Lamborghini Diablo

About this model

In June 1985, Lamborghini began considering replacing the Countach. The model had been in production for over a decade, and while popular, it was beginning to show its age. Despite being an icon of supercar design in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Countach had some inherent flaws that Lamborghini sought to iron out.

Five years later, the ‘Diablo’ was presented to the public in Monte Carlo. In true Lamborghini fashion, the name derived from bullfighting, as ‘Diablo’ (Spanish for ‘Devil’) was a particularly ferocious bull that fought El Chicorro in Madrid in 1869.

Over six million Lire was said to have been invested in the Diablo project—dubbed ‘Project 132’—and the results spoke for themselves. For the styling, Lamborghini once again contacted Marcello Gandini—stylist of both the Miura and Countach—who penned an aggressive, modern design that would stir up some controversy of its own.

When Project 132 was started, Lamborghini was under the control of the Swiss Mimran brothers but, in April 1987, Lee Iacocca of Chrysler spearheaded a $25.2 million deal to purchase the company. The capital was now there to fully develop Project 132, but Chrysler wasn’t happy with the styling. Initially, Gandini did some redesigning to make it more ‘human’ and practical, but the final design carried some edits from Chrysler’s Styling Center. Gandini was annoyed, and the ‘true’ design of the Diablo would later become the Cizeta-Moroder V16T- he still allowed them to put his name on the side!

Despite some refinements, the Diablo was a true fire-spitting Lamborghini. Powered by an upgraded 5.7-litre version of their classic V12, it output 492 bhp through Weber/Marelli-developed fuel injection and four valves per cylinder. This combined with finely-tuned air intakes, new wheels and stickier tyres, and early use of composite materials to make a true performer.

The interior also received a redesign, but this was solely the work of Chrysler. The seats, dashboard and steering wheel were all adjustable and the cockpit featured the use of fine Italian leather and Alpine audio equipment. The side windows were now electrically powered one-piece units and the windscreen was cut down to allow better visibility when manoeuvring. Ingress and egress were also easier, as the doors opened wider.

Factory options included an Alpine CD changer, rear spoiler and fitted luggage set, and owners started taking delivery in June of 1990.