Getting every sort of car possible through our tiresquealing, sheetmetal-quivering, eyelid-fluttering efficiency assessments is, as you could imagine, more interesting than discovering your fiancee's parents have a big Ferrari group that requires regular exercise. But once in awhile, especially with automobiles named after, oh, the devil, there appears in the test track a possibility for mechanical harakiri that verges on the terrifying.

This last Diablo in ten years of flamboyant - - some daresay crazy - - sports vehicles first launched in 1990 is definitely the Diablo.

The VT is, oddly, a really highpowered fourwheel-drive animal. Located amidships is the largest, baddest V-12 engine we have ever analyzed in a Diablo. Consequently, peak engine output is promoted to 543 hp at 7100 rpm, 20 over seen in the Diablo. Torque is up 11 poundfeet to 457 at 5800 rpm.

Regardless of the fact that the rear tires--Z-rated Pirelli P Zeros, great for much more than 200 miles per hour--are so broad that, at first glance, they seem to form a great rolling-pin of rubber over the back of the vehicle (they're 13.2 inches broad), 543 horses and 457 poundfeet of torsion can reduce them all to pudding. To counter that chance, the Diablo VT's fourwheel-drive system makes sense. When the rears slip Power is transferred by a viscous coupling to the front wheels; the remainder of time, the Diablo prowls about like a back - drive auto. At most, 28-percent of engine torque is routed to the front wheels. There aren't any levers to change or buttons to hit to interact this fourwheel - drive setup, and during driving, you had never understand this Italian was a fourwheeler.

Perform dragstrip launching, however, and also you'll immediately recognize the Diablo VT isn't a back-motorist. Normally, those folks who push in hard acceleration tests depend on a bit of wheelspin to get the auto moving in the fashion. In a fourwheel - drive car with sticky tires, it's nearly not possible to receive these rears spinning in a start, unless the car has a program which enables some first back wheelspin before the juice is got by the fronts. Because Porsche, we have recorded 0-to60-mph blasts within an incredibly quick 3.7 seconds.

But we have examined a single Diablo VT before (C/D, September 1994), since they're really difficult in the future by--just 23 were sold in the America in 1999, seemingly to folks who own little nations or athletic shoe businesses, at a cost of approximately $275,000. At that evaluation, we declined to risk the dropped-clutch method, figuring the Diablo's enormous tires (235/40ZR-17s up front and 335/35ZR-17s in the back) and considerable weight (3900 pounds) would lead to gobs of grip with no wheelspin. Moreover, there is a great possibility that dumping the clutch and revving the engine would fry the clutch and maybe ruin this, and we didn't need to discover what that repair bill would appear to be. A great guess is someplace within the area of $9000.

The Diablo can, with all the proper driver, endure fall-clutch launches--we saw three such feats performed unexpectedly by Lamborghini's own test-driver, Mario Fasanetto (You were anticipating whom--Jim Scoutten?). A writer for another magazine who was available determined he had prefer to obtain his own evaluation numbers, after Fasanetto done three perfect wheelspinning starts in a grey Diablo. Fasanetto got from the Diablo and instructed the journal author to lose the clutch whilst the engine was revving between 6000 and 7000-rpm. In place of back wheelspin, we were treated to the sound (and then a odor) of an over-stressed clutch which was busy creating nightmarish blue smoke. However, the Diablo still drove great, so after executing yet another, less trying launching, the author parked it.

We were initially scheduled to analyze the exact same day, but Ferrari's Formula 1 team determined it needed the track over we did, therefore we analyzed the next day at Pirelli's check track in Vizzola.

Diablos are still not prepared to be considered luxury cars, but they're surprisingly enjoyable autos. Based on Lamborghini's new chairman, Giuseppe Greco, Diablo owners drive their vehicles an average of 6500 miles annually, three times further than they drove them ten years ago. That implies that clients are satisfied with the consistent developments Lamborghini has created beneath that flamboyant body.

This year the Diablo's comfort level is raised again, because of a plethora of interior and mechanical refinements. The front suspension was redesigned to widen the inside foot box and permit bigger, simple-touse pedals. To realize this, the front body area was widened to transfer the suspension mounting points out, as well as the front track was elevated 2.8 inches.

Also new are the seats as well as the climate - control setup, as well as the interior trim and dashboard were revised. The seats finally have flexible backrests (previous Diablo's had repaired backrests) and are incredibly supportive. They feel like stiff racing shells which were given a thin covering of leather and foam. Lamborghini claims the new automatic climate - control system is simpler to work with and has more cooling ability. It definitely worked nicely; we establish a temperature and never touched it again. Additionally, there are several conveniences sprinkled through the inside that we didn't expect within a exotic. Supporting the seats are little storage compartments, map lights live in the back of the center-console, and there is even a set of coat hooks.

There is also a newly styled nose, what to us isn't an improvement over this past year's beak.

At Vizzola, Fasanetto done the initial acceleration runs. This way, we had get some highly-competitive figures before yours really started some experiments at which clutch might find yourself needing a physician. Fasanetto staged from view, but we could hear the launching and understood instantly something wasn't right. The engine revved, but we could not hear any wheelspin. He rolled into the pits and mentioned the clutch of the test car was worn to the point that wheelspin wasn't feasible. We'd later discover our test vehicle had invested almost all of its 1000 miles in the control of hamfisted journalists. A new--or at least unabused--clutch is crucial to really get the quickest runs. As we understand the Diablo is possibly faster, sacred as those amount sound. For all those willing to risk a clutch, it could well change the 0-to60 journey within the midthree-second range.

We didn't get the opportunity to do a top-rate or skidpad test.

We would not call it nimble, or tossable, but it's exceptionally secure and forgiving. Over-cooking any corner leads to any undesirable fishtailing light understeer rather than. When leaving a corner due to the drive, an exceedingly competitive right foot will not smoke the rears.

The massively strong V-12 is a tremendous area of the Diablo driving experience. It feels like a Viper V-10 engine because there is certainly tons of lowend grunt and small must change.

Costs haven't been established yet, but do not anticipate much change from the $300,000 test. For the present model year, just the VT given-roof model can be obtained.

Thinking about the laundry-list of new things, we were amazed to discover that Lamborghini will create an allnew Diablo in 2001. We anticipated Audi possession to pay dividends, therefore it has. Another, allnew Lamborghini is currently in the look boards--a V-10 version which is priced to compete with the Ferrari 360 Modena. It will debut within 3 years. The hope is that the new-car could cause yearly generation going from 250 vehicles to about 1100.

And few vehicles will make it to the dry cleaner's quicker.

Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster video review