When the Lamborghini Centenario 
debuted at the Geneva Auto Show as a tribute to honor the Ferruccio Lamborghini’s 100th birthday, there was one thing that was overshadowed by coupe’s debut. That was the fact Lambo also a Centenario Roadster in the works. What’s more, the 20-unit production run was already sold out ahead of the auto show. Like the Coupe, it was likely shown to prospective buyers as a 3D hologram during Monterey Car Week in 2015.
When speaking of the Centenario in general, Lamborghini’ s President and CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, said, “The Centenario is a car that perfectly combines tradition and innovation. It looks to the future while honoring the legend that is Ferruccio Lamborghini.” He continued, “The Centenario is an opportunity for our designers and engineers to transcend some of the constraints of series car production to achieve an incomparable result: the Centenario has immediately proved itself as a desirable collectors’ car, while demonstrating new Lamborghini technologies and outstanding performance. It is the most fitting tribute to Ferruccio Lamborghini in his centenary year: a man who created an exceptional brand believed that anything was possible, and produced extraordinary, iconic cars. The Centenario is a super sports car for Ferruccio Lamborghini and the future he and we believe in today.”
And, while that may be the case, we’ve yet to see the Centenario Roadster make its debut. In fact, the brand has been rather quiet about when we will actually see it. With that, we asked our resident artist to render what the Centenario Roadster might look like when it does finally make its debut. Let’s take a look at the Roadster and how it might differ from the coupe.
Continue reading to learn more about the Lamborghini Centenario Roadster.
Exterior
Right away, you can see that we don’t expect and major changes to the body at all – aside from the roof, of course. The front end still sports the same aggressive fascia and spoiler, and that yellow coloration to the body kit still extends around the body. The profile of the side is the same too, bit the most notable difference being a brighter yellow strip on the A-pillar for the windshield.
As you can see, the roof will terminate with at the rear of the seats. The real question at hand is whether or not the luggage compartment will accommodate storage of the room. Looking at the size of the luggage compartment door, and the size of the roof on the coupe, it will be a tight fit if it does. More than likely, the Centenario Roadster will come with a storage sleeve and will have to be left in the garage if one of the few owners decides to take it out on the road. Another option would be for the room to slide down behind the seats for storage. That would certainly be unique, and would allow the roof to be taken on trips as well – I know I wouldn’t want to risk the interior of my 1-of-20 Lambo getting wet should mother nature decide to throw a curve ball my way.
Interior
Note: Lamborghini Centenario Coupe pictured here.
As far as the interior goes, like the Centenario Coupe, each customer was allowed to give their own specification for the finish. The Roadster should feature the same standard features as the coupe. This means it will have seats made of carbon fiber and wrapped with Alcantara. You’ll also find Alcantara on the steering wheel, dash, door trim inserts, and the A-pillars. Where you don’t see Alcantara, you’ll see glossed-over carbon fiber. In the images we have of the Coupe, all that Alcantara is held together by yellow stitching. Naturally the customer could choose a different contrast stitching, but with the yellow accents on the exterior, yellow stitching will probably be favored by most.
The instrument cluster will be a full digital display, and there will be that same, 10.1-inch touchscreen that seems to dominate the center console. It will offer smartphone integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and will be able to record telemetry, speed, track times, and G-forces when driving. The working colors of the infotainment system will likely be the same black, blue, and red, as seen on the Centenario Coupe. It was already a fine interior, so there is no doubt that Lamborghini will leave it the alone as far as design changes.
Drivetrain
Note: Lamborghini Centenario Coupe pictured here.
Just like the Coupe, the Centenario Roadster will feature Lambo’s naturally-aspirated V-12 that was uprated to produce 770 horsepower. Power will be routed to all four wheels, and rear-wheel steering should also be standard on the Roadster as well as the selection of three different driving modes. The Coupe can hit the 62 mph sprint in 2.8 seconds and 186 mph in 23.5 seconds, with a top speed in excess of 217 mph. I don’t expect to see these numbers change at all for the Roadster. Sure, the roof can be removed and stored elsewhere, but the roof will be rather light and shouldn’t make much of a difference as far power-to-weight ratio is concerned.
Prices
Just like the coupe, all 20 examples of the Centenario Roadster were spoken for before the coupe made its debut in Geneva. The starting price was $1.9 million before options, tax, and delivery. It’s hard to say what each individual model is going for after options, but it’s still cheaper than the Veneno Roadster that carried a price of $4.5 million.
Competition
Porsche 918 Spyder
Finding a competitor for the Lamborghini Centenario is pretty difficult given the nature of its purpose and the $1.9 million price tag. So, I looked to Porsche to find a competitor came up with the Porsche 918 Spyder. It might not be as expensive with a price tag that starts out at $845,000 for the base model here in the U.S., but it is a fairly limited production vehicle, with on 918 examples built. If lined up with a Centenario Roadster, the 918 Spyder will hold its own. Between the 4.6-liter V-8 and the two parallel electric motors, the 918 Spyder pumps out a total of 887 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque. All that power is routed to the ground via a seven-speed PDK automated manual transmission.
In base form, the 918 Spyder can hit 62 mph in 2.8 seconds and 186 mph in 23 seconds, which is pretty much identical to the Centenario. Top speed, sits at 211 mph, so the Centenario will eventually overtake it in the long run. When equipped with the Wsessach Package, (an extra $84,000 on the price tag) the 918 Spyder can hit 60 mph in 2.6 seconds and 186 mph in 19.9 seconds, which is actually a bit better than the Centenario.
Read our full review on the Porsche 918 Spyder here.
Conclusion
While I like the overall look and design of the Centenario, I still think it is another one of those cars the brand is making to draw attention to itself. Sure, it is a tribute to Ferruccio’s 100th birthday, and people snatched them up before the 20 models were even put into production, but it’s really just a way for Lamborghini to boast its brand and sell another quick money grab from consumers. Not that I’m hating on the brand or the car itself – as I said with the coupe, I would probably buy a Centenario Roadster if I had the extra $2 million sitting around. Either way, I think this rendering hits the nail right on the head, and I’m looking forward to seeing the Centenario Roadster make its debut in the near future.