The Lamborghini Diablo is well-known to everyone. The Diablo, which updated the Lamborghini supercar with a sleek appearance, optional all-wheel drive, and a peak speed of 202 mph, followed in the footsteps of the brand-defining Countach. However, the Diablo’s birth was far more harder than most people realize.
This history movie from Bay Area classic vehicle dealer OTS does a great job of illuminating the history of the Diablo. It’s a story that makes you appreciate that there is such an automobile.
Prior to Chrysler’s 1987 acquisition of Lamborghini, the company had planned to produce the Diablo by 1988. To his dismay, designer Marcello Gandini was forced to make considerable changes to his initial Diablo idea when Chrysler decided it needed to make changes. The Diablo was eventually introduced by Lamborghini in 1990, right before a worldwide recession that nearly destroyed the supercar industry.
In 1994, Lamborghini was sold by Chrysler. Before Volkswagen bought it in 1998, the business was owned by a few investment companies. Audi swiftly began working with Lamborghini to upgrade the Diablo once VW placed the German company under its management.
With four separate Lamborghini owners over its 11-year production life, the Diablo actually has five owners if you include the fact that the car’s development began before Chrysler took over. That’s a lot, I guess. Although it was a significant upgrade over the Countach, the Diablo maintained the spirit of Lamborghini and was an excellent vehicle.