LAMBORGHINI

If the Super Veloce version was already a race-ready car, the Diablo GT pushed its limits even further. Its design was based on a prototype called GT1, which was specially developed for endurance racing but never raced. This rear-wheel drive model had an all-carbon chassis with an aluminium roof. Aerodynamic modifications included a new front bumper design and a large bonnet air intake already adopted on the SE 30 Jota, and a modified air extraction profile under the floor of the car. The interior was particularly well treated, with leather and alcantara upholstery with carbon fibre inserts, a smaller diameter sports steering wheel and racing seats with 4-point seat belts. Air conditioning and a GPS system with a large screen on the centre console coupled with a camera positioned under the rear bumper completed the equipment package.

Once again aimed at the US market, this special edition has no other special features (apart from its specific colour) than an Alpine CVA-1005 multimedia station with an integrated navigation system, a DVD player and an Alpine 6-CD changer with low and high-frequency speakers. It also has 18″ chrome JAs and, of course, an engraved plaque on the dashboard…

Following its takeover by VW, Lamborghini gave the Diablo a very minimal restyling, designed to tide it over until its replacement (which won’t be until 2001!). The main new feature of the 1999 VT 5.7, or VT Series 2, was the removal of the retractable headlamps, symbols of another age, in favour of more powerful headlamps encased in a polycarbonate bubble. The Diablo VT is also fitted with an extra shoe size on 18″ monobloc rims, allowing it to be equipped with brakes that have also been upgraded, backed up by ABS as standard. The entire passenger compartment has been extensively reworked to take the quality of the finish up a notch, in keeping with the Germanic influence… A passenger airbag is now standard.

The Millennium Roadster uses the bodywork of the latest VT Roadster model, but without the VT model’s all-wheel drive or electronically controlled suspension. Available in a single ‘Millennium Silver Metallic’ colour, it is a stripped-down version of the latest production model. The interior is a happy marriage of grey and black leather. This version has a carbon-fibre rear spoiler. This version was distributed all over the world, with a few rare specimens produced in yellow with a yellow and black interior.

After Lamborghini was taken over by Audi AG in 1998, the Germans froze all new projects that had already been completed. This also applied to the model that was to replace the Diablo. Audi’s management preferred to exploit the supercar’s full potential. The VT 6.0 was the first and last real restyling to be accepted, but in reality it was no more than a cosmetic update of the existing model. The changes will involve a few body elements and the interior trim. The front bumper and air intakes have been redesigned. The instrument panel has been redesigned, as has the gear lever. On the other hand, Audi chose to replace the famous Lamborghini V12 engine with a 6-litre hybrid engine derived from the engine in the Diablo GT. The result for the driver is a slower transfer of power to the wheels. In addition, Audi engineers wanted to revise the four-wheel drive version, taking inspiration from their Audi Quattro. But we don’t treat this kind of car in the same way.

A special version of the highly acclaimed Diablo 6.0 was presented to the public at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show. The VT 6.0 Special Edition is a reissue of the version redesigned by Audi in 2000. The new paint finishes were Oro Elios, a metallic gold, and Marrone Eklipsis, a dark brown metallic. The only real innovation is the addition of a DVD audio player.

Some twelve years after the Diablo, worn out by successive facelifts, the first Lamborghini of the Audi era, answering to the lilting name of Murciélago, has finally been unveiled. This new super sports car, the brainchild of Belgian designer Luc Donckerwolke, is strongly inspired by the lines of its predecessor, but with a sleeker design. As a result, the Murciélago’s dimensions have changed significantly, with an 11 cm increase in length and a 25 mm rise in height. Technically, the chassis and bodywork (roof and door panels) are in steel, while the rest of the car is in carbon. The slight innovation comes from the presence of two removable flaps on the rear flanks, which open occasionally to cool the engine if the need arises. Incidentally, this beast accelerates to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. Breathtaking performance for a car that, according to the Taurus brand, is intended to be more versatile on a daily basis. Intoxicating!

The Gallardo is the result of genetic manipulation, a combination of Italian and German genes from which the best qualities have been carefully extracted to create a direct competitor to the Ferrari 360 Modena and Porsche 911 Turbo. In keeping with a tradition established since the Miura by founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, who was born under the zodiac sign of Taurus, the new Italian sports saloon bears the name of a famous line of Spanish fighting bulls. Its name is Gallardo, pronounced ‘Gayardo’. As Lamborghini explains, the Gallardo is the synthesis of a sports car and a vehicle for everyday use. A concept hitherto unknown to the brand. By broadening the range downwards, the Gallardo also enables Lamborghini to envisage much higher sales targets. In fact, the 1,200 annual Gallardo sales target will be met throughout its career.

No sooner had the Murciélago been released than Lamborghini presented a special edition to mark the brand’s fortieth anniversary. The Murciélago 40th Anniversary Edition is recognisable by its very special colour, Artemis Green (jade green), with three coats of pearl-effect paint. The upper door mouldings and the ‘voletto’ or pillar that surrounds the rear window, where the door holds the petrol, have a carbon fibre coating. The anthracite grey colour of the wheels gives the car a more aggressive look. The car is also equipped with a new exhaust system and silver-grey callipers. Lamborghini continues to ride the wave of exclusivity…

In December 2004, Lamborghini presented two Gallardos to the Italian police force in honour of its 152nd anniversary. The Gallardo are used by the traffic police (Polizia Stradale) in emergencies and alarms on the Salerno – Reggio motorway and for transporting organs for transplant. Painted blue and white like the other Italian police vehicles, they are also equipped with a rotating beacon and siren, first aid equipment including an electrocardiogram, a resuscitation kit and a refrigerated box. Gallardos were also temporarily ‘loaned’ to the British police in London, this time in the typical blue and yellow chequered pattern of the British police. In 2008, these Gallardos were retired, replaced by two LP 560-4s…