’s existence. After the cover broke on the Aventador, the car was used for press events and track events to show off Lamborghini’s new era at the time.
Now that the Aventador era of Lamborghini has come to a close, the former flagship V12 Lamborghini supercar has become a legend in the canon of automotive history. As part of the Petersen Automotive Museum’s collection, its iconic story and important role in the Aventador’s launch in 2011 will be on display for automotive enthusiasts to revel in.