Lamborghini Diablo resto-mod revealed

The Eccentrica is guaranteed to make you feel old. It’s an Italian resto-mod project based on the iconic Lamborghini Diablo, a car that for many enthusiasts will still feel more modern than classic.

Nevertheless, the Diablo is now 33 years old and Italian furniture entrepreneur and amateur racing driver Emanuel Colombini has created the Eccentrica – derived from the Latin for ‘far from centre’ – as his vision of the ultimate Diablo.

Just 19 examples will be built, each taking between 16 and 18 months to produce at a price starting from €1.2 million ($A1.965m), though there is the small issue of needing to secure a Diablo donor car first.

At first glance the exterior looks to be faithful to the original but every panel bar the windscreen has been altered using the hard-core GT and SV variants and GTR race car as inspiration.

Length and height are the same but the wheelbase has been lengthened to reduce overhangs and the tracks are wider both front and rear.

Top-end revisions increase outputs of the 5.7-litre V12 to 405kW and 600Nm, allied to a revised six-speed manual, which will be music to the ears of anyone who had to wrestle with the original Diablo gearbox.

Lightweight materials like titanium and carbon-fibre as well as 3D printing technology reduce weight, with the Eccentrica aiming for 1595kg. Performance is vivid, with 0-100km/h acceleration claimed to take just 3.5sec and a top speed of 335km/h.

Braking and cornering is improved courtesy of reinforcements for the steel tubular chassis, slotted brake rotors with six-piston Brembo monobloc callipers and larger 19-inch wheels with monster Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres at all four corners – the fronts are 305mm wide!

Inside there’s been a complete overhaul in terms of design, technology and, in particular, materials, following the eradication of all plastic switchgear and surfacing in favour of metal, Alcantara and carbon-fibre.

Retro-styled digital instruments sit ahead of the driver and the dashboard houses haptic switchgear, while behind the seats is a storage area for custom suitcases and a pair of hooks to hang jackets or, perhaps, groceries. 

The 19 examples will all be tailor-made to their owners’ specifications and surely destined to live their lives in air-conditioned garages and on concours lawns.

But with recent automotive icon restorations like the NSU Prinz 4, Singer 964 Porsche 911 and Milivie VW Beetle, the Eccentrica begs the question: what car will receive the resto-mod treatment next?

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