Description
In June 1985, financed by the Swiss-based Mimram brothers, Lamborghini began the development of what was codenamed “Project 132” as the replacement of the Gandini styled Countach, and was soon to be known as the ‘Diablo’.
When introduced in 1990, the Diablo was powered by a 5.7 litre, 48 valve V12 engine; in its time this was the fastest car ever to wield the ‘Raging Bull’ badge. With a mid-mounted engine producing 499bhp, the Diablo was a well balanced and incredibly powerful car that could achieve 0-60mph in little over four seconds and had an unmatchable top speed of 202mph.
Lamborghini’s final take on the Diablo line was the quite staggering Diablo GT. The Diablo GT was a completely race-oriented model differing in nearly every aspect from the more mainstream Diablos. The cars were fitted with radically altered aggressive bodywork, a stripped-down interior and an enlarged engine. With the exclusivity came a large price tag of nearly $300,000 and availability limited to Europe.
The Diablo GT was noticeably different on the exterior. While previous Diablo models had differed one from another with subtle fascia refinements or changes in the brake cooling ducts, the Diablo GT opted for an all new black carbon fibre front air dam with large brake ducts and a central vent for the oil cooler (the car still featured driving lamps, the single pair of round units featured on the Diablo VT Roadster).
While previous Diablos had tuned and tweaked the 5.7 L engine with various ignition and fuel system upgrades, the Diablo GT opted for a larger-displacement alternative. While the basic V12 block remained the same, the engine was stroked from 80 mm to 84 mm for a new displacement of 6.0 L; This engine, which would later be used in the revised Diablo VT 6.0, produced (in GT trim) 583 PS and 630 N·m of torque. The transmission was the same 5-speed used in other Diablos, but different gear ratios could be specified by the race-oriented buyer. Rear-wheel drive was used to save weight.
One of a limited run of only 80 Lamborghini Diablo GTs, chassis #24 was manufactured in 2001 although was only registered in 2004 to its first owner, who purchased the car from the factory and kept it until 2015. During this time he covered a mere 1100 miles, an average of under 100 miles per year.
This ultimate incarnation of the Diablo is offered with full service history as per the Lamborghini schedule, all manuals, service book and relevant documentation.
The Diablo GT is now a highly desirable and extremely collectible Lamborghini, and this is a fantastic low mileage example offered in excellent condition in all respects.
