Unlike the Countach's round tube spaceframe, the Diablo used square section tube for its chassis. This was cheaper and easier to work with and also made it simpler to locate brackets. Although the quality of steel used was very good, rust protection was not always as comprehensive as it should have been, so look for corrosion throughout any Diablo that has not been pampered in dehumidified comfort all its life.
At each corner, there are unequal length double wishbones with coil springs and an anti-roll bar. At the rear, there are double coil springs, while the anti-roll bars were adjustable in the SE 30 model to vary front and rear bias.
The VT model introduced fully independent active suspension and power steering. Active damping allowed to driver to choose between four suspension set-ups or an automatic mode from a console-mounted switch. As the electrics of early Diablos can be problematic, so it's worth checking this system still works on any car it's fitted to.
Power steering was a welcome addition to the Diablo with the VT model and it incorporated speed-sensitive adjustment to offer easy parking with fine feel at higher speeds.
The SV Roadster of 1996 was the first to use Lamborghini's hydraulic lifting system on the front suspension to raise the car by 45mm. It allowed the Diablo to negotiate speed humps, but dropped the car back to normal ride height at 43mph. Check this works quickly and silently and that it returns the car to normal height at speed.
Early Diablo brakes were not really up to the job, using 13in front and 11.2in rear ventilated discs. These changed to 12.6in and 12.2in front and rear respectively with the VT for greater retardation and feel. However, it wasn't until the 6.0-litre models appeared that braking finally matched the Diablo's pace. Now, the discs were 13.4in front and rear with the Lucas-sourced ABS anti-lock system first used in 1998-on Diablos.
The wheelbase of the Diablo shrank from the first model's 2674mm to 2650 for the 6.0-litre VT, and this Lambo's infamous width also dropped from the original's 2059mm to 2040mm.