Lamborghini Diablo

 

Here we have another iconic classic Lamborghini in the Diablo. It was introduced in 1990 as the successor of the Countach and Lamborghini's flagship supercar of the 90s. For this post, it will primarily cover the original Diablo and SE30 since the two examples in this post are of those versions specifically. Powering the Lamborghini Diablo is a 5.7-liter naturally-aspirated V12 with 485 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, sending power to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. It launches from zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and is capable of a top speed of 202 mph. Like the Countach, the Diablo contains a spaceframe chassis and aluminum body. However, the Diablo adds more length, width, wheelbase, and interior space over the Countach. Standard equipment on the Diablo over the Countach include fully adjustable seats and steering wheel, power steering, power windows, and an Alpine stereo system. A rear wing was optional on the base Diablo, but the second example pictured in this post, which is a red base Diablo, has a rear wing added on to it.

The first example pictured in this post in pinkish-purple is a unique special and limited edition of the Diablo known as the SE30. This particular version was added to the Diablo lineup in 1993 for the 1994 model year to commemorate Lamborghini's 30th year as an automaker. The SE30 received a power increase of 40 horsepower over the base Diablo to bring its total output to 525 horsepower. Half a second was shed off of the base Diablo's 0-60 mph time from 4.5 seconds down to four seconds flat in the SE30, and top speed was increased by 5 mph to 207 mph. In addition, the SE30 upgrades consist of a modified fuel system, free-flowing exhaust, magnesium intake manifolds, anti-roll bars that can be adjusted from the cabin, carbon-fiber seats with four-point racing harnesses, and a standard rear wing. To shed some weight, Lamborghini replaced the power side windows on the Diablo SE30 with plexiglass and removed amenities such as air conditioning, stereo, and power steering. The most noticeable aesthetic changes on the SE30 compared to other versions of the Diablo are the placement of the Lamborghini Raging Bull badge, moving from the frunk lid down to the nose panel between the front indicators, and a different engine cover. The shade of metallic purple on the SE30 pictured in this post is exclusive to this version of the Diablo, and this vehicle pulls off this color better than most cars can.

Only around 900 base Diablos were ever produced between 1990 and 1998, while the SE30 was limited to around 150 units for 1994. Several other versions of the Diablo were created alongside the base model and SE30, and the Diablo underwent a mid-cycle refresh in 1998 before ending production altogether and being replaced by the Murcielago in 2001. The average base Lamborghini Diablo currently sells in the $300,000s on the resale market, while the SE30 can sell for up to around $400,000. These two Diablos weren't actually on display at Exotics on Broadway this past year, but I spotted them just outside of the show, and they stood out more than nearly every vehicle I saw in Monterey in late August last year that wasn't on display as part of the Exotics on Broadway show. In fact, this was the first time in over four years that I saw a Lamborghini Diablo up close, with that previous instance before Exotics on Broadway 2023 being a VT 6.0, one of the later versions of the Diablo, at a show in my hometown in 2019. Overall, the Diablo is a great, impressive, and super cool classic Lamborghini. It was also a pleasant surprise that neither of these examples were actually on display at the latest rendition of Exotics on Broadway, especially the ultra rare and special purple SE30.

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