1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster

The Diablo was the replacement for the legendary Countach, which on its arrival was the fastest, most advanced and most expensive Lamborghini ever built. The Diablo was first shown publicly at Monaco in January 1990 and the Diablo improved on its illustrious predecessor in every way. It had once again set a new benchmark in supercar design and performance. Stretched to 5.7 liters for the Diablo, Lamborghini’s 48-valve V12 engine gained fuel injection for the first time, producing its maximum of 492bhp at 7,000rpm.  Of equal, if not greater significance, maximum torque went up to 428lb/ft, an improvement of 55% over the Countach. Catalytic converters were standard, enabling the reworked V12 to meet emissions requirements worldwide.

The styling was by Marcello Gandini, the man responsible for the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, and the family resemblance was obvious to the previous cars. Beneath the skin there was a steel spaceframe chassis, developed from the Countach’s, but constructed of square-section rather than round tubing and incorporating ‘crumple zones’ at front and rear. The use of carbon fiber composite panels, first seen in the Countach Evoluzione model, was extended to the Diablo, which also featured revised suspension capable of accommodating the envisaged future developments of four-wheel drive and active suspension.

Because of the additional power and a lower drag coefficient the Diablo easily surpassed the Countach top speed, exceeding 200mph (322km/h) on test. More importantly, its acceleration and top speed figures were marginally better than those of the Ferrari F40, one of the world’s most expensive cars, and the Diablo was not a limited edition model.  The designers’ intention was to produce a civilized Gran Turismo that was suited to city streets and motorways as well as the racetrack.

This Lamborghini Diablo Roadster is finished in a very rare “triple white” configuration and features a white exterior over a white interior. The prior owner of the car, for the past decade, has been a careful and meticulous custodian, primarily driving this car to local car shows and cars & coffee. This Diablo has had a pioneer radio and rear view camera installed to make life with it a bit easier.  This example has had a recent service done featuring a replacement of all fluids, new plugs, timing, new battery, new clutch, new slave cylinder, new fuel pump, new brake relay, and a new brake switch. The car has a clean California title and features its original manuals.