Like most Italian supercars, the Lamborghini Aventador->ke3624 is no stranger to fires, with one example burning to a crisp somewhere in California a couple of years ago. More recently though, a roadster version caught fire in Australia, this time during a media demonstration on the Philip Island race track.

Shipped from Italy to Australia for prospective customers and automotive journalists to get a taste of its capabilities, the brand-new Aventador Roadster caught fire before the end of its first track day.

According to a report coming from Drive, the vehicle was being driven by a Top Gear Australia editor when flames started to come out from behind the cabin. The drive pulled over immediately, as instructed by the Lamborghini->ke44 staff at the track, to allow for the fire to be extinguished.

Obviously unhappy with the embarrassing incident, Lamborghini asked those attending the Philip Island event not to write about it, the reports notes, adding that "at least one media outlet was forced to delete video footage and image of the Aventador burning."

There's no official word as to what may have caused the flames to erupt, but people attending the event have told Drive that the supercar->ke177 caught fire due to an oil leak on the exhaust. Lamborghini has commenced an investigation, but stressed that the incident wasn't provoked by any issue in the design or construction of the Aventador.

Click past the jump to read more about the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster.

Why It Matters

As with most fires like this, there's no need for concerned and a recall is out of the question. However, when such incidents occur during media and customer events it can only mean bad news. Especially in Australia, where the high luxury tax nearly doubles the price of the Aventador Roadster at 795,000 Australian dollars (about $746,000 in U.S. currency). Convincing customers to drop nearly a million bucks is difficult enough even for Lamborghini. Showing up with a car that catches fire after a few laps isn't exactly encouraging, despite being an isolated incident.

Lamborghini Aventador Roadster

Just like the Coupe version, the Aventador Roadster sports a huge, 6.5-liter V-12 engine under its hood. The mill generates 700 horsepower and 509 pound-feet of torque, enabling the supercar to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just three second and onto a top speed of 217 mph. The Aventador Roadster was launched for the 2013 model year.