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How to Get Your Hands on a Lamborghini Diablo GTR

The devil came in the 90s, and it came in the form of a Lamborghini. The Lamborghini Diablo is one iconic car from an equally iconic manufacturer. Lamborghini is synonymous with some of the best sports cars to be ever made in the history of the industry. Sure enough, the Lamborghini Diablo was the precedent for some of today’s best super cars. To say that the Diablo was ahead of its time is a sure understatement. Although Lamborghini stopped production on the Diablo in 2001, there are still ways you can get your hands on one. Before we talk about how, let’s talk a bit about why the Lamborghini Diablo GTR is worth the effort of finding.

History

During the reign of the much admired Lamborghini Countach, the company suffered minor setbacks economically. Company owner Ferruccio Lamborghini had no choice but to sell the company in order to save it. Before Chrysler bought the Lamborghini Company in 1987, production had already started on what was then called Project 132.Production on what was to be the next big thing after the Countach began in June 1985 under the financial backing of two Swiss-based brothers, Jean Claude and Patrick Mimran. After Chrysler took over the project in 1987, a few changes were made about the design; the car at the end of the entire process became known as the Diablo. Named after a ferocious bull—much like other Lamborghini cars—the Diablo was rumored to have cost the company roughly 6 billion Italian liras. There was a reason why the Italian devil cost a ton of money. In order to be better than its predecessor, the Diablo had to have all the fringes and more.

Specs

In fact, that’s exactly what the Diablo had. Some of the exterior design changes made the Diablo better than the Countach in many ways. The big air intakes no longer existed. And as far as what was under the hood, the Diablo had a modified version of Countach’s V-12 engine—still with 4 valves per cylinder but this time with a new fuel injection system and 5.7-liter displacement. The end result was exactly what the production team was aiming for. The Diablo was able to hit speeds of up to 202mph, which was a remarkable achievement at the time given that the original goal for Project 132 was 196mph. Apart from what was under the hood, the Diablo also came with so many other extras compared to the Countach. The standard features included adjustable seats, electric windows, a deluxe stereo system, power steering, and even a Breguet watch on the dash that was valued at $10,500.

GTR

A few other models were released during the production time period before the GTR came into the picture. The Lamborghini Diablo GTR was first launched during the 2000 season at the 1999 Bologna Motor Show. The Diablo GTR was a Diablo GT conversion to a track oriented super car. It had improved power and reduced weight—all for the sake of speed and better handling. The purpose of the GTR was racing. Everything in the interior—from the air conditioning to the soundproofing—was removed. The GTR was then outfitted with all racing necessities including the 6-point seatbelt harness racing seat. All dynamic points of the vehicle were also revised to feature a body that was made for speed.

How to get a Diablo

Original production was slated for only 30 cars, but a total of 40 Lamborghini Diablo GTRs were actually made. Given the rarity of these supercars, they are not exactly easy to come by. Sure, you can get your hands quickly on any Diablo, but to get a GTR modification would take a little more effort. After all, anything with a limited edition designation is sure to take some worthy effort to acquire. The first place you can peruse to find a Diablo GTR would be at a certified Lamborghini dealer. Dupontregistry.com lists many models of Lamborghini Diablo and is consistently updated for inventory additions.

Apart from browsing through a dealer’s Lamborghini listings, you can also inquire about current Diablo GTR information in the area. Browsing through other automotive sales websites might also lead you to success in finding a GTR. The rarity of these cars will make it a struggle, but they are out there. There’s also a chance that no GTRs are for sale. You can track ownership of some of these Diablo cars and reach out to the owner yourself. A generous offer might always compel someone to part with his or her Diablo GTR, but the devil is in the details of finding owners to begin with. Websites such as eBay and Craigslist might offer some promise into finding GTRs that are for sale by owner, but you’ll only find these with a little stroke of good luck.

The most important thing in your quest to get your hands on a Lamborghini Diablo GTR is persistence. There are 40 cars in the entire world, and a good number of them are probably in other countries. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Diablo GTR for sale on the open market, and that’s for good reason really. Once you get your hands on one of these rare supercars, you’re not going to want to let them go. Times always change, however, and there’s no reason to give up on GTR ownership. Keep scouring the online markets and keep on perusing Lamborghini forums for possible information on where you can find one. The Lamborghini Diablo GTR is a one-of-a-kind car. If you’ll be satisfied with just getting behind the wheel of a GTR instead of owning one, you could always get into the Lamborghini race school to see if they offer the Diablo GTR for training. The racecar training models always change, so you might get your chance. Otherwise, you could always try the Lamborghini Diablo GTR on a videogame like Forza Horizon 4. It may not be the real thing, but it can at least whet your appetite until you find the real one.

Benjamin Smith

Written by Benjamin Smith

Benjamin Smith is one of the managing editors of Moneyinc. Ben's been focusing on the auto and motorcycle sector since 2005. He's written over 1000 articles in the space and continues to learn about it each day. His favorite car is "any Bugatti" and he's a die hard Harley Davidson fan.

Read more posts by Benjamin Smith

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