Photos and More

[a007apl]

:angel:

[a007apl]

http://www.movit.de/images/ess01ld.jpg

[a007apl]

http://www.tuning.pl/galeria.php3?k=1162&pod=21
pics

[a007apl]

Good

[a007apl]

http://www.teamlamborghini.com/it/diablo/home.asp

[a007apl]

[a007apl]

"where is the girl"

[a007apl]

http://www.fanateq.org/pictures/Cars...ateq_Race_7.rm
RealPlayer

[a007apl]

"from 1991 still looks as sharp as a new pin today, so it is hard to believe that this sensational supercar will be nine years old next month.


True, some changes have been made along the way, principally, the addition of the four-wheel-drive VT, Roadster and the minimalist SV and SVR models. But by and large, the eyeball arresting shape has remained unmolested.


For 1999, a raft of changes, both visual and mechanical, will take Lamborghini’s finest to the Millennium and beyond. The most obvious way you will be able to spot a new Diablo as it blasts past is by its integrated headlamps which replace the clumsy pop-up light arrangement. Saving weight and improving beam alignment and the cars path through the air, these new lights combine Halogen and projector units under a single glass cover. Train-spotters will probably twig that these light units are from the now defunct Nissan 300ZX.


A myriad of changes under the familiar aluminium cam covers has boosted power and torque of the 5,707cc V12 engine significantly. Power is up 35bhp to 530bhp at a heady 7,500rpm and torque up 22 lb ft to 446.5 lb ft at 5,500rpm. Not only more beefy, the torque curve is also flatter thanks to electronically controlled variable valve timing for the intake side, larger valves, higher lift camshafts and revised fuel-injection and ECU programming. To maximise the improved power and torque, the gear ratios have been altered with closer stacked lower gears and slightly taller higher ratios for more relaxed cruising.

More than just being more powerful, the revised engine is also cleaner. So clean in fact that it meets next years tough American 50 State emission legislation. The on-board diagnostic OBD II and data-acquisition functions unique to Lamborghini have also been upgraded.


Driving a Diablo has always been a special experience. It starts with opening the huge butterfly doors which swing upwards on their front pivots. This time, when you open one of the doors, you are confronted with a totally revised dashboard. The old instrument pod has gone to be replaced by an all-new sweeping layout that looks far more modern and holds more minor instruments. The passenger side of the dashboard, now incorporates an airbag.


Getting in involves planting your bottom in the deep bucket seat and swinging your legs in. The seat back is fixed so finding the ideal driving position is down to sliding the seat forwards or backwards and then using the rake adjustable steering wheel to make up the difference. What is daunting is the width of the car, over six feet. The huge expanse of sloping glass in front of you only emphasises this.


Such trivial matters fade away quickly once you turn the ignition key though. The whirr of the fuel pump gives way to the whine of the pre-engaged starter and then the big V12 motor fires up with a sound that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand and all heads within earshot turn.

It starts with a ‘kerumph’ as the twelve cylinders fire. The bark as the four big exhaust pipes cough hard is almost an echo of this. Then the powerful roar as you blip the throttle and the induction adds its own sucking to the proceedings is the icing on the cake. It is almost impossible to describe this sound with words. It has layers to it, textures as well and it changes with engine rpm. Suffice to say it is music to a car lovers ears, and significantly louder than a contemporary Ferrari V12 whose underbonnet activities are better screened from your ears by their front mounting.


530 rampant horses and 446.5 lb ft of torque require a very beefy clutch and gearbox if they are not to shatter the transmission into a thousand pieces. So you would expect the clutch to be heavy. In reality it is not. Yes, it requires firm pressure to operate, but this hydraulically actuated unit is also progressive and very sensitive. So sensitive that you can meter it in precisely enough to make this big 1,530kg supercar creep forward smoothly at a snails pace. At the other end of the spectrum, it is strong enough to take the abuse of repeatedly lighting up the huge rear tyres of the rear-drive only Diablo SV we tried first. In fact, more stress is created on the same clutch in the all-wheel-drive VT version, as the extra grip of 4WD is likely to cause clutch spin before wheelspin on a dry road.


The gearchange is also a culture shock for those unused to the supercar genre. It needs a firm hand to guide it smoothly around its alloy gate. But it is precise, and in the two cars we drove on the launch, we never missed a gear going up or down the box.


There is no substitute for cubic inches, and the big V12 has the strength of a grizzly bear crossed with the demeanour of Florence Nightingale. On the open road, you can open the taps full for the most exhilarating push in the back through the gears this side of a McLaren F1. In town, it is as docile as a kitten.

