Lamborghini Diablo: The Final Classic Raging Bull

The road from Countach to Diablo is rather labyrinthine. Development of the Marcello Gandini-penned model started in the mid-1980s when Swiss brothers Jean Claude and Patrick Mimran were running the show. These guys eventually sold the Sant’Agata Bolognese-based automaker to the Lee Iacocca-led Chrysler Corporation in 1987. Approximately $40 million changed hands by February 1994, with Chrysler selling Lamborghini to a Bermudian holding company owned by an Indonesian conglomerate.

The Volkswagen Group entered the scene in 1998, spelling the end of Lamborghini’s classic period. The Kanto – a design study that should’ve replaced the Countach – was deemed inappropriate by Ferdinand Piech. As a result, design work for the Murcielago was entrusted to Luc Donckerwolke. The first VW-era Lamborghini left us in 2010, together with the Giotto Bizzarrini-designed V12 that made its debut back in 1963.

Internally referred to as Project 132, the Diablo was a huge success by Lamborghini standards, moving no fewer than 2,903 units during its 11-year production run. Presented at Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo in 1990, the superb-looking supercar is named after a bull raised by the Duke of Veragua in the 19th century. Development of the Diablo is estimated to have cost in the ballpark of 6 billion lire, which is peanuts compared to what the Big Three in Detroit were spending on far more boring cars and SUVs.

Under the skin, the Diablo is best described as a significant evolution of the bite-the-back-of-your-hand pretty Countach. The square-tubed steel spaceframe is understandably longer than the Countach’s chassis, with the wheelbase extended by 220 millimeters (8.6 inches) for extra legroom. Better handling also needs to be mentioned, made possible by the longer wheelbase mentioned just earlier and wider tracks, both fore and aft.

Brembo-supplied brakes with four- and two-piston calipers, anti-roll bars at both ends, double wishbones all around, single coil-sprung dampers up front, double coil-sprung dampers for the rear axle, and OZ Racing three-piece wheels that measure 17 by 8.5 and 13 inches are featured, along with Pirelli P Zero rubber boots. Later on in the Diablo’s production life, anti-lock brakes and power steering were added for extra peace of mind.

Rated at 100 liters or 26.4 U.S. gallons, the fuel tank is located on the right side of the engine bay. It feeds a 60-degree V12 with a displacement of 5.7 liters that Lamborghini enlarged to 6.0 liters in 1999. LIE fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication, and three-way cats are featured, along with a five-speed manual transmission connected to a limited-slip differential. The 5.7 originally produced 485 horsepower and 428 pound-foot (580 Nm). Its pokiest incarnation powered the Diablo SE30 (which stands for Special Edition 30) with 595 ponies and 471 pound-foot (639 Nm) of twist.

The 6.0 made 500 horsepower and 457 pound-foot (620 Nm) in the Diablo VT 6.0 and Diablo VT 6.0 SE, figures that were topped by the Diablo GT’s 575 horsepower and 465 pound-foot (630 Nm) of torque. Inspired by the all-wheel-drive system of the LM002, the viscous-traction system in the VT employs a viscous center differential that directs up to 25 percent of the available torque to the front wheels. Introduced in 1993 when Chrysler was looking to sell the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese, the VT served as the basis for the one-off Zagato Raptor we’ve covered only recently.

The viscous-traction system also paved the way for another innovation for Lamborghini – electronically-controlled suspension with no fewer than five present modes to choose from. Come 1995, the Diablo family welcomed the first open-top Lamborghini with 12 cylinders. The Italian automaker made a few timid attempts at hacking the roof off in prior years, but as opposed to the Diablo Roadster, none would see the light of series production.

MegaTech, the Bermuda-based holding company that followed Chrysler, finalized the development of the Diablo Roadster. Presented in December 1995, this variant sports a carbon-fiber targa roof top housed over the rear deck when down. Marcello Gandini, who also gave us the Miura, originally proposed an electrically folding setup. It never made it past the drawing board because of its sheer complexity and higher production costs.

The Diablo Roadster was the fastest open-top car of its era. To whom it may concern, the absolute fastest Diablo of them all is the GT, which can stretch its legs all the way to 210 miles per hour (338 kilometers per hour). Only 80 units were produced, and very few examples of the breed were imported stateside because this variant was exclusive to the European market.

Lamborghini facelifted its flagship in 1999. The mid-cycle refresh saw the base model discontinued in favor of the SV. What’s more, due to new safety regulations, the pop-up headlights were gone in favor of fixed headlights. And yes, those headlights were borrowed under license from Nissan.

Many track-only Diablos were offered, including the marvelous Diablo GT1 that was produced in two units: one for the track and one for the road. The Diablo was also featured on the cover art for Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, and in a selection of films. The red-painted coupe from Dumb & Dumber stands out together with the Diablo VT Roadster from Exit Wounds.