He bought this purple Lamborghini, which became famous thanks to a music video—there are only 11 of them in the world—‘a childhood dream.’

Some cars are bought for their performance, others for their history. And then there are those that have spent decades hanging on the walls of teenagers’ bedrooms. Matt Jones, after selling his Murciélago SV, treated himself to another Lamborghini a V12-powered model, older and perhaps even more iconic: a 1997 Diablo SV. But not just any Diablo SV. This particular car features a spectacular Viola paint job. According to its new owner, only 11 Diablo SV are believed to have left the factory in this color, only two of which are right-hand drive.

A color that inevitably brings Jamiroquai to mind

It’s hard to look at this purple Diablo without thinking of the “Cosmic Girl” music video, released in 1997. In it, Jamiroquai brought together some of the biggest automotive fantasies of the era, including a Ferrari F40, a Ferrari F355, and the famous purple Lamborghini Diablo SE30. The resemblance isn’t entirely coincidental, by the way. Matt Jones explains that the color of his SV is based on the one used for the Diablo SE30, a special edition created to celebrate Lamborghini’s 30th anniversary.

His car is, however, indeed a Diablo SV, for Super Veloce. Introduced in the mid-1990s, this version offers a more radical driving experience. The car purchased here is a 1997 model, and its owner estimates that 346 units of this variant were produced worldwide.

A 5.7-liter V12 engine and a manual transmission

Under the rear hood lies, of course, what accounts for much of the magic of Lamborghinis from that era: a naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V12 engine producing 530 ch. Power is sent to the rear wheels, and the driver has a five-speed manual transmission at their disposal. These figures remain impressive nearly three decades later. Its owner claims a 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed exceeding 320 km/h. The fifth gear is reportedly long enