My first drive in a Lamborghini revealed unexpected flaws, but it was unforgettable

Working for a performance car magazine, you certainly have the perk of getting to drive lots of interesting cars, but when you’re the magazine’s photographer you’re normally at the bottom of the list when it comes to sampling the extra special stuff. Fortunately for me, we’ve had our SVJ for months not days, meaning it eventually worked its way down to the bottom of that list, providing me with the opportunity to get behind the wheel of my very first Lamborghini.

I won’t try to play it cool – I was extremely excited to have the SVJ for a long weekend. Getting into the driver’s seat, I realised it was a car designed for people shorter than my 5ft 11in, as my head was brushing the Alcantara roof lining. So for me the driving position wasn’t great, nor the obscured view out of the side windows, and to that you can add the usual problem of being able to see next to nothing in the rear-view mirror – perfect for your first drive in a 759bhp supercar that’s as wide as a house!

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But upon flicking open the red safety cover on the centre console and pushing the button beneath, the start-up noise from the SVJ’s incredible V12 engine made me instantly forget all about little inconveniences such as vision. And while I may have built it up in my head, after ten minutes or so I realised that the SVJ is not actually that difficult to drive. Yes, it’s large and sometimes literally takes up your entire side of the road, but you get used to that, just as you get used to the way the single-clutch ’box highlights its age by changing gear with a slight pause before slamming the ratio home.

And when the opportunity arises to exploit the SVJ’s performance, it really doesn’t disappoint. For all of its imperfections it’s right up there as one of the most intoxicating cars I’ve ever driven. The feral way the engine revs and the accompanying fast-forward-style acceleration makes you feel like a big kid, giggling to yourself about just how bonkers this car is – and that’s just from the inside.

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Needless to say, you get lots of attention in a car like this, and it was amusing seeing people trying to sneakily take photos of it with their phones. But it’s impossible not to react to those otherworldly looks, which is why I loved seeing my wife's expression when I first arrived home in the SVJ: the face you pull when you’re excited but also half embarrassed is priceless. (Well, £440,000 actually.)

The rest of my short time with the SVJ was packed with excuses to go back out for another drive and another opportunity to enjoy this awesome Italian spaceship. It’s an experience I definitely won’t be forgetting any time soon.

This story first featured in evo issue 287.

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