The Lamborghini Diablo is more than just a hero of its time.
As the successor to the legendary and brand-defining Countach, the Lamborghini Diablo had very big shoes to fill. Equipped with Lamborghini’s famously powerful V12 engine, the Diablo set forth to carry on the brand’s incredible legacy, and it did just that, becoming an iconic moment in Lamborghini history and the automotive and pop culture world. However, as Lamborghini celebrates the V12 engine that brought the brand amazing success as the “pure” naturally aspirated V12 bows out from Lamborghini’s production portfolio with the Aventador Ultimae, the brand remembers that the Diablo was important for more than just its V12 engine or its quintessential Lamborghini style, and it contributed an entirely different innovation to Lamborghini’s history that is still important to the brand today: four-wheel-drive.
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The Diablo was Lamborghini’s first supercar that offered four-wheel drive, and with nearly 600 horsepower coming from its V12 engine it was ahead of its time when it came to performance and dynamism and made quite a splash on January 21, 1990 when it was presented at Lamborghini Day at the Sporting in Monte Carlo. The Diablo was an incredible success for 11 years, and in 1993, the Diablo VT became the first Lamborghini supercar with four-wheel drive, with “VT” standing for “viscous traction.” It’s a legendary supercar that is more important to Lamborghini’s legacy and history than it sometimes gets credit for, and as the Aventador’s successor, which Lamborghini says will be fitted with a plug-in hybrid version of the V12 engine arrives, lessons learned and strides made with the Diablo are sure to play a part.
Source: Lamborghini