Chassis No. ZA9DE07A0NLA12440

In its earliest form, the Lamborghini Diablo was truly the proper successor to the generational Countach. The same man who penned the Countach (and the Miura), Marcello Gandini, created what he described as a car that would make "people be astonished when they saw" it. Matching Gandini's aggressive proportions, the earliest cars were defiantly analog, with non-assisted rack-and-pinion steering and no ABS. Taming the Diablo's 492 PS from its naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V12 was purely a matter of driver talent, as all that power was sent exclusively to the massive 335/35 ZR-17 rear tires.

This exceptional early Diablo, hailing from the second year of production, is surely one of the finest examples available anywhere in the world. A left-hand drive, French-delivery example, chassis number 12440 was completed in late-1991, finished in Diablo Rosso over a Champagne leather interior with Noisette carpets. Factory shipping documentation notes that the car was dispatched to J.B. Automobiles in Paris, France, on 4 October 1991, where it reportedly remained unsold and undriven for a remarkable 16 years. In 2007, the Diablo was sold to its first and only registered owner, Julien Gasnot of Mougins, France, who continued the car's immaculate preservation for the ensuing 15 years.

Since passing to the consignor in 2022, the car has remained unregistered and presents as an unaltered, museum-quality specimen with 974 kilometers traveled from new. The car's three-plus decades of careful preservation show in the flawless paintwork and "telephone dial" wheels, the uncreased Champagne leather upholstery, and an undercarriage that incredibly still retains much of its factory wax preservative coating. Furthermore, to ensure its mechanical preservation, in July 2023 the Diablo was serviced by Lamborghini St. Gallen. Work included a scheduled service with engine oil and filter, brake/clutch hydraulic fluid replacement, cleaning the brake-pressure distributor, electrical diagnosis of the rear lamps, and replacement of the reverse-gear switch and brake-light switch.

With fewer than 1,000 kilometers on its odometer and its exceptional time capsule presentation, this is likely one of the finest preservation-grade Diablo's extant, making it an ideal preservation class entrant in concours. Wherever it is displayed, this Diablo will stand as a reference for the model and a crowning addition to any collection of low-mileage supercars.

Documents: French Certificat d'Immatriculation

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