Back in 1996,
Lamborghini’s lineup looked a lot different than it does now. Two years before
being acquired by the Volkswagen Group, the ailing Italian brand was building a
single model, the Diablo. But
at the 1996 Geneva Motor Show, Zagato presented a vision for a new Lamborghini
model. It was called the Zagato Raptor and it was a concept car built in
collaboration with Lamborghini that used Diablo VT running gear. Nearly 300 kg lighter than the AWD Diablo VT, the Zagato Raptor envisioned a
limited-production model intended to bridge the gap between the Diablo and its
subsequently stillborn successor, the Lamborghini Canto.
In the end, neither
the Canto nor the Raptor saw the light of day as the VW Group had other plans
for a Diablo successor after acquiring Lamborghini in June 1998. Therefore, the
Zagato Raptor Concept has remained a one-off effort – one that you can actually
buy, that is.
It will be offered at
the RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi auction on November 30 where it is expected to fetch
between US$ 1 million and US$ 1.4 million. Looking significantly more futuristic than
the standard Diablo, the Raptor was styled using Zagato’s new computer-aided
design equipment. Actually,
it was one of the very first cars to be designed entirely by a digital design
and manufacturing process which meant that there was no need to produce a
single scale model. As a result, the Zagato Raptor went from a clean sheet
design to a fully-functioning prototype in under four months.
Created under the
guidance of chief designer Nori Harada, the Raptor featured striking aesthetics
including the lack of doors – the body hinged at the front and the entire
middle section of the car pivoted forwards to allow access to the futuristic
interior swathed in dark grey Alcantara.
The roof section was
equally interesting as it featured Zagato’s trademark ‘double bubble’ design
and was removable, turning the Raptor into a roadster. The body also hinged at
the rear in a similar fashion to the Ferrari F40, revealing the engine bay
where the Diablo VT’s 492 PS dual overhead-cam, quad-valve 5.7-liter
V12 lurked.
It was mated to same
six-speed manual transmission and an all-wheel-drive system from the Lambo –
including the same viscous center differential that made the Diablo VT more
manageable than its RWD siblings. The massive weight reduction compared to the
Diablo was achieved thanks to the tubular space-frame chassis, carbon-fiber
body shell, magnesium wheels, stripped-out interior, and lack of fixed doors.
The Raptor was said to
cover the 0 to 96 km/h sprint in under 4 seconds and top out at over 322 km/h. Stopping power was ensured by Alcon calipers paired to
oversized brake discs. Needless to say, unique cars like the Zagato Raptor very
rarely cross the auction blocks so we can expect an interesting bidding war on
November 30.
