Unveiled in January 1990 at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo, the Diablo was Lamborghini's long-awaited successor to the Countach, which had been in production for some 16 years.

Their new flagship retained the fundamental Lamborghini formula of a mid-mounted V12, rear-wheel drive, scissor doors and undeniably dramatic styling, yet brought considerably greater performance, refinement and usability to the party. Marcello Gandini's early design was further developed further by Chrysler's design team, while beneath the familiar scissor doors sat a new 5.7-litre evolution of Lamborghini's own V12 producing 492bhp and 580Nm of torque paired with a five-speed manual gearbox.

With a claimed 202mph top speed, it was one of the fastest production cars in the world at the time.

Compared with the Countach, the Diablo was substantially easier to live with, offering improved visibility and access, adjustable seats and steering column, electric windows, air conditioning and a more comprehensivel...