Lamborghini Diablo
There are also 5 different models of the Diablo. They are:
2WD
The engine of the two-wheel drive Diablo has been the first Lamborghini engine to use the results of a complex research program held at Lamborghini.
The goal of this program was to maximize the integration between electronics and mechanical parts, thus increasing power and bringing pollution within legal limits.
The Diablo had been designed with a four-wheel drive option in mind since the beginning.
The VT acronym stands for "Viscous Traction". A viscous joint distributes power to the front and rear differentials.
There were only 150 Diablo S.E.s produced. Although its traction is on two wheels only, the enormous engine power is managed by the Lamborghini Traction Control System.
The comfortable driver-oriented cabin is highlighted by its precision five-speed gate and excellent all-around visibility.
Full-time active climate control, power windows and mirrors, tilt-adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel, customized Alpine sound system, central locking system, removable electrical cut-off and theft deterrent switch and hidden storage compartments are among the many standard features found in the Diablo Roadster VT.
The joint automatically decreases the power transmitted to the axis that is losing grip and sends it to the other one.
The Diablo S.E. also brings the philosophy of "mechatronics" to new levels with the GFA, a powerful on-board computer that manages the engine and many other functions in the car.
As in all open top automobiles, the top overall speed decreases slightly when open, yet the Diablo Roadster VT remains capable of achieving 200.3 mph.
In track testing, the Diablo Roadster VT accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds.
The sound of the 12-cylinder engine, together with the howl of the wind, will provide new emotions that only those who are able to experience it will be able to fully appreciate.
The Diablo SV is the latest production by Lamborghini. Built to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the most refined version of the Miura (the SV-Sport Veloce), the Diablo SV is a step towards a racing program exclusively for Lamborghini
customers. With the SV Automobili Lamborhini goes back to basics: the car has in fact the same engine as a normal Diablo but different camshaft and bigger valves that raise the output from 492 to 510 ps.
Automobili Lamborghini is also offering the SV-R racing version.
With open exhaust system and different engine management software the SV-R is a truly racy ready to enter the first Lamborghini one make championship.
When Lamborghini decided to build a new car in November 1985,
they realised that the task was a very tough one. Their top model, the Countach, had become a myth after 20 years of production, and it was clear that any new Lamborghini had to perpetuate this leadership.
The requirement was very simple; continue to be the number one.
The Countach Evoluzione was an interesting playground where new materials and techniques were
studied. This experience was very helpful in defining the basic design of Project 132.
Even though the four wheel drive Diablo VT wasn't introduced until 1993, the project was developed with this option in mind since the very beginning.
As it happened for the Miura, the basic frame of the car and the general mechanical layout was designed as the very first element of the project.
The frame was studied and optimised using sophisticated computer analysis programs.
This allowed a weight reduction of 30 kilos from the Countach, increasing at the same time, its performance.
At this point, the skeleton of the new car was ready for the designers to work on.
After a short survey of different designers, Marcello Gandini was appointed in February 1986 to design the body for the new Lamborghini.
Gandini was probably the best solution to continue the Lamborghini tradition, since he designed in the past the Miura and the Countach.
In a few weeks, Gandini presented his first drawings, and it was clear to everybody that Project 132 was going
in the right direction.
Lamborghini were so enthusiastic about Marcello Gandini's design that
they wanted to see the new car in action as soon as possible. They started in about January 1987, and
built everything from scratch in no more than four months; in some cases even working overnight.
Just to start with something, we took an engine from the Countach and fitted it to the new body with some light modifications.
Some parts on the very first prototype were taken from the Countach to speed up the process.
After the very first tests, we started replacing the old parts with brand new components, specifically designed for the Diablo.
Even the engine's power was constantly increased, trying to take the prototype to its limits.
After no more than four weeks of testing, the only part of the engine that was still shared with the Countach was the Lamborghini logo.
Lamborghini even did some tests with the engine power increased to 650 HP and a displacement of 5.7
litres.
Tests on the first prototype soon revealed surprising results.
Marcello Gandini's goal to maximize aerodynamic efficiency was well achieved, as confirmed by extensive wind tunnel tests.
In the meantime, a brand new ignition system was designed for the engine. None of the standard systems on the market could supply the required performance and still comply with strict anti-pollution regulations.
By April 1987, the new car was finally ready to move the first steps on its own wheels.
The first tune-up tests were done at night on the roads close to the factory to avoid photographers in search of early pictures of the new Lamborghini.
Like air force pilots leaving for top secret missions at night, the test drivers drove the prototype for about
25,000 miles in about two months of testing. Another test program was run at the Navdo Race Track in southern Italy.
This allowed the engineers to test the real car performance in terms of speed and stability.
The speed of 187.5 mile per hour was reached with no significant problems.
New strict anti-pollution regulations posed serious problems in the design of the new engine.
Old carburetors could not be used if the car was to be sold in the United States.
At the moment, there was no commercial electronic fuel injection system on the market for a 12 cylinder engine.
Engineer Checkorani, head of the research and development department, had the only solution to develop a new electronic fuel injection system.
Using internal Lamborghini resources, the result was the new engine system called L.I.E., which is still at the heart of today's Lamborghini engines.
It was now time to start designing the cockpit of the new
car. While Lamborghini would take care of refining all the mechanical details of the car, the Chrysler design center was taking care of designing the interiors of what would become the Diablo.
The instrument panel was designed for full readability under any condition while comfort was another key issue; all leather interiors, a sophisticated air conditioning system, and a specially designed stereo system.
After testing the first prototype, one of the many tasks was to find a decent name for what
Lamborghini called Project 132. Lamborghini decided to compile a list of possible names for the new car, then submit it to the company's managers and some selected dealers.
By a few votes, the Diablo name won over all the others. As a matter of fact,
Diablo turned out to be the name of the bull that killed Torrero Jose Dilara in an 1869 corrida.
After all the modifications were made to the Countach engine installed in the first prototype,
Lamborghini decided that the new car deserved a new engine. Even though the results were encouraging, it was clear that it was impossible to attain the required performance in the production car without designing a brand new engine.
While the new prototypes were built, a Countach was used to test the new engine.
Another major modification concerned the hood in the back part of the car.
The transparent cover designed by Gandini was creating problems in engine cooling and was replaced by a more traditional glass fiber hood with large vents.
After Lamborghini had been bought by Chrysler in 1987, the initial design of the Diablo went through some modifications.
The goal was to make it less extreme and more durable. In time, many new ideas were proposed by Marcello Gandini and the Chrysler design center.
New models were built to test different solutions. Before making a final decision,
they built an asymmetrical model. The left part could show one solution, while the right part was showing the second candidate.
When the final decision was made in June 1988, construction of the second batch of prototypes could finally start.
Some of the new batch of prototypes, a total of eight were built, had to be used for crash tests.
Even the best sports car in the world has to comply with rigid regulations if it wants to run freely on the roads.
Thanks to special techniques used in frame construction, the Diablo was able to easily pass the more demanding crash tests.
The new prototypes were tested again on the roads close to the factory and on the Navdo race track.
During night tests, the Diablo was allowed to circulate in its actual shape, but during daylight, it had to be disguised to avoid the photographers who were impatient to catch the new Lamborghini.
The new tests at Navdo showed that the engine was up to its task, allowing the Diablo to reach
212.5MPH.
The Diablo finally passed all of the tests. Both U.S. and European anti-pollution requirements were met and all crash tests posed no problems.
Performance was certified during the test at the Navdo race track. Maximum speed was
203.25MPH. The Diablo was the fastest production car in the world. Acceleration from
0 to 60MPH was certified at 4.09 seconds. From a still start, a kilometer was run in 20.7 seconds.
The initial goal of Project 132, to build the number one car in the world, was met in four years of hard work.
The Diablo was introduced to the public and journalists in Monte Carlo during the second Lamborghini day on January 20, 1990.
The Diablo was finally ready to take over the tradition of the Miura and the Countach.
Before the Monte Carlo introduction, a team of more than 100 people had worked almost full time on the development of the Diablo.
More than 500,000km of road tests had been done, and the engine had been tested for no less than 10,000 hours at the bench.
Spec.
See above for individual specs
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for more Diablo pics
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