RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Launched in 1990 under the auspices of Chrysler and going off sale 11 years later with Audi at the helm of the Italian firm, the Lamborghini Diablo was undeniably a product of conflicting visions. It was also a model that punched well above its weight, becoming a cultural icon and touchstone of a generation despite fewer than 3,000 examples having been built throughout its lifetime. Curiously, one of the rarest examples is also considered one of the best: the SV Roadster.

Unveiled at a time of great change for the company, the 1998 SV Roadster was conceived as a driver-focused, open-topped variant aimed squarely at the burgeoning US market. The machine offered the intoxicating combination of the VT Roadster’s removeable roof with the rear-wheel-drive configuration and wild styling of the SV coupé, at a stroke creating one of the most engaging and exciting versions of the Diablo ever seen. The removal of the front differential did not just save valuable kilograms from the car’s kerb weight, it also slashed some 12 per cent from the model’s ticket price, making it among the most appealing Lamborghinis of modern times.

Powering the SV Roadster’s rear wheels was Lamborghini’s celebrated 5.7-litre V-12, a gem of an engine that produced 530 horsepower and 605 Nm of torque. The hugely charismatic powerplant was further improved for 1998 with an all-new electronic phase management system, part of a suite of advancements brought in for the new model year. The braking system was vastly improved with 355-millimetre discs and beefed-up calipers at each corner while also benefitting from a new anti-lock braking system. An electronic suspension lifting system was also added to the options list, improving usability and meaning owners no longer had to fear speed bumps or steep garage ramps.

Despite hitting on a winning formula that combined the very best features of the existing model range—not to mention a rapturous response to the Pearl Orange prototype that starred on the firm’s 1998 Geneva Motor Show stand—external factors would force the cancellation of the project. With funds limited, stakeholders divided, and the future of all rear-wheel-drive Diablos in doubt, the SV Roadster was officially put on ice after just a single prototype had been built.

The story would have ended there were it not for Emanuele Conforti, lifelong Raging Bull enthusiast and owner of leading Milanese Lamborghini distributor Touring Auto S.r.l, who, after seeing the show car, immediately approached Lamborghini CEO Vittorio Di Capua about the possibility of building a second—and final—Diablo SV Roadster. The resulting conversation led to the production of the special example offered here—chassis WLA12960.

A TRUE RARITY

As confirmed by factory records, chassis WLA12960 rolled off the Sant’Agata Bolognese production line on 6 April 1998, finished to 1998 model-year specification and configured in left-hand drive. The car was delivered to official Lamborghini concessionaire Touring Auto S.r.l, which was headquartered in Milan at Corso Porta Romana, and its warranty card was issued on 5 June 1998.

The car was spectacularly configured, being finished in the eye-catching shade of Roadster Giallo over a Nero “Torpedo” Alcantara interior with complementary yellow piping and “SV” stitching. The centre console and sills were specified in a matte-finish exposed carbon fibre, as was the removeable roof, enormous optional rear wing, and side air intake blades—features entirely unique to this chassis—while the desirable front suspension lifting system was also added. But what made the car truly special was its factory SV specification, sharing the same front bumper, alloy wheels, interior with white-faced gauges, SV badging, and side decals with the 1998 SV coupé. With the exception of the Geneva Motor Show prototype, no other open-topped Diablo would share the same suite of styling options as the range-topping SV coupé.

After leaving the care of Touring Auto, this true rarity was sold to Germany, where it was registered in 2001 and passed through the collections of three well-known Lamborghini enthusiasts. It remained largely hidden from the public eye, with the notable exception of a handful of outings organised by the International Lamborghini Owner’s Club (ILOC), where it always garnered attention due to its exceptional rarity.

The Diablo was later acquired by the consigning seller, another well-known Lamborghini enthusiast and collector who has since undertaken in-depth research into the model’s history, reviewing factory documentation and even interviewing former employees of the Sant’Agata factory. This remarkable Diablo SV Roadster has subsequently been confirmed as one of the rarest examples to ever wear a Raging Bull badge. Today, it presents in exceptional original condition, with just 42,842 kilometres showing at time of cataloguing, new tyres less than 500 kilometres ago, and boasting a recent service carried out in June 2023.

The Lamborghini Diablo SV Roadster is a true automotive curiosity, having been cancelled while on the cusp of greatness—a decision made all the more intriguing for the warmth with which the model was received. In the wake of its withdrawal, both dealers and customers were left bitterly disappointed. A handful of customers requested a front differential delete from their 1999 VT Roadsters, while a Swiss independent dealer created its own “SV Roadster”—dubbed the 35th Anniversary edition— based on the same model. But none featured the striking SV aesthetic of the two factory examples built before the firm’s 1998 takeover by Audi.

The marriage of an open Diablo with SV styling and a rear-wheel-drive configuration created a machine that was far greater than the sum of its parts—a true automotive unicorn, rarer than the celebrated SE30 Jota, Diablo GT, and almost all other road-going Lamborghinis. This beautifully specified and immaculately presented example remains one of the most desirable Diablos ever created and will certainly meet the expectations of the highest-profile collector in search of a historically significant and vanishingly rare Lamborghini.