zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
The Coolest Car Lamborghini Never Made Is Up For Sale
The Coolest Car Lamborghini Never Made Is Up For Sale-August 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:40

Image for article titled The Coolest Car Lamborghini Never Made Is Up For Sale

It’s 1996. Jurassic Park has made dinosaurs cool again. The has been very effective at terrifying everyone and hiding the fact hat it has Nissan headlights. has taken the Diablo, removed the safety systems, and supplied the power of a 5.7-liter V12 into the hand of one lucky customer through the knob of a six-speed manual.

Things are good.

Photo: Scott Pattenden ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Fast forward to today, and that special one-off Zagato Diablo VT is for sale via . Called the Zagato Raptor, it debuted at the 1996 Geneva Motor Show with eyes on a limited production run that Lamborghini would soon back away from, leaving only one double-bubble-roofed car.

If there’s one thing I learned on my recent trip to Italy, it’s that style matters. Looking good is

Zagato threw away the Diablo body (and likely burned the Nissan headlights) and replaced it all with a tube-frame smothered in a custom carbon fiber body, hinged at the rear to reveal the 5.7-liter Lamborghini V12. The body was also cut and hinged at the front, with the entire forward section pivoting out to open the cabin for entry, removing any conventional doors. It’s a canopy. That’s what you want.

Photo: Scott Pattenden ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

On top of that, literally, was a removable roof featuring the signature Zagato double-bubble design.

Photo: Scott Pattenden ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The all-wheel drive Diablo VT the Raptor is based on was known for its improved handling over previous rear-wheel drive Diablos, and the Raptor was rounded out with a six-speed manual carried over from the donor car, magnesium wheels, Alcon brakes, and no ABS or traction control systems, unlike the Diablo. In total, weight savings amounted to around 300 kilograms, or roughly 660 pounds. (the Diablo VT weighed in at around 3,580 pounds if you’re curious.)

Image for article titled The Coolest Car Lamborghini Never Made Is Up For Sale

Photo: Scott Pattenden ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The car was apparently sold for a song at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show, with old-school Lamborghini fanpage claiming it went for a bit over $200 grand. It was last displayed at Pebble Beach in 2008, 11 years ago, and the Sotheby’s listing comically suggests “full mechanical servicing” after purchasing for a car listed at between $1 million and $1.4 million. Can’t imagine the price if the seller bothered to condition it beforehand.

Image for article titled The Coolest Car Lamborghini Never Made Is Up For Sale

Photo: Scott Pattenden ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

There was only one Raptor produced due to worries from Lamborghini that the upcoming (but ultimately never produced) 1999 Lamborghini Canto’s design was too similar.

Image for article titled The Coolest Car Lamborghini Never Made Is Up For Sale

(I see their point).

If you want this special alcantara bathtub moonlighting as a one-off supercar from one of the best and most consistent design firms in the industry, it hits the block on Nov. 30 in Abu Dhabi. I’m sure you could call in if you’d rather avoid the extended travel to get there.

Or if you’d rather wait until someone vacuums the car out for you after you buy it before you check it out for yourself.

Photo: Scott Pattenden ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
At $6,200, Is This 2000 Boxster A Cheap Way Into Club Porsche?
At $6,200, Is This 2000 Boxster A Cheap Way Into Club Porsche?
The seller of today’s 986 has dubbed the car “Bruce the Boxster” and is leaving Bruce behind in a move across the country. Let’s see if this mileage-heavy Porsche is priced for a prospective buyer to make a move. Based on the comments, the general consensus on yesterday’s was...
Aug 8, 2026
Roll Up To The Euro Car Meet In This Galant AMG And See What Happens
Roll Up To The Euro Car Meet In This Galant AMG And See What Happens
Some of the most respected automakers and performance divisions in the business began life as rogue consultancy firms, willing to tinker on the vehicles of anyone who’d pay them. Like and , AMG once upon a time teamed up with an unlikely partner — in this case, Mitsubishi —...
Aug 8, 2026
At $19,500, Could You Make Friends With This 1969 Citroën Ami 6 Break?
At $19,500, Could You Make Friends With This 1969 Citroën Ami 6 Break?
Today’s Citroën is a wagon, which in France is often referred to as a Break. Let’s see if this rare-in-the-U.S. longroof is priced not to break the bank. The holiday season is in full swing and yesterday we formally welcomed December with a that would likely prove a holiday...
Aug 8, 2026
Own The Road And Sea With This $275,000 Amphibious LS-Powered Convertible
Own The Road And Sea With This $275,000 Amphibious LS-Powered Convertible
This may be a bit of a hot take to post here on Jalopnik Dot Com, but I personally think vehicles should be fun. Sure, you could get a Corolla, or you could spice it up a bit with a . You could buy a Boston Whaler, or spend...
Aug 8, 2026
Use This Perspective Shift To Make Car Shopping In This Terrible Market Bearable
Use This Perspective Shift To Make Car Shopping In This Terrible Market Bearable
Dealer inventory is low and that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. If you don’t need to make a car purchase right now it’s probably wise to wait a year or more, but So if you must buy something now, a perspective shift is needed to avoid a...
Aug 8, 2026
The 2022 Honda Civic Si Joins The Dealer Markup Circus
The 2022 Honda Civic Si Joins The Dealer Markup Circus
The ink isn’t even dry yet on some reviews of the and dealers are already slapping markups on cars they don’t even have in the showroom. They sit perched at their dealership desks, hungrily rubbing their hands together in anticipation of someone who just has to have the first...
Aug 8, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved