If there's an accusation often levelled at the current breed of Lamborghinis, it's that they're almost a little too user friendly. That's great for many prospective buyers as they can exploit their cars more easily, enjoy them more often and, dare it be suggested, pose in them more easily but a little of the challenge has been lost. That has been mentioned also but, when there's a Diablo SV to discuss, it's worth repeating.
Modern supercars not scary enough? The answer...
Huracan LP610-4
has nearly 100hp more than this Diablo. That's absurd, isn't it? Anyway, it also indicates where driver aids and chassis technology have come since then; most keen drivers would probably happily get into a Huracan and drive it fairly hard with little acclimitisation period. The Diablo however...
Even the silhouette is terrifying, almost awkwardly cab forward so as to accommodate the giant V12. This one is in a subdued colour scheme but there's an intimidation still to the Diablo's appearance; say what you will about Lamborghini elsewhere but it does aesthetic drama like nobody else. The SV was arguably the most dramatic Diablo to drive too, if the even rarer Jota is discounted. Of course being RWD contributed the majority of that, along with a little extra power and a bit less weight compared to the VT cars.
Plush surroundings for scaring yourself silly
In a world of supercars that can carry ridiculous speed without apparently straining themselves or the driver, to actually have to work at extracting far less performance from the Diablo may seem strange to some. But again it's the challenge that would be so exciting to the small minority (hopefully quite a few on here) that crave a little bit of terror from a mid-engined V12 supercar experience. Makes it more exciting, right?
With Lamborghini's future apparently committed to 4WD models with automated gearboxes of some kind, will there be a spike in demand for the older cars? The SV moniker was only used on this car, the Murcielago and the Miura and there's no way either of those are being offered at £130K any time soon, if ever. And look at its contemporaries; F50s are soaring and EB110s are way more than the Lamborghini too. Perhaps that's flattering the Diablo a little, but when a 993 Turbo with similar mileage is for sale at the same money something seems a little amiss.
And if it doesn't appreciate? Then you're left with one of the supercar icons powered by a legendary V12 and one of the most intense (that's the polite term) driving experiences around. The SV isn't perfect, in fact it's quite flawed in some instances, but that's exactly the reason to embrace and adore it.
LAMBORGHINI DIABLO SV
Engine: 5,707cc V12
Transmission: Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 517@7,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 428@5,900rpm
MPG: Ha!
CO2: See above
Recorded mileage: 24,342
Year registered: 1999
Price new: Probably lots but less than the 4WD cars
Yours for: £129,995
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)