Lamborghini Diablo VT VIN. ZA9DU07PXRLA12203, 1994
Lamborghini Diablo
Lamborghini Diablo•
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Estimate: US$200,000 - US$250,000 USD
- 1994 Lamborghini Diablo VT
- Design by Marcello Gandini
- VIN. ZA9DU07PXRLA12203
- 5.7-Liter DOHC 48-Valve V12 Engine
- Electronic Sequential Multi-Port Injection
- 492bhp at 7,000rpm
- 5-Speed Manual Transaxle - All Wheel Drive
- 4-Wheel Independent Suspension
- 4-Wheel Brembo Ventilated Disc Brakes
- Sinister Black on Black livery with neatly contrasting red accents on the interior
- Well-preserved, low-mileage example
- Factory certified US-market car
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. 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.
With more power and a lower drag coefficient than the Countach, the Diablo easily eclipsed its forebear, exceeding 200mph (322km/h) on test. More importantly, its acceleration and top speed figures were marginally better than those of the Ferrari F40. Although one of the world's most expensive cars, the Diablo was not a limited-edition model like the latter but a series production car with a luxuriously appointed interior reflecting its designers' intention to produce a civilized Gran Turismo as suited to city streets and motorways as the racetrack. Four-wheel drive Diablo VT, with 'VT' standing for Viscous Traction, and Targa-style open roadster versions soon followed and then came the Diablo SE (Special Edition.)
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
This striking Diablo VT was completed at the Sant'Agata Lamborghini factory during March of 1994. The car was finished as it appears today in its stealth black exterior and interior color, neatly detailed with red stitching, seat inserts and Lamborghini logos, Alcantara and very '1990s hip' Kevlar interior details. The new Lamborghini was destined and officially certified as a US market car. The car was first registered in Fort Myers, Florida during March of 1995, and appears to have remained in Fort Myers until 2003, at which point it is recorded as having relocated to Texas.
The Diablo would later head east to New York, then the Mid-West, and was finally acquired by the consignor in 2016, a Reno, Nevada-based sports car enthusiast, where it has since been looked after by his in-house crew of skilled mechanics. The extensive Carfax report on file records the history of the vehicle from new. It should be noted that, as with many Diablos with odometers that all read in kilometers, confusion as to the actual mileage due to incorrect readings by the DMV and flip-flopping conversions from kilometers to miles and back again has rendered the car with a milage discrepancy on the Carfax report from back in 2011.
This all-wheel drive, 200mph monster of the 1990s presents in highly original condition today, with many original factory finishes intact. The interior is original and in wonderful condition, and factory-applied decals and markings remains in situ. The iconic 5-hole Diablo wheels remain on the car, fitted with Pirelli P Zero tires, measuring an aggressive 335/35 at the rear. A JL Audio sound system is fitted, which appears to be factory original. Just 31,337 kilometers (19,471 miles) is recorded on the odometer at time of cataloging, indeed a figure believed to be actual when examining the car.
The subject car of innumerable posters that hung on the walls of thousands of teenage enthusiasts in the mid- to late-1990s, these Diablos are being rediscovered as one of the most exciting supercars of its era. And rest assured, despite being nearly three decades old, it'll still turn heads wherever it goes!
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