Accompanied by a soundtrack to die for as you slice the gearlever across the gate, the Diablo compresses the distance between corners like the USS Enterprise going into warp. In this car, roads you know change their complexion in the blink of an eye. What were once bends now become corners, so it is just as well that the giant brakes are now even bigger and attached to a new generation ABS that proportions the anchors on each axle to compensate for cornering forces. These huge Brembo brakes, upgraded with a larger servo, bigger calipers and larger diameter modular discs with separate centres in race style, are 355mm in front and 335mm at the rear. 18-inch wheels are needed to accomodate them. Progressive and full of pedal feel, they dissipate potentially frightening speeds on the approach to corners. Heel and toe to drop a gear or two, balance the car precisely through the bend on throttle, then open up to full noise again once the front wheels are straight. Exhilarating stuff!


In the rear-drive only SV we drove first, that ‘straight’ bit is important. Big as the 335/30ZR18 Pirelli P Zero tyres are, they are no match for 446.5 lb ft of torque if the road is damp. And remember that the Diablo is very long, very wide and very heavy with a high rearward biased polar moment of inertia. Trying to retrieve it once it is substantially sideways is very much an art the sensible will leave unpractised.


The 4WD Roadster VT on the other hand is almost an all-weather car except that the gumball tyres mean you have to watch for aquaplaning in the wet . On a dry road however, its ability to transmit all the V12’s power to the ground is unimpeachable. Thanks to fine engineering, the steering messages are relatively uncorrupted by having to share the front end with driving duties as well. In fact in both cars, the power steering is spot on for weight and feel although, as you would expect, the 2WD car tends to follow bumps and cambers in the road more. Not surprising really with 235/35ZR18 rubber in front.

Against the stopwatch, the new Diablo is staggeringly quick. Lamborghini claim 0-60mph vanishes in 3.85 sec in the 1,530kg VT, and in 3.95 sec in the 95kg heavier Roadster. The 4WD VT and Roadster models claim the same top speed of 335km/h or 209.3mph while the lighter SV which is geared for acceleration pegs out at 320km/h, or exactly 200mph. In truth, on a challenging road, the SV is the more rewarding of the two for the experienced and purist driver, its fractionally lighter weight and shade cleaner steering response and turn in giving it the edge.


These however, are all ultimates to be sampled on test tracks or on very deserted roads. In normal driving, the counterpoint is the Diablo’s docile nature. Unlike supercars of yore, the Diablo is not actually horrible to drive in traffic. Its strengths are beautifully progressive and balanced controls and an engine that will pull cleanly from just over tickover in fifth gear. One gear from 20 to 200mph would be an apt way of describing its magnificent tractibility. In traffic, its only real Achilles heel apart from its width is visibility. Magnificent and almost like a panoramic wide screen TV to the front, it is abysmal to the rear and positively hazardous in the rear three-quarters when you are merging with the traffic flow.


So in an age of speed limits and traffic congestion, has the Diablo come up against a brick wall just as Lamborghini is picking itself up off the floor? Not at all. It may not be practical enough to use everyday, but if you need entertainment, the Diablo has charisma enough to put a big grin on your face even if you only use half its towering abilities. In fact for many, its sensational looks, tactile driving experience and enthralling soundtrack will be enough."

[a007apl]

Story by Joseph E. DeMatio

Milan—

The rain that is hammering the hotel restaurant’s glass-paneled roof seems unlikely to abate, which might be good news for northern Italian rice farmers but is the cause of considerable dismay to us. I’ve flown to Italy to drive Lamborghini’s latest Diablo, the 6.0, and Andy Christodolo has driven over from the French Alps to photograph it. Both of us could go about our assigned tasks more easily with dry tarmac and sunshine. As it is, I’m nervous enough about my first drive in the “Devil.” Back in Ann Arbor, executive editor Mark Gillies had warned me that the Lambo can be “truly scary.” So here I am, about to drive it in the wet. Not exactly confidence-inspiring conditions.

As we wait for Lamborghini’s affable, chain-smoking PR man, Alberto Armaroli, to come down from his room, Christodolo ventures that our host may be tied up on the phone with one of the firm’s venerable test drivers, debating whether or not to call off the day’s media excursion. I mean, would you want to put a handbuilt, quarter-million-dollar supercar in the hands of some American journalist you’d never before met and let him drive it in the pouring rain?

Armaroli does, and so an hour later, we find ourselves at a small, flat, but fairly challenging handling track owned by the Italian automotive magazine Quattroruote. Given the weather conditions, and the fact that at Lamborghini’s last press introduction an accident involving a Diablo GT driven by a factory test driver resulted in two deaths [“The Light and the Dark,” March 2000], it is not surprising that we are to drive the Diablo 6.0 only on a track. Given the nature of the car and my unfamiliarity with it, I have to admit I am a little relieved, as much as I would like to roar down an autostrada at 150 mph. (The Diablo 6.0 reportedly will surpass 200 mph, but not with me at the wheel, folks.)

