Lamborghini Diablo

The Lamborghini Diablo is a 2-door coupé / 2-door retractable hard-top convertible (roadster) from Lamborghini, built from 1990 to 2001, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Under the bonnet: 5.7–6.0 L Lamborghini V12. Marcello Gandini (initial design) / Tom Gale (designer) / Tom Gale at Chrysler Styling Center (final design) / Luc Donckerwolke (Diablo VT 6.0) drew it. The total made was 2,903.

How it came about

The Lamborghini Diablo (meaning "devil" in Spanish), is a series of high-performance V12, longitudinal, mid-engined sports cars in the supercar market segment, built by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini from 1990 through 2001. It is the first production Lamborghini with a top speed in excess of 200 mph (322 km/h). In 1993, the Diablo VT (for 'Viscous Traction') became Lamborghini's first all-wheel drive production sportscar.

The car retained its rear-wheel drive character, but a computer-modulated system could direct up to 25% of the engine's torque to the front wheels in case of rear-axle slip, to improve the car's handling. In 1995, Lamborghini also began building their first open-top V12, in the form of a Diablo roadster. During the later years, a number of special editions were built, typically in very small numbers. After the end of its production run in 2001, the Diablo was replaced by the Murciélago.

The hardware

Power comes from 5.7–6.0 L Lamborghini V12. It weighs 1576 kg. It shifts through a 5-speed manual. The wheelbase is 2650 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Family and rivals

Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Lamborghini Countach; its successor was the Lamborghini Murciélago; assembly was at Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Renault Clio, the Honda NSX, the Ford Explorer — show what else the money bought that year. Its Lamborghini stablemates include the Lamborghini Calà and the Lamborghini Marco Polo.