“Uncompromising... a true automotive superlative.” That’s how Stephan Winkelman, President and CEO of Lamborghini describes his company’s latest product. And it needs to be: with a price of €1,000,000 – plus tax – it’s more than four times more expensive than the “ordinary” Murcielago that it’s based on.

It will be exclusive, too – just 20 of these exceptional cars will be produced, and all will be sold during 2008.

Everything about this car is more extreme than the Murcielago and every carbon-fibre panel is new. Sharper edges; large, angled, forward-facing air intakes; deeply faired-in rear light clusters; an engine cover with open ventilation slots; asymmetrical bodyside air vents...seen side by side with the super-aggressive Reventón, the Murcielago looks almost tame.

Reventón will be offered in only one, exclusive colour: an opaque green-grey, also called Reventón. It’s a metallic paint with an unusual matt finish in contrast to the high shine finish common to most vehicles. The matching wheels have carbon rims screwed to aluminium spokes.

The Murcielago’s 6.5 litre 12-cylinder engine has been upgraded to 650-hp and 660 Nm of torque for the Reventón, with an 8,000 rpm red line. A specially contoured near flat floor provides superior aerodynamics, giving the car a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) performance of 3.4 seconds. A robotised gearbox transmits power to all four wheels.

Inside, the fighter-jet theme is carried through. The Alcantara, carbon, aluminium and leather interior has a no-nonsense air of functional luxury, but the piece de resistance is the LCD instrument panel, which presents drivers with two modes (selectable at the flick of a switch), either striking high-tech, multifunctional aircraft-style instruments, or more traditional (simulated) analogue dials. Both options display a “3-D” g-meter, which measures both longitudinal (accelerative) and lateral (cornering) g forces.

The one thing that’s not fighter jet inspired is the name. No, Lamborghini found an even more bloodthirsty source for their new car’s badge: Reventón was the name of a bull that famously defeated and killed top bullfighter Felix Guzman in 1943.

It’s an impressive package, and a characteristically flamboyant way to fulfil Lamborghini’s pledge to bring a new car to market every year.