Lamborghini Diablo SE30 in all its glory
In a small shopping center in Atlanta, there is an independent coffee shop. They also sell books and magazines, and the business is good. They’re in a nice neighborhood, and their clients are doing fine, too. That car was parked just in front of the coffee shop.
The usual clients of the coffee shop are more Lexus than Diablo
This is a Lamborghini Diablo, which is a rare sight in itself. But not any Diablo. It’s a Special Edition 30 – built in 1993 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Lamborghini. Only 150 were made, and this one is #77. It was originally sold to a Bruce M Male – who is probably the same Bruce Male who has a crazy collection of Italian cars (you can Google him). It’s the first time I see the name of the first owner of a car displayed proudly on a rear window by the manufacturer. So much for privacy. But you probably have to be an extrovert to buy such a car, so why not.
Vettura #77/150, and the name of the first owner below it.
The SE30 was a sort of Track Edition of the “normal” Diablo – with more carbon fiber, lighter components, no A/C, fixed Plexiglas windows and as a consequence, less weight. There’s a tad more power too – the 5.7L V12 delivers 530HP to the rear wheels. Just enough power to go and get an espresso in a 15mph limited zone.
I took the picture in 2020. I’m sure the car has a new owner by now.
Only 25 were sold in the US, and a nice one is probably worth $400,000 nowadays.
Very cool find! As an 80s kid, I feel these have aged well.
Wow, he sure got that front spoiler close to the curb. I’d have to have a friend spot me when parking like that.
I’ve never before seen one of these. It reminds me of the car at the centre of a particular episode of “Mission Hill” (starting at 13:01), a cartoon-for-grownups which bridged the turn of the 21st Century—linked rather than placed here because…it’s for grownups.
(When I was a kid, when I’d see that word Diablo I’d pronounce it “DYE-uh-Blow”, and I’m still not completely convinced that’s wrong).
I always pronounced it “Dee-ah-blow” but now that you mention it I have heard people pronounce it both ways forever, never knowing which is really right. Kind of like whether to pronounce Porsche “Porsh” or “Porsh-ah”, or Jaguar “Jag-wire” or “Jag-you-are”
Hmm. Porsche is easy – because it was the guy’s name, I reckon you have to pronounce it the way he did. I know, that means a lot of folk have been saying it wrong for a long time. That happens.
Jaguar? To me that’s always been a three-syllable word. Depends on your dialect of English, I guess.
I’ve never seen a Diablo, so I’ve never needed to pronounce the name. Guess I’d ask an Italian friend, though I suspect you’re right, Matt.
It is, it’s “dee-AH-blow” (or if we’re really trying for authenticity, it’s “dYAH-blo”).
Jaguar is pronounced “JEG-yoo-Waaah” when we’re trying to impress others, and “Kryst-HAOW-mutch-this-tyme” when we’re paying to have it fixed again.
The Diablo was the Lamborghini of my childhood, I must have had 5 or 6 different hot wheels, matchbox, maisto, bburaggo etc scale models of various sizes I acquired as gifts. Ironically, me being out of touch with the times even at an early age the Countach that predated my existence was much cooler to me even then, I don’t have a single childhood Diablo artifact left because I trashed them all playing with them, and unceremoniously let them go getting rid of junk at some point.
At the time I thought the Diablo was too big, too plain with its slab sides and its cleaned up and softened lines from its flared folded paper predecessor that so much of the well earned character through the Countach’s evolution was lost, it had that big wide back end and narrow front end like the Ferrari Testarossa but without the distinguishing features of it. Now however the Diablo looks pretty good, its replacement murcielago hasn’t aged nearly as well and it and successive V12 Lamborghinis look too fat and contrived even by outrageous Lamborghini standards to attract me. The Diablo today looks lean and sleek, while still looking modern with its large(proportionally) wheels, and the “subtle” details I never paid much attention to as a kid stand out to me more positively. My different tune could be nostalgia creeping in, but one thing that I always liked then and now is the name. Diablo is the only Lamborghini name I never needed to double check my spelling or ask how it’s pronounced!
I enjoy cars, spaceships and sci fi but I love it when they’re all rolled up into a car. Here’s to hoping BEV designs will eventually embrace and speak a far more creative and dynamic design language.