The average price of a vacation home in Canada is about $440,000. That's according to an annual survey from real estate company Royal LePage. But what do you get for nearly half a million? You get a cottage that's probably not as nice as your primary house. One you might only use a few times a year, after slogging for hours in Friday afternoon traffic just to get there. Maybe you get a relaxing Saturday before spending Sunday dreading the evening traffic jam heading back to the city.
But what else could you get for the money that would give you that much relaxation? How about instead of something quiet on a lake, you got something loud. Something with a V12 and 700 horses. Something Italian, with lines sharp enough you might cut yourself. How about something you can use almost every day (hey, it has all-wheel drive for the snow, and carbon can't rust!) and that will put a smile on your face every time you look at it? Plus on the faces of just about everyone who sees it? If that sounds more appealing, then we've got just the e-ticket ride for you. Our autoTRADER.ca Find of the Week for this week, a 2014 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4.
Ever since tractor manufacturer-cum-dream maker Ferruccio Lamborghini gave in to his engineering team's desire to build the mid-engine Miura in 1966, the company has built a reputation on making some of the most outrageous cars to see production. The Aventador is no different. In typical Lamborghini fashion, the Aventador has sharp lines, stiff creases, and enough styling details that you might never notice them all. As is the tradition for the brand, the car is named after a legendary fighting bull. In this case, one that fought in Spain in 1993.
The Aventador was launched in 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show. It was replacing the Murciélago as the company's flagship model. The Aventador LP 700-4 debuted with an all-new V12 engine. The engine was the first new V12 for the company in nearly 50 years. The Murciélago's V12 was still based on the engine that debuted in the 350GT all the way back in 1963.
The new quad-cam V12 made 700 hp and 507 lb-ft of torque. Peak power comes at a stratospheric 8,250 rpm and the engine screams all the way to an 8,500 rpm redline. Combined with a seven-speed automated manual and all-wheel drive, the Aventador rockets from 0-100 km/h in under three seconds, on the way to a top speed somewhere north of 350 km/h.
The chassis of the car is made from carbon fibre, as are most of the body panels. The rest are aluminium. The bare body and chassis tip the scales at under 250 kg (although it's closer to 1,500 kg with everything else bolted on).
The suspension uses Formula 1-inspired pushrod actuated shocks. The shocks are magnetically adjustable to make sure that the massive 255 mm wide front and 335 mm wide rear tires stay planted to the pavement. Optional carbon-ceramic brakes haul the Aventador down from 100 km/h to a stop in just 30 m. There's even a button to raise the nose to help you clear things like driveways, curbs, and sheets of paper.
Our Find of the Week, for sale in the Montreal suburb of St. Eustache, PQ, is this eye-searing car in special Verde Scandal paint. Inside, the seats are black Alcantara suede with green piping and trim to match the outside. It has the carbon fibre package, which adds a carbon engine cover, carbon interior trim, and more carbon accents on the bodywork. It has the premium Sensonum sound system in case you ever tire of the V12 soundtrack.
Sure you could have a second home. But you could have a Lamborghini instead. You can sleep in a car, but you can't drive your house. Unless you get an RV, but that's not as eye-catching or fun to drive as a Lambo.
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