AUCTION TRACKER LAMBORGHINI DIABLO
Lamborghini’s 202mph replacement for the Countach reached the UK in 1991 with a list price of £152,615. Artcurial set the benchmark for entry-level first-series Diablos in 2016, selling an ex-Keke Rosberg example with 5474km for ¤202,640 (£175,000) at Rétromobile.
At Scottsdale’s 2018 auctions RM Sotheby’s hammered away a US-delivered Diablo with similar miles for $190,400 (£134,000), while Gooding & Company achieved $217,250 (£153,000) for a ’91 in time-warp condition with under 600 miles from new. With an absence of low-mileage cars selling at auction since 2018, the top price in the intervening period rested with Mecum’s 32,000km example fetching $165,000 (£116,000) at the start of 2021, before the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island sale delivered a new high in May – its red Diablo (pictured) with 5250km drew $274,400 (£193,000).
Notable results among the limited-edition variants include a 276-km 1999 GT – the ultimate iteration of the Diablo – making ¤815,000 (£703,000) in 2018, and an ‘as new’ 2001 VT 6.0 SE with just 14 miles changing hands for $412,000 (£290,000) at Amelia Island the same year. An even rarer 6700km 1995 SE30 Jota, one of around 15 cars upgraded by the factory to Jota spec, smashed its ¤490,000-550,000 estimate at RM’s Monaco sale in 2016, bringing ¤672,000 (£580,000).
Gary Tolson of Kaaimans International is well-versed in the intricacies of the Diablo market: ‘It’s something that has been overlooked for years. The stigma attached to owning a Diablo comes from the extortionate maintenance costs and antiquated driving experience – but the infamous Lamborghini V12 engine and looks to die for more than make up for it.
‘Today, when you mention SV you know that there will be a premium attached to it. Values of SVs have been hovering around the £200250k level for the last five years – which in collector terms is really a low price for such limited production numbers.
‘In years to come, prices could rise to over £500k.’
Glenmarch is the largest free-to-access online resource for classic and collector car auction markets. Visit www.glenmarch.com to keep up to date.