Lamborghini Veneno

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Valentin Flauraud / Bloomberg via Getty Images

A Lamborghini Venenos automobile, produced by Automobili Lamborghini SpA, on display on the first day of the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, March 5, 2013.

Attention, McLaren and Bugatti: the gauntlet has been thrown.
On Monday, Italian carmaker Lamborghini introduced its Veneno supercar, a 750-horsepower beast whose $3.9 million price tag immediately makes it one of the most expensive cars ever produced, putting the $2.4 million Bugatti Veyron and the McLaren F1 (a mere $1 million, although they’re tough to find) in the shade.

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

The new Lamborghini Veneno is presented by CEO and Chairman Stephan Winkelmann during a preview of Volkswagen Group on March 4, 2013 ahead of the Geneva Car Show in Geneva.

The car is a one-off, produced in honor of Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary. Like all Lamborghinis, its name derives from bullfighting; Veneno was apparently a particularly speedy animal from the early 1900s. According to CEO Stephan Winkelmann, the new car is the “fastest, most powerful road Lamborghini we’ve ever built,” reports Automotive News Europe.

Valentin Flauraud / Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Lamborghini Venenos automobile, produced by Automobili Lamborghini SpA, on display on the first day of the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, March 5, 2013.

Much of the extraordinary cost of the car comes from its carbon fiber monocoque construction, CNN Money reports. While the vehicle is based on Lamborghini’s $400,000 Aventador chassis, all its body panels — including the various splitters, air ducts and diffusers and the massive rear spoiler — are custom-designed to maximize downforce and keep the car close to the road, according to the Chicago Tribune.

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

The new Lamborghini Veneno is presented by CEO and Chairman Stephan Winkelmann on March 4, 2013 ahead of the Geneva Car Show in Geneva.

The Veneno comes with a 6.5-liter, naturally aspirated V-12 engine, seven-speed automated manual transmission and permanent all-wheel drive, all of which help it accelerate from zero to 60 in 2.8 seconds and hit a top speed approaching 220 miles an hour.

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

The new Lamborghini Veneno is introduced by CEO and Chairman Stephan Winkelmann, March 4, 2013 in Geneva.

The model Winkelmann introduced in Geneva is the carmaker’s development car, reports The Telegraph, featuring racing stripes in the green, white and red of the Italian flag.

Valentin Flauraud / Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Lamborghini Venenos on the first day of the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, March 5, 2013.

But even if you do have the scratch to consider buying one of these monsters, don’t get too excited yet: Lamborghini is only making 3 Venenos, and they’ve all been spoken for. Might as well save your money for Steve McQueen’s Ford GT40.

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

The new Lamborghini Veneno, March 4, 2013 in Geneva

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/05/photos-lamborghinis-new-3-9-million-veneno-supercar/#ixzz2NJS2BMov