Three Diablo 6.0s are waiting for us in the garage bays, seemingly plucked from a bowl of Lamborghini fruit: an incredibly shiny orange car, a comparatively somber model with plum-colored paint, and the bright-as-sunlight, pearlescent banana Diablo you see in the accompanying photos. With the track driving not scheduled to begin until after lunch, there is ample opportunity to ogle the cars and fondle the new carbon fiber bodywork (whose paint, by the way, is flawlessly applied). Yes, I already did this at the Detroit auto show, but not with the anticipation of driving the car. The sensations are a little different.

I push the driver’s door latch and pull the insect wing of a door up, a maneuver that takes some getting used to. Getting into the Diablo’s narrow, heavily bolstered seat is not a task for one’s grandmother, unless it is part of her daily calisthenics routine. At least the wide rocker panel is lined with carbon fiber and leather, appropriately upmarket materials for the Versace pant legs that owners might slide across it.

The rest of the interior is also nicely appointed and a marked improvement over the previous Diablo’s cabin, which was reminiscent of the stage set of a bad Italian TV game show. The trite marketing term sporty elegance even comes to mind now, what with the simple, aluminum-ringed instruments and secondary controls, the careful application of carbon fiber trim, and the judicious use of supple black leather. The temperature gauge is centered in the arc-shaped, carbon fiber–faced instrument panel, with the speedometer to its left and the tach on the right. The vents for the climate control system, which was completely revamped this year, have subtle Lamborghini bulls molded into the plastic. We have little occasion to test the A/C, but it’s good to know that Lamborghini finally realizes that although many Diablo owners consider themselves to be supernatural human beings, they are not immune to sweating. The orange Diablo is lined with a combination of black leather and suedelike Alcantara fabric with orange stitching; the effect is much classier than it sounds. The only remnant of Italian exoticar cheesiness is the presence of four exposed screws holding a piece of carbon fiber to the center console.

It’s after lunch, and it’s time to drive. With only four journalists on hand, we are blessed with a car-to-driver ratio of three to four. This improves as two of the drivers, Italians who have already driven the car, leave early, no doubt prompted by the continuing rain. But first I ride shotgun with one of them, Stefa-no Pasini—ophthalmologist, motoring journalist, and author of Automobili Lamborghini, a definitive history of the marque—while he gives me a familiarization lap of the track. Then it’s my turn.

The Diablo’s 6.0-liter V-12 engine comes to life easily and idles fairly gently but certainly not inaudibly, aided by new engine-management software and an exhaust-noise-control system. An increase in the V-12’s displacement from 5707 to 5992 cubic centimeters yields not only the new “6.0” badge but also 20 more horsepower and 11 more pound-feet of torque, for the incredible (but perhaps still conservative) figures of 550 bhp and 457 pound-feet. The revamped twelve also boasts coil-on-plug ignition, titanium connecting rods, and a lighter crankshaft, and, like the 1999 Diablo V-12, it incorporates variable intake valve timing.

Easing the Diablo from pit lane, I am surprised not only by the smooth clutch en-gagement but also by the car’s relative user-friendliness. The driver’s seat in the re-decorated cabin has been repositioned, and wider front and rear tracks afford more foot-well space, so there’s actually room down there for big American feet, as long as they’re clad in diminutive Italian loafers. The forward view is reasonable despite the high cowl and the sharply sloped front end, while peripheral vision is aided by the low-cut anterior portion of the side windows. Forget about the rear view—the mirror is filled with the image of two rows of engine vents flanked by the huge wings. Besides, in the Diablo, you don’t have to worry about anyone overtaking you. Parallel parking this car on a busy city street, however, surely would risk scraping the lovely new magnesium alloy wheels.

Not that I need concern myself with that. Once on the track, I sink my right foot and listen to that glorious V-12 resonate as the rev needle climbs toward the 7500-rpm redline. Ultimately, this is what American Diablo buyers pay $275,000 for: the sound and fury of an aluminum-and-magnesium, 48-valve, double- overhead-cam twelve-cylinder engine at work. That and the exterior styling are the very essence of the Diablo. During this first burst of acceleration, I realize that the luxury of having a seemingly unlimited supply of power and torque, ready to be delivered in great bellowing blasts in any gear, might just be worth all that money.

The one-two shift is unintuitive. First gear is in the lower left corner of the aluminum shift plate, below reverse, with second above it and to the right. The movement is made more difficult by the tall center console, which raises my right arm to the point where my elbow is higher than my wrist. As I become more acquainted with the car and drive faster, the ability to execute smooth shifts is at once more difficult and more important, and the most discernible debit in the Diablo’s dynamic profile.

While it replaced most of the Diablo’s body panels with carbon fiber (the steel roof and the aluminum doors remain for safety), Lamborghini also beefed up the chassis with carbon fiber inserts. The resultant increase in torsional rigidity, the standard VT (for viscous traction) all-wheel-drive system, and the perfectly calibrated steering make the car feel much more solid, stable, and chuckable on this wet track than I expected. The greatest surprise is how easy the car becomes to drive (admittedly at relatively low speeds), how quickly I forget about the huge mass of automobile, weighed down by the engine, that is behind me. A bit of oversteer is possible, especially in the wet, before VT engages and sets the car straight. One particular left-hander gets the viscous fluid churning for me every time, until I finally come into it too fast, the rear end slides right, my front wheels go left, and I end up sideways, at a standstill, my momentary visions of spinning wildly arrested by the torque-split mechanism.

I’m at the far end of the track, so it’s doubtful that anyone has noticed my near-spin, not that anyone would care since there are no barrier walls nearby. I return to the rhythm I’ve established around the now-familiar route: To 5000 rpm in third on the short back straight; 4500 rpm is the sweet spot where engine vibrations start traveling through the seat and you know you are driving a true thoroughbred. Brake for an extremely tight, low-speed, lefthand curve leading toward the main straight, where 210 kph (130 mph) is about all I dare in the rain. Then it’s hard on the Brembos for a right-hander, and a bit of a struggle to keep the rear end in line while downshifting. Through a series of first- and second-gear turns, and then roar down the back straight again.

It’s five p.m., and I realize I’m the only person left on the track; the third journalist has left to catch a plane. I’ve done about five laps in the orange Diablo and ponder switching back to the banana. But once I’m back in pit lane, everyone will want to go home, so I’ll stay out here and do one more lap. Which turns into another. And another. I can’t bring myself to make the right-hand turn onto the track’s exit lane. It probably will be a long time before I’m able to drive a Diablo again, let alone by myself on a track.

“Enough?” asks a grinning Armaroli, after I finally succumb and pull into the pit. Is one afternoon in the Diablo enough? That’s like asking if one slice of chocolate génoise cake is enough. For Diablo owners, enough must be a relative term. The previous Diablo’s 530 horsepower was surely sufficient; after all, NBA bad boy Latrell Sprewell admitted to the New York Times that he had driven his Lamborghini 180 mph on the San Mateo Bridge over the San Francisco Bay. But maybe he would have made it to 200 mph with 20 more horses.

[a007apl]

6.0

[a007apl]

First car made in 1992, first production car made in 1996.

Years built 1996 - present.

Production Not available.



General.

Vehicle type:

Two-door.

two-seater.

mid-engined open car.

Openable hard top with housing on the engine caover.

Four-wheel drive.

Body styling

Modified rear bumper.

Modified engine cover and airintakes.

New side airintakes.

New exhuast pipes.

New wheels.



Dimensions.

Exterior:

Wheelbase 265,0 cm.

Track:

Front: 154,0 cm.

Rear: 164,0 cm.

Length 446,0 cm.

Width 204,0 cm.

Height 110,5 cm.

Ground clearance 14,0 cm.

Weight 1626 kg. (w/fluids).

Weight distribution, front to rear 47/53 %.



Interior:

Head room 95,0 cm.

Leg room 102,0 cm.

Shoulder room 151,0 cm.

Hip room 80,0 cm.



Chassis.

Frame: Rectangular tubes in high strength steel alloy and carbon fiber composite material.

Body: Alminium alloy and hand lay-up composite materials.

Suspension: Independent front and rear double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar.

Brake system: Power Vacuum H system, alminium alloy calipers, ventilated discs.

Front disc size: 32,5 cm x 3,3 cm.

Rear disc size: 31,5 cm. x 2,8 cm.

Steering: Power assisted rack and pinion: Curb to curb turning diameter 13,0 m.

Turn to turn 3.2

Tires: Perelli P Zero.

Front 235/40 ZR 17.

Rear 335/35 ZR 17.

Wheels: Alminium alloy, (OZ-Racing).

Front: 8,5 x 17 inches.

Rear: 13 x 17 inches.



Performance.

Top speed: 322 km/h.

Acceleration: 4,09 sec.

Standing kilometer: 20,7 sec.

Fuel Consumption: (EPA standards).

Highway: 5,9 km/liter.

City: 3,8 km/liter.



Engine.

V12 quad valve DOCH alminium construction, mid-longitudinal

Displacement: 5707 ccm.

Bore and Stroke: 87,0 x 80,0 mm.

Compression Ratio: 10,0:1.

Maximum Horsepower: 492 SAE @ 7000 rpm.

Maximum Torque: 580 Nm. @ 5200 rpm.

Fuel Requirement: Premium Unleaded fuel.

Cooling system Pressurized water cooling.

Ignition system Electronic integrated with fuel injection.

Fuel injection L.I.E. (Lamborghini Injectione Electronica), sequential multipoint electronic.



Drivetrain.

Transmission: 5 speed manual.

Clutch: Dry singel plate 10".

Gear Ratios:

1st 1:2,31 97 km/h.

2nd 1:1,52 147 km/h.

3rd 1:1,12 200 km/h.

4th 1:0,88 254 km/h.

5th 1:0,68 325 km/h.

Reverse 1:2,12 105 km/h.

Differential:

Front - Bevel gear type - limeted slip 25 % - ratio 1:2,81.

Rear - Bevel gear type - limeted slip 45 % - ratio 1:2,41.

Central Differential - Viscous Coupling.



Capacities.

Engine Oil: 13 liters.

Fuel Tank: 100 liters.

Engine Coolant: 15 liters.

Trunk Volume: 140 liters.



Comments

With the diablos width of 204 cm. it is the widest production car in the world!

[a007apl]

Of all the great supercar survivors, Lamborghini has had probably the most knife-edged commercial history while making some of the world’s most dramatic cars.

The company was created in 1963 by Ferrucio Lamborghini, a Ferrari-owning tractor manufacturer who had been treated as badly as many other customers by Enzo Ferrari - but Ferrucio had the resources to strike back. The first Lamborghini prototype, created by a talented young design team, showed he was serious. And when the first production Lamborghini, the 350GT, went on sale in 1964 it was hailed as a real Ferrari rival.

Since then, the company has lived on the edge and been through an extraordinary number of owners; but the cars - like the ground-breaking mid-engined Miura and the outrageous Countach - have never been ordinary. In 1999, Lamborghini was taken over by Audi and eventually there promises to be a new, more compact, more ‘affordable’ Lamborghini to give the famous company the volume it needs to survive. In the meantime, there is only one Lamborghini, the Diablo, and it is now down to only two distinct versions, but the Diablo still represents everything Lamborghini stands for.

The Diablo was introduced back in 1990, but there is still no other supercar with such an ability to turn heads and few to match this legendary Lamborghini’s all-round performance credentials. Styled by Marcello Gandini, the extrovert Diablo, with its broad arrow tail, dipping side lines and scissor doors, is pure Lamborghini. The chassis is an old-school cage of steel tubes and composite panels, clad in an alloy and composite skin. It has double wishbone and coil spring suspension all round, king-size ventilated disc brakes, and rack and pinion steering. Since 1999 it has also had automatic damping control, ABS and the steering has finally gained much-needed power assistance.

The mechanical layout is a classic example of Lamborghini’s free thinking. Their solution to fitting a massive engine and bulky gearbox between cockpit and rear axle was to position the big V12 ‘back to front’ with the gearbox ahead of it, largely between driver and passenger. Power returns to a final drive unit behind the engine via a driveshaft running in a sealed tube through the bottom of the block, below the crankshaft. So the tail of the Diablo can be smaller than the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Just slightly smaller.

As unveiled, Diablo took another poke at Ferrari. In 1990, the limited edition F40 was the most powerful and fastest supercar of all - with 478bhp and a top speed of 201mph. The Diablo had 492bhp, and Lamborghini announced a verified maximum of 202mph, and 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds. It was the fastest production car in the world.

Between then and now, there have been several versions. In 1992 the Roadster combined a lift-off roof with 200mph performance. In 1993 ‘Visco Traction’ four-wheel drive, in the Diablo VT, offered a little more point-and-squirt security. By 1995 you could combine Roadster with VT, and in 1996 the lighter, more powerful, two-wheel-drive Diablo SV ‘Sport Veloce’ appeared as a road-going spin-off of the SV-R, Lamborghini’s one-model race series Diablo.

In 1999 came minor styling changes, interior changes, more power, more performance, and more flexibility - in a range which at the time comprised SV, VT coupe and VT Roadster. New fixed headlamps were neater and lighter, with better performance than the retractable originals. The cockpit was restyled, with a curvy, easier-to-see full-width dash replacing the old pod, and allowing for the first time a passenger airbag in addition to the driver’s.

Lamborghini’s V12 is a masterpiece. It has four camshafts, 48 valves, and now has electronically controlled variable valve timing and improved injection and management systems - all first seen on the SV.

Late in 1999 Lamborghini introduced the limited edition Diablo GT, which was lighter than the SV (thanks to more composite and fewer alloy panels). It had a number of aerodynamic and chassis tweaks along with another increase in power thanks to cylinder capacity growing from 5.7 to 6.0 litres and output from 530 to 575bhp. It claims a maximum speed of 211mph, with 0-62mph in around 3.6 seconds. That 6 litres is now standard Diablo fare, with the GT up now to 600bhp and the 6.0 VT to 550. All these recent engines replace the earlier V12’s notorious peakiness with a more user-friendly power spread, and the VT isn’t far behind the GT, with headline figures of 208mph and 0-62mph in 3.8.

The Diablo is the best it has ever been with no less character but fewer compromises. ABS was a welcome addition with still bigger brakes and a proportioning system, DRP, which allows for cornering effects as well as squat and dive. This reduces stopping distances from excellent to amazing and pedal effort from huge to merely heavy. Massive tyre profiles provide colossal grip. The Diablo is half comfortable on most roads thanks to its four-stage automatic damping control and surprisingly compliant springing. Only potholes and big bumps really catch it out, with shudders through the chassis and scrapes on the absurdly low underside.

The steering is firm and quick. While slightly dead at low speeds, it comes alive nicely once you’re nipping along. The handling is neutral to way beyond the levels of bravery or prudence that most drivers will ever explore - and limited by cautionary understeer or scary oversteer, depending on how aggressive you’ve been. The effect is similar in the VT, where only up to around 30 per cent of the torque is ever diverted to the front wheels, so the change of balance and feel is only a subtle one, not a box of miracles.

It’s a shame that the keep-it-simple SV isn’t around any more, but what’s left is as sensational as ever. That’s why Lamborghini still has a future.

Brian Laban

[a007apl]

V12

Perfect!

[a007apl]

The devil goes into its final year in full 543-hp rage.

BY LARRY WEBSTER
July 2000

Putting every kind of car imaginable through our tire-squealing, sheetmetal-quivering, eyelid-fluttering performance tests is, as you can imagine, more fun than finding out your fiancee's parents have a large Ferrari collection that needs regular exercise. But every so often, particularly with cars named after, oh, the devil, there emerges at the test track a potential for mechanical hara-kiri that verges on the terrifying.

Such was the case recently when we flew to Milan, Italy, to test the latest Lamborghini Diablo VT (the VT indicates the four-wheel-drive version). This last Diablo in a decade of flamboyant--some daresay outrageous--sports cars first introduced in 1990 is certainly the best Diablo.
The VT is, curiously, a very high-powered four-wheel-drive beast. Situated amidships is the biggest, baddest V-12 engine we've ever tested in a Diablo. For this 2000 model, Lamborghini has lengthened the stroke by 0.16 inch, lightened the crankshaft, used lighter and stronger titanium connecting rods, and updated the old 16-bit engine-control system to a more powerful 32-bit unit. As a result, peak engine output has been promoted to 543 horsepower at 7100 rpm, 20 more than found in the last Diablo. Torque is up 11 pound-feet to 457 at 5800 rpm. Horsepower freaks take note: This latest Diablo now has more horsepower than four four-cylinder Toyota Camrys. (Hey, where else can you get these vital comparisons?)

Despite the fact the rear tires--Z-rated Pirelli P Zeros, good for more than 200 mph--are so wide that, at first glance, they appear to form a solid rolling pin of rubber across the rear of the car (they're 13.2 inches wide), 543 horses and 457 pound-feet of torque can reduce them to pudding. To counter that possibility, the Diablo VT's four-wheel-drive system makes perfect sense. A viscous coupling transfers power to the front wheels if the rears slip; the rest of the time, the Diablo prowls about as a rear-drive car. At most, 28 percent of engine torque is routed to the front wheels. There are no levers to switch or buttons to punch to engage this four-wheel-drive system, and during routine driving, you'd never know this wild Italian was a four-wheeler.
Perform a drag-strip launch, however, and you'll instantly realize the Diablo VT is not a rear-driver. Usually, those of us who drive in hard acceleration tests rely on a touch of wheelspin to get the car moving in the quickest manner. In a four-wheel-drive car with sticky tires, it is almost impossible to get those rears spinning in a hard launch, unless the car has a system that allows some initial rear wheelspin before the fronts get the juice. An example of one such car is the 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S. Hold the gas pedal down to create 4500 rpm in that sports car, then drop the clutch, and the rear tires will spin for a moment before power is directed to the front wheels; the tires dig in and you're off. In that Porsche, we've recorded 0-to-60-mph blasts in an amazingly fast 3.7 seconds.

But we've tested just one Diablo VT before (C/D, September 1994), because they are very tough to come by--just 23 were sold in the U.S. in 1999, apparently to people who own small countries or athletic shoe companies, at a price of about $275,000. At that test, we declined to risk the dropped-clutch technique, figuring the Diablo's massive tires (235/40ZR-17s up front and 335/35ZR-17s at the rear) and substantial weight (3900 pounds) would result in gobs of traction and no wheelspin. More to the point, there's a good chance that revving the engine and dumping the clutch would fry the clutch and possibly destroy it, and we did not want to find out what that repair bill would look like. A good guess is somewhere in the vicinity of $9000.

Turns out we were half right. The Diablo can, with the right driver, survive drop-clutch launches -- we watched three such feats performed remarkably by Lamborghini's own test driver, Mario Fasanetto (You were expecting whom--Jim Scoutten?). After Fasanetto performed three flawless wheelspinning launches in a gray Diablo, a writer for another magazine who was on hand decided he'd like to acquire his own test numbers. Fasanetto got out of the Diablo and instructed the magazine writer to drop the clutch while the engine was revving between 6000 and 7000 rpm. Fasanetto also warned him: "If you make a mistake and don't get wheelspin, you'll destroy the clutch in two tries." The writer drove to the staging area, held the revs at the instructed point, then dumped the clutch. Instead of rear wheelspin, we were treated to the nauseating sound (and then the smell) of an overstressed clutch that was busy producing nightmarish blue smoke. But the Diablo still drove fine, so after performing one more, less stressful launch, the writer parked it.

We were originally scheduled to test that same day, but Ferrari's Formula 1 team decided it needed the track more than we did, so we tested the following day at Pirelli's test track in Vizzola.
On our way there in a fresh yellow Diablo, we chatted with Fasanetto and marveled at the Diablo's interior comfort. Diablos are not yet ready to be considered luxury vehicles, but they are unexpectedly pleasant automobiles. According to Lamborghini's new chairman, Giuseppe Greco, Diablo owners drive their cars an average of 6500 miles a year, three times farther than they drove them 10 years ago. That suggests that customers are happy with the continual improvements Lamborghini has made beneath that flamboyant body.

This year the Diablo's comfort level is increased again, thanks to a host of interior and mechanical refinements. The front suspension was redesigned to widen the interior foot box and allow for larger, easy-to-use pedals. To accomplish this, the front frame section was widened to move the suspension mounting points outward, and the front track was increased 2.8 inches. Each of the three pedals was widened 1.6 inches.
Also new are the seats and the climate-control system, and the dash and interior trim have been revised. The seats now have adjustable backrests (previous Diablo's had fixed backrests) and are wonderfully supportive. They feel like stiff racing shells that have been given a thin covering of foam and leather. Lamborghini says the new automatic climate-control system has more cooling capacity and is easier to use. It certainly worked well; we set a temperature and never touched it again. There are also several conveniences sprinkled throughout the interior that we didn't expect in an Italian exotic. Behind the seats are small storage compartments, map lights reside on the rear of the center console, and there's even a pair of coat hooks.

The dash and the center console are covered in carbon fiber, a styling cue that reminds the owner that the car's body panels--except for the aluminum doors and steel roof--are now made of the same carbon fiber found in the world's best (and safest) racing cars. Lamborghini says the new body is lighter, but since the new front suspension and climate-control system added weight, overall vehicle weight is the same as it was last year. There's also a newly styled nose, which to us is not an improvement over last year's beak.
At Vizzola, Fasanetto performed the first acceleration runs. That way, we'd get some highly competitive numbers before yours truly began some experiments in which the clutch might wind up needing a doctor. Fasanetto staged out of view, but we could hear the launch and knew immediately something was not right. The engine revved, but we couldn't hear any wheelspin. He rolled into the pits and said the clutch of this test car had been worn to the point that wheelspin was not possible. We would later learn that our test car had spent nearly all of its 1000 miles in the hands of ham-fisted journalists. A new--or at least unabused--clutch is a must to get the quickest acceleration runs. Even without the optimal launch, the Diablo ripped off some impressive numbers--0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds, 0.2 second faster than a Ferrari 360 Modena can manage. By 100 mph, at 8.2 seconds, the Diablo is 2.3 seconds ahead of the Ferrari. As holy as those number sound, we know the latest Diablo is! potentially quicker. For those willing to risk a clutch, it might well turn the 0-to-60 trip in the mid-three-second range.

We did not get a chance to perform a top-speed or skidpad test. Lamborghini figures the Diablo tops out at 208 mph. Lateral acceleration on the VT we tested in '94 was 0.89 g, but we expect the new car to make about 0.95 g with the wider front track and revised shock and spring rates.
What amazes us most about the Diablo, however, are its benign handling characteristics. We wouldn't call it nimble, or tossable, but it is immensely stable and forgiving. Overcooking any corner results in mild understeer and never any unwanted fishtailing. Thanks to the four-wheel drive, an overly aggressive right foot won't smoke the rears when exiting a corner.

The massively powerful V-12 is a huge part of the Diablo driving experience. It feels similar to a Viper V-10 engine in that there's absolutely gobs of low-end grunt and little need to shift. But unlike the Viper, the Diablo rips all the way to a 7500-rpm redline, which makes the Diablo's V-12 one of the most flexible engines built today.
Prices have not been set yet, but don't expect much change from a $300,000 check. For the current model year, only the VT fixed-roof model is available.

Considering the laundry list of new stuff, we were surprised to hear that Lamborghini will produce an all-new Diablo in 2001. We expected Audi ownership to pay dividends, and so it has. A second, all-new Lamborghini is now on the planning boards--a V-10 model that will be priced to compete with the Ferrari 360 Modena. It should debut within three years. The hope is that the new car could result in annual production going from 250 cars to about 1100.
The Diablo's price can make anyone gasp for air, but hey, it has coat hooks. And few cars can make it to the dry cleaner's faster.

LAMBORGHINI DIABLO VT
Vehicle type: mid-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe

Estimated base price: $300,000
Options on test car: navigation system

Major standard accessories: power steering, windows, and locks; A/C; tilting and telescoping steering wheel
Sound system: Clarion AM/FM-stereo radio/cassette/ 6-disc CD changer, 4 speakers

ENGINE
Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V-12, aluminum block and heads

Bore x stroke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.43 x 3.30 in, 87.0 x 84.0mm
Displacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366 cu in, 5992cc

Compression ratio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10.7:1
Engine-control system. . . . . .Lamborghini LIE with port fuel injection

Emissions controls. . . . . . . . . .3-way catalytic converter, feedback air-fuel-ratio control
Valve gear. . . . . . . .chain-driven double overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters, variable intake-valve timing

Power (SAE net). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .543 bhp @ 7100 rpm
Torque (SAE net). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457 lb-ft @ 5800 rpm

Redline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7500 rpm
DRIVETRAIN

Transmission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-speed manual
Final-drive ratios. . . . . . . .F: 2.81:1, R: 2.41:1, rear limited slip

Transfer-gear ratio (to rear axle). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.62:1
Gear Ratio Mph/1000 rpm Speed in gears

I 2.31 8.2 62 mph (7500 rpm)
II 1.52 12.5 94 mph (7500 rpm)

III 1.13 16.9 127 mph (7500 rpm)
IV 0.89 21.4 161 mph (7500 rpm)

V 0.68 28.2 208 mph (7400 rpm)
DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES

Wheelbase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104.3 in
Track, F/R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.4/65.7 in

Length. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176.0 in
Width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80.3 in

Height. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43.5 in
Frontal area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.9 sq ft

Ground clearance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 in
Curb weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3750 lb

Weight distribution, F/R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41/59%

Fuel capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26.4 gal

Oil capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.7 qt
Water capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15.9 qt

CHASSIS/BODY
Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . steel-tubing space frame

Body material. . . . . welded steel and aluminum stampings, carbon-fiber
reinforced plastic

INTERIOR
SAE volume, front seat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 cu ft

luggage space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 cu ft
Front seats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .bucket

Restraint systems, front. . . . . . . . manual 3-point belts, driver and passenger airbags
SUSPENSION

F:. . . . . . .ind, uequal-length control arms, coil springs, 4-position cockpit-adjustable shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
R:. . . . . . ind, unequal-length control arms, coil springs, 4-position cockpit-adjustable shock absorbers, anti-roll bar

STEERING
Type. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . rack-and-pinion, power-assisted

Turns lock-to-lock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.3
Turning circle curb-to-curb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.1 ft

BRAKES
F:. . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.0 x 1.3-in vented and cross-drilled disc

R:. . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.2 x 1.3-in vented and cross-drilled disc
Power assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vacuum with anti-lock control

WHEELS AND TIRES
Wheel size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F: 8.5 x 18 in; R: 13.0 x 18 in

Wheel type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cast magnesium
Tires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pirelli P Zero Asimmetrico; F: 235/35ZR-18 86Y, R: 335/30ZR-18 102Y

C/D TEST RESULTS
ACCELERATION Seconds

Zero to 30 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.1
40 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.9

50 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.6
60 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.3

70 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.6
80 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.7

90 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.9
100 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.2

110 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9.7
120 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.8

130 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.7
Street start, 5-60 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.7

Top-gear acceleration, 30-50 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . .7.6
50-70 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . .6.9

Standing 1/4-mile. . . . . . . .. . . . .12.2 sec @ 122 mph
Top speed (manufacturer's rating). . . . . . . . . . 208 mph

BRAKING
70-0 mph @ impending lockup. . . . . . . . . . . . . .165 ft

Fade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .none
PROJECTED FUEL ECONOMY

EPA city driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 mpg
EPA highway driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 mpg

INTERIOR SOUND LEVEL
Idle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 dBA

Full-throttle acceleration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 dBA
70-mph cruising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 dBA

70-mph coasting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 dBA