1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV – Classified of the Week

As far as legendary engines go, the Lamborghini V12 sits proudly in the upper echelons of suck, squeeze, bang, blow folklore. It’s been the powerhouse behind such models as the Miura, Countach and Murciélago and remained in production for almost half a century! Designed by Giotto Bizzarrini, Lamborghini’s chief engineer at the time, the engine (the first internal combustion unit developed by the Italian firm by the way) was fitted to its first ever car, the 350GT. Now, there’s getting it right first time and then there’s the Lamborghini V12. The fact that this engine has featured in some of the greatest cars ever built, let alone by Lamborghini, and was still utilised in its road cars, including the Lamborghini Diablo until 2010 is testament to just how Giotto Bizzarrini and Ferruccio Lamborghini absolutely nailed it. We think it’s safe to say they definitely understood the assignment.

But enough about the engine, what of the Diablo itself? Another of the cars in that long and distinguished list of icons that were lucky enough to have this brilliant engine as their source of motion the Lamborghini Diablo came screaming in sideways on the coattails of the Countach. But that’s not to say it merely basked in the glory of its predecessor. Far from it. This was Lamborghini’s latest flagship and it was here to make as much noise as possible, both in the industry and at full chat.

Unveiled in 1990 the Lamborghini Diablo came straight out of the box with a whopping 485bhp which not only gave it a 0-60 time of 4-ish seconds but also guaranteed its entry into the 200mph club. This was an absolute monster of a car and despite what some people believe it wasn’t named after the devil. Despite having fire-breathing performance (as well as a diabolical price tag) the name was in fact inspired by a rather savage bull, following Lamborghini’s penchant for naming its cars in such a way.

Designed by Marcello Gandini (he of both Miura and Countach fame) who lost faith in the project and moved on to the Cizeta-Moroder V16T after then owners Chrysler began meddling in the process, the Diablo was a lot softer, aesthetically, than Lambo’s previous effort. It was still a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive tyre shredder but it was a less angular machine. It was also much better equipped as time and technology had moved on significantly from the ’70s. Make no mistake though, the Diablo was still a handful.

The Diablo would evolve over its 11 year production run, beginning with the all-wheel drive VT in ’93, and the 510bhp SV two years later, through myriad other model tweaks and upgrades, including a roadster in ’99. And let’s not forget the restyled and beefed up 550 horsepower VT 6.0. Arguably the best of the bunch is the SV though and the reason for this is two fold; number one it has more power than the standard Diablo and the VT, and number two, it retains (along with the iconic scissor doors of the Countach) the more lairy rear-wheel drive setup of that original car rather than the four-wheel system of the VT, making it way more fun and engaging to pilot.

Lucky for you lot that’s exactly the model we have here: a 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV. Not only is it a more desirable model but it’s also one of the rarest with just 346 SVs leaving the factory in Bologna. Mid-engined, rear-wheel drive and with a gated five-speed manual this is motoring mecca.

The Diablo Rosso paint is simply stunning and the Nero Alcantara interior with carbon fibre accents completes the package. Despite being 26 years old now this Lamborghini Diablo remains in excellent condition throughout. A lot of that will be down to the miniscule 25K on the clock, and that’s kilometres! The actual mileage is less than 16,000. It’s hardly even been bedded in and means there is still a lot of life left in this raging bull.

At £32.5K Sterling it’s not cheap but these modern classic Italian supercars are continuing to rise in price and you only have to look at Countach values nowadays to see that the demand for old school Lambos is high, with the Diablo sure to follow suit. Grab this one, enjoy it and watch as your investment flourishes. No bull…