Lamborghini Reventon Replicas

The history

The Lamborghini Reventon is the second model born of the marriage of Audi and Lamborghini. Audi purchased the Italian specialty carmaker about 2001 and, though the Murceilago, was the first fruit of that marriage, the second was the Reventon. Like all Lamborghinis made before the name continues the tradition of naming a model for a fighting bull, Reventon, that was infamous for killing famed Mexican matador Felix Guzman in 1943. Reventon, besides being the name of a fighting bull, means explosion or burst, formally, and blowout or night on the town in the vernacular.

Lamborghini Reventon Replica based on Pontiac Fiero

The Reventon is certainly the vehicle for that. Its top speed is more than 221 mph and it did race a modern jet aircraft down a three kilometer runway and it was leading the aircraft until the aircraft developed enough lift to blast by the low-slung Reventon.

It was debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. The 400-horsepower 6.5-liter V12, which also combines the differential so the Reventon is a rear-wheel-drive/all-wheel-drive bullet car that is only 48 inches off the ground at its maximum height, and is one of the fastest land-speed production models ever built. Yes, the Reventon is a production model, though only 20 were ever intended to be built with one more for the company museum. The price of the vehicle, when it was available, was more than $1.5 million. Since it is so rare, its price has likely tripled by now, even though it was only manufactured from 2008 to 2010.

To prevent forgeries, Lamborghini serialized the Reventon with a number placed between the driver and passenger seats. The standard coupe was joined by a roadster, capable of only 205 mph. Lamborghini only built 15 of the open-air versions.

Lamborghini Reventon Replica based on Pontiac Fiero by Solrac

The Reventon sported an all-new exterior as the pieces were taken from the Murcielago LP640. The stylists in the design salon were said at the show to have been inspired by the sleekest and fastest jet aircraft on the market. Indeed, if you look at the complex reverse arrow sculpting, you can see that not only has the design undergone extensive wind-tunnel testing, but it is also quite an intricate piece of work.

For example, the low-slung Reventon seems to swoop up from almost  no front cross-section that, from some angles, resembles an arrowhead, into a carbon-fiber body that features front fenders that seem to be sculpted in a reverse direction. The result almost seems trihedral in form, but it is very sleek as the fenders are rounded and follow the major lines of the Reventon through the very rounded passenger compartment. The roofline flows from a highly angled windscreen and on through the low-slung and rounded roof to an equally angled rear.

The rear end deserves special note because it takes its styling cues from the front end so that the center of the rear end is sleekly rounded at the center but flow to a central point. Interestingly, the rear quarters and sails form a reversed arrow line to the grown into which a tri-taillight assembly has been inserted.

One can also tell the Reventon is definitely a result of the Audi/Lamborghini marriage is the eight high-intensity LEDs that come on when one fires up the engine.

The Reventon, as it is such a limited edition, has, from the first, inspired the desire in people to own the vehicle, however, not everyone has had more the $1 million laying around to buy one and not everyone was invited to purchase one so that leaves the replicar and kit car arena.

As with all limited editions, the price for an original Reventon, if you are lucky enough to find one and have a wallet big enough to buy one has easily doubled or tripled or more, so you will have to turn to the aftermarket to find a replicar or kit car-based Reventon.

The Reventon replicas

For example, one of the many replicar companies out there. They offer a range of Reventon replicas that range in price from $20,000 to more than $75,000. And, while they do fine work, it is still a case of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) – you pay for what you are getting.

For example, for $20,000 you can obtain a fiberglass-based Lamborghini that is based on the mid-engined 1995 to 1997 Toyota MR-2. In checking the specifications for this vehicle, there was no indication whether you supplied the chassis or not, but, assuming you do, you can add anywhere from $3,500 to $7,500, depending on the condition of the MR-2. This kit also seems to use the Toyota’s existing four-cylinder driveline as its powerplant. So, while the kit is a pretty good likeness of the Reventon, it offers nowhere near the power.

If you can afford a bit more, $23,000 you can obtain a Reventon kitcar based on a 2000-2004  MR-2 chassis. Again, there’s no indication whether you have to supply the base chassis or not, but, if you do then you are looking at a cost of roughly $5,000 to about $8,000 for a clean MR-2 chassis. The MR-2 Spyder was Toyota’s mid-engined entry in the the two-seat class. It looked strangely like the Porsche Boxster, although the powerplant was definitely smaller at 1.8 liters.  The standard powerplant and driveline for the MR-2 Spyder was Toyota’s 1.8-liter, 16-valve four, driving the rear wheels through a five-speed manual or automatic transaxle. Since haven’t been made in some time, the final years of the MR-2 line are likely to be more expensive as they do feature the largest engine so you can assume, though it is not said, that the kit, with chassis included will have a total cost of $30,000 or so.

You can, of course, go the opposite direction and instead of using an MR-2 as the base chassis, you can take advantage of  turnkey, out-the-door, Gallardo Superleggera-based Reventon replicar. This model relies on the Superlegerra’s 4.9-liter V10 and its tube chassis and driveline. At $75,000 or more, now, depending on the value of the euro versus the dollar, you may pay upwards of $100,000 for the vehicle or, possibly more, depending on the condition of the Superleggera.

They also offer a version, based on the 2007 Ford Mustang 4.6-liter V-8, that cranks out 300 horsepower at 5,150 rpm. Because they use this engine and 5-speed manual transmission combination, they do have to do some reinforcement to the engine compartment, as well as make some changes in the frame, if they use the Superleggera frame. The out-the-door cost will probably be between $32,000 and $40,000.

If you think you can do the work yourself, remember, that you will have to not only buy the kit, but also supply the base vehicle chassis. To reach that chassis, you will have to find the Toyota, to begin with, strip off the body panels and add the wheel spacers and other add-ons that are required to make the MR-2 into the Reventon replica. This is exacting work and ensuring the body panels line up correctly and the fiberglass is bonded correctly requires the proper workspace and tools. It also requires mechanical knowledge that you may or may not have. This isn’t the type of operation that should be attempted by someone without a good degree of mechanical ability as well as access to garage tools and a proper work space. If you feel you are qualified, remember there will be a good investment of time involved and if the engine or drivetrain need work then you will have to either lift them out and bring them to an engine tuning shop or do the work yourself. It’s also something to think about.

A good kit car replica is a nice investment, especially if you can’t have the real thing, but if it is done correctly, you can have your own Reventon at a lot less cost.

Photo: reventonreplica.com