For many car enthusiasts, a Lamborghini Diablo SV is a classic car that only comes out on nice days or for the occasional car show. For Peter, a British man with a passion for Italian cars, it’s simply a car he uses almost like any other vehicle. Whether it’s commuting to work, running errands, taking the kids around, or handing the keys to his wife for the weekend, his 1997 Diablo SV is an integral part of his daily life.
A passion that began at a very young age… thanks to Ferrari
The story begins when he is only about ten years older than the legal driving age. Around the age of 18, Peter gets the chance to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari Testarossa which belonged to a close friend. It was a memorable experience, quickly followed by an even more powerful one: that same friend traded in his Ferrari for a Lamborghini Diablo. The impact was immediate. Peter fell in love with the supercar from Sant’Agata Bolognese and vowed that one day he would own one.
A few years later, when he was about 26, he had already fulfilled his first dream by buying a yellow Ferrari Testarossa imported from Switzerland. At the time, the model wasn’t particularly sought after, and he bought it for just over 20,000 pounds sterling (about 23,000 €). A sum that seems almost unreal today… But a few years ago, you could still find Ferrari Testarossas for less than 80,000 €… so why not?.
Used like a regular car
Unlike many Ferrari owners, Peter doesn’t view his Testarossa as a museum piece. He uses it for everything. Commuting to work, grocery shopping, everyday errands, and even trips to the recycling center. When his main car broke down one winter, he used the Ferrari for three months as his sole means of transportation.
«I used it to go to work, to go to the supermarket, and to take my trash to the recycling center. People looked at me strangely, but to me it was just a car.»
This way of living out his passion will never change. When the value of Testarossas skyrocketed in the mid-2010s, he decided to sell his. He then moved on to Lamborghini along with an orange Gallardo Superleggera, which he uses in exactly the same way: every day, including on the track.
The chance to make a childhood dream come true
In 2019, Peter had been keeping an eye on a Lamborghini Diablo SV listed for sale in the United Kingdom for several months. The price fluctuated, then suddenly dropped low enough for him to take action. A deal was struck involving the trade-in of his Gallardo Superleggera, and he finally drove away with the car he’d been dreaming of since he was a teenager: a yellow 1997 Diablo SV. More than six years have passed since then, and the odometer now reads nearly 84,000 kilometers—an exceptional figure for this type of model. It might even be one of the Diablo SVs with the highest mileage in the world.
Peter continues to use his Diablo just as he used his Ferrari. He drives it to work, takes his kids to the supermarket, and doesn’t hesitate to let his wife take the wheel whenever she feels like it. Of course, the car requires a few compromises. Rear visibility is virtually nonexistent on the SV version, which lacks a true rear window. Maneuvering requires careful attention, and the turning radius is far from ideal. But for him, these flaws are part of the model’s charm. Especially since he believes that a Diablo isn’t really much more complicated to drive than a modern supercar.
«We used to take that car to the supermarket with the kids. We’d park in the spots reserved for parents. People would look at us as if to say, «You don’t belong here.» Then they’d see the child seat in the front, and they wouldn’t say anything.»
Like many Lamborghinis from the 1990s, the Diablo has seen a dramatic surge in value. Peter acknowledges that his car is now worth several times what he paid for it in 2019. Nevertheless, he refuses to change his habits. He continues to drive it regularly, despite its rising value and the sometimes significant maintenance costs. When he bought it, the V12 required significant work, including replacing the cylinder head gaskets, rebuilding the cylinder heads, and several major mechanical repairs. He considers these expenses to be normal for a car in this class.
His philosophy is simple: the pleasure of driving a car is worth more than its financial value.
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