Lamborghini Centenario – 759bhp V12 supercar shown on video

The wraps were pulled off the 759bhp Lamborghini Centenario way back in March, but the car has only just made its dynamic debut on video.

Read more: Lamborghini Centenario Roadster revealed

Filmed running at the Nardò Technical Centre in Italy, this is the first time the car's 6.5-litre V12 can be (just about) heard at full pelt. Joining the Centenario on track are a trio of Aventadors, at least one of which appears to be an SV.

Centenario technical specifications

The Centenario is based on the Lamborghini Aventador’s platform, and is Lamborghini’s most potent production supercar ever. It has been created to celebrate 100 years since company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini was born. Just 40 examples will be built, and they’ll cost close to £1.64 million each.

The Centenario pushes the design of the already-striking Aventador to new levels of extreme. It flaunts sharply angled carbonfibre bodywork with deep air intakes and ducts carving across the body, and makes the hardcore Aventador SV look positively tame by comparison.

Lamborghini says that as eye-catching as the Centenario is, its design placed function ahead of form, with downforce a clear priority. Evidence for this comes with an ultra-low nose that houses wide-mouthed intakes and six vertical vanes. At the back, a massive rear diffuser uses six long vanes that stretch from the car’s underside up to its tail-lights. Lamborghini says so much air flows through the Centenario that it has, in effect, a ‘permeable’ body.

To adjust aero performance on the move, there’s also an active rear wing that extends to 150mm and rotates up to 15 degrees depending on the car’s driving mode.

The Centenario has kept some Aventador features, however, with the long swooping roofline perhaps the clearest example. There are also headlights that resemble those of the Huracan and taillights that are clearly inspired by the Y-shaped units of the Asterion concept.

At the heart of the Centenario is the naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 from the Aventador. Power has been ramped up to 759bhp, 19bhp more than the Aventador SV, while maximum revs have been raised from 8350rpm to a spine-tingling 8600rpm. It’s Lamborghini’s most powerful production engine ever. This extra power gives the 1520kg car an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 499bhp/ton – 7bhp more than the SV.