1997 Lamborghini Diablo Roadster

After seventeen years in production, the Lamborghini Countach was replaced by the Diablo. When introduced, the Diablo was the fastest, most advanced and most expensive product ever built by Lamborghini. It was first publically exhibited at Monaco in January of 1990, and wore styling by Marcello Gandini, the man responsible for the Lamborghini Miura and Countach. Power was supplied from a 48-valve, 5.7-liter V12 engine which featured fuel injection for the first time. It had more power and a lower drag coefficient than the Countach, with marginally better top speeds and acceleration than those of the Ferrari F40. Four-wheel drive Diablo VT (which stands for Viscous Traction) and Targa-style open roadster versions soon followed. The all-wheel drive system on the VT automatically engaged the front wheels when the rear wheels started to spin, making the Diablo manageable on twisty roads at high speed.

The Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster was introduced in December of 1995, and by 1998 approximately 330 examples of the VT Roadster were built. They featured an electrically operated carbon fiber targa top which was stored above the engine lid when not in use. The body was altered from the fixed-top VT model in a number of ways, including revised front bumpers, 17-inch wheels, larger air intakes, and replacing the quad rectangular driving lamps with two rectangular and two round units. The brake cooling ducts were moved inboard of the driving lamps and changed to a straked design, while the rear ducts featured the vertical painted design seen on the SE30.

Power was supplied from a 5.7-liter V12 unit offering 485 horsepower. Substantial changes were made to vent the engine properly when the roof panel was covering it.

The Diablo VT Roadster could race from zero-to-sixty mph in four seconds and had a top speed of 200 mph, easily making it one of the world's fastest convertibles.

This example is finished in yellow and has been driven just 5,800 KM. It has hand-tooled Italian leather hides that are champagne in hue, full climate control, power mirrors and locks, and even a tilt wheel.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2017