Eccentrica Diablo is the ultimate Lamborghini restomod | GRR (2024)

Happily, the designers of this nipped and tucked Diablo have previous in this arena, with past works including the stunning Automobili Amos Futurista, Safarista and Nardone 928, which had pride of place at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard last year.

So no, this Diablo isn’t quite so sympathetic to the original the way some early 911s reimagined by Singer are. It’s definitely more along the lines of the 928 or even the Kimera Evo37 – taking the fundamentals and timeless silhouette and adding exaggeration and thorough modernisation.

So let’s take a proper look. We said the silhouette is seemingly untouched, but perhaps speaking to the extent of the changes is the fact the wheelbase is longer with shorter overhangs and an overall wider body.

Up front, the look of the Eccentrica Diablo has carbon-clad 6.0 VT energy, with clean cuboidal intakes (complete with 3D printed guts), rectangular lights (not from a Nissan this time) and SV-esque NACA vents above. Obviously, those lights are entirely new, with LED internals and yes, a pop-down flap to cover them, leaving only a DRL strip when fully deployed. Incidentally, there are three settings to the pop-down flap.

The stance is very much Diablo GTR, with the front fenders exaggerated in exactly the same way, albeit incorporating ‘Diablo horns’ in the way they jut upwards at the edge – very snazzy. The wheels are very similar to the one-make racer’s Speedlines, too. The carbon mirrors and mirror legs meanwhile smack somewhat of the Murcielago, with LED indicators built in to the structure. All the vents and windows are where Lamborghini left them, just re-sculpted – aft the coupe window and ahead of the front wheel – though there is a bit of a carbon side skirt, complete with vortex-generating flap.

The biggest changes are arguably on the top, at the rear and inside, though we’ll get to the latter in a moment. Exposed for all to adore are the new carbon intake plenums, sprouting up to breathe from the car’s roof in a bit of a nod to the SV but with a bit of Veyron energy thrown in.

The deck lid is a totally new design and actually in part a child of necessity for validation testing, given Eccentrica want the engine to be exposed – again Veyron-style – on the finished item. So those carbon covers within that body-coloured lattice feature ‘remove before flight’ tags. The big gold shield behind is what Eccentrica calls the ‘Teppanyaki plate’, speaking to the incredible heat it’ll be giving off when the car’s been used – no touchey!

Out the back, the Diablo’s essential graphics remain, albeit totally reimagined. There’s a width-spanning 3D-printed titanium vent, with four LED lights nested within, in place of the items the last Diablo borrowed from a bus, and shared with the original Pagani Zonda. The famous token crash bumper is gone, in favour of a more slender carbon item, exposing more the fan vents below the lights and that stunning exhaust. On the latter, they come from Capristo and are styled to look like they’re from a super bike, with a bit of Diablo GTR style thrown in.

On the inside, everything ‘original Diablo’ is gone, which some might say is no bad thing. A new sculpted dash features a selection of buttons and an integrated width-spanning air vent. There are plenty of displays, though all are eight-bit in style – keep your CarPlay to your family crossover. The big slug of metal on the centre console houses the artful six-speed gated manual shifter along with a few very tactile-looking controls.

The whole thing is quite ‘80s jet fighter – a very deliberate move, given the ‘aviation inspired’ start-up procedure Eccentrica reckons this Diablo will have. Fabulous. All around the rest of the cabin is beautifully-trimmed leather, alcantara, expensive metals, carbon-fibre and post-modern ‘90s minimalism. Fabulous but as above, almost unrecognisable from the original Diablo.

In terms of the mechanicalist, they haven’t gone overboard. The 5.7-litre V12 gets new valves and cams, for a bump up to 550PS (404kW) and 600Nm (442lb ft). Happily, it also gets beefed up brakes and Pirelli Trofeo R tyres to improve braking and traction too. Performance numbers should be reasonable, with 3.5 seconds to 62mph projected and a top speed of 208mph.

Just 19 will be made, starting at a cool £1million each. So what do you think of the Eccentrica Diablo restomod? Is it improvement on perfection, does it go a little too far? As a Diablo lover I’m protective of the original, but this is certainly a lovely thing and, if nothing else, shows inherent respect of and affection for Lamborghini’s ‘90s pin-up. See what you think for yourself when it appears at the 2023 Festival of Speed.