► Up close with the Eccentrica Diablo restomod
► Naturally-aspirated V12, 21st century mod cons
► Just 19 being made, with more variants to come
This is a Lamborghini Diablo, but not as we know it. This is a fully restored, 21st century version from Eccentrica, and it’s designed to make what was once a rather prickly 90s supercar a little easier to get on with for a new generation.
As well as founder Emanuel Columbini (who just so happens to be San Marino’s Chamber of Commerce president), former Lamborghini chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani is among the team. We’ve been up close and personal with the ‘new’ Diablo during 2024’s Monterey Car Week.
‘The idea was from a Lamborghini car collector,’ Andrea Colombo, Eccentrica co-founder, tells us. ‘And, basically, the idea is to improve the driveability and the handling, as well as the progressivity of the engine and basically make the Diablo more driveable on an everyday basis. The car is already a beast – we wanted to try and find a way to manage it.’ The Eccentrica Diablo, then, is described as a ‘modern interpretation’ of one of Lamborghini’s most recognisable models.
Happily, the Diablo’s bodywork has only been lightly updated and tweaked with modern wheel designs, tasty up-close design details. The recogniseable, drop-down headlight covers remain, and Eccentrica’s intricate housing for its new exhaust system and patterned rear deck add a bit of visual flair not seen on the original.
Inside, it’s like stepping into a retro-futurism dream. The Diablo’s original interior design structure remains, but with achingly cool retro dials and high-grade materials used. The seats have been widened and made more adjustable for taller drivers, too.
Beneath the bodywork is an uprated, but still naturally-aspirated V12. Here, it’s the original 5.7-litre engine from the earlier generation Diablo, but it’s been modernised. ‘We have new camshafts, electronic throttle bodies that the original didn’t have, a new flywheel and exhaust system,’ says Colombo. ‘We didn’t focus too much on adding too much more power.’ So much so that there’s only around 55bhp more.
Given the focus on usability, the structure and characteristics of the Diablo have been upgraded. Power steering has been added, and new Brembo brakes remove a weak point of the original; ‘the first generation brakes simply didn’t work at all,’ says Colombo. Double wishbone suspension with semi-adjustable dampers are included, and a new six-speed manual transmission replaces the original’s five-speed. The H-pattern remains, with all six notches kept for each of the new forward gears; revers is now activated electronically. Plus, a nose-lift system is included.
Just 19 Eccentrica V12s will be made, using original Diablo models as a base. The first ones will be delivered in 2025. ‘After that we’ll keep on making variants on the chassis, and maybe one with a V8,’ says Colombo.