From its jagged leading edge and faceted air intakes to the terraced-glass engine louvers and improbably angled tail, the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 is one menacing machine.

Its sharply creased body melds a series of striking sculptural shapes that bring to mind the venerable Countach and wicked Diablo. Beneath those angled creases lie all manner of bleeding-edge technology confirming the car’s malicious intentions, including a carbon-fiber monocoque weighing just 325 pounds, Formula 1–inspired push-rod suspension and an ungodly powerful V-12 engine. How quickly the late, great Murcielago has become a low-slung relic.

Lamborghini’s new flagship is, in a word, nuts. Nothing else describes a 690-horsepower projectile that shoots from zero to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. Yet Lamborghini has managed to build a 217-mph machine with surprisingly approachable handling.

Don’t get me wrong. The Aventador is still one mean beast. But it’s a mean beast you can control, if not quite tame.