Teenage kicks: The Lamborghini Aventador S

Our only minor quibble with the car is a result of its magnificence. It is a vehicle that strains at the reins.

One of the worst aspects of growing up, aside from aches not subsiding after more rigorous exercise than usual or having to listen to people bang on about their kids rather than who they fancy/ can't stand that week, is the loss of imagination. Remember when your walls were adorned with posters of your choice pop star or actor who you were definitely going to marry, or practicing your autograph over and over again so as not to disappoint your future legion of fans? When you watched a professional sports match and genuinely thought, if you hunkered down, you'd be in with a shot of making the team, or maybe that drawing that took you a whole five minutes could really be worth a fortune if you just had Damien Hirst's PR? If you're a dopey kid the possibilities are endless, which brings us to this week's car. See, being the automotive bores we are, one of our teenage flights of fancy always involved taking out a Lamborghini Diablo a friend of a friend's dad had lovingly preserved in his garage. A la Ferris Bueller, we'd motor on into town without a care in the world as if a 14-year-old behind the wheel of one of the most sought-after super cars in history were the most everyday occurrence. Well, being handed the keys to a Lamborghini Aventador S (almost) two decades later, in a way, made that young idiot's dream come true. Here's why.
You cannot help but beam
Cue a whooshing sound effect and blue light, because merely approaching the Aventador was like rolling back time. Much like being given a present you've desired for ages gives you a very unique grin when you're a child, we caught ourselves wearing the same expression. It was all we could do not to sit behind the wheel and pretend to be chasing bad guys, or doing our best Roger Moore impression...which is flawless, by the way. Now, we're going to put something out there that perhaps won't be very popular. The '90s Diablo after which we lusted for so long is undoubtedly mad to look at, but in retrospect isn't that attractive. Akin to perusing an old year book and happening upon a picture of a teacher you had a crush on invariably prompts you to question your previous taste, in contrast, no matter how many years go by the Aventador S will always be classed absolutely, jaw-droppingly stunning. The improved aerodynamic design has only further accentuated its dynamism. Much like an example of Gaudi architecture: what makes it functional also makes it beautiful.
It's one of the quickest cars we've ever driven
As all multi-millionaires are short (no citation needed), the cockpit is rather snug, which actually only adds to the anticipation of the performance. If it were SUV spacious, some of the magic would have been missing, so this is an attribute. Opening up the scissor doors and sliding in, your inner fighter pilot comes to the fore. This is only accentuated by the missile switch-style start button, whose cover you must lift before you press to fire the thing up. Do so and the 6.5-litre V12 creates a phenomenal roar that wouldn't be out of place on an airfield. And better than some planes, smash the accelerator down and 740 horses kick in, catapulting you forward from 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds. Seriously, it takes us longer to say the words: 'Top Gun'!          
And the drive?
So low to the ground, you feel at one with the road. You can sense the car working to keep all its power on the tarmac and the centred, assured way it takes on corners is astounding. This is only aided by the Aventador S's new four wheel steering system, again another huge tick over the famously rigid Diablo. Our only minor quibble with the car is a result of its magnificence. It is a vehicle that strains at the reins. It wants to go quick, so creeping along in traffic in low gear isn't the smoothest journey, but if we're ever going to savour spending more time in the Hessa Street tailback, it'll be in this vehicle so we weren't complaining.
Would we get one?
And bring to fruition a 20-year dream; only now the car is even better? What do you think? We're scouring all the Dubai Shopping Festival cash giveaways as we speak.
Specs
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Power: 740hp
0-100km/h: 2.9 seconds
Top speed: 350km/h
david@khaleejtimes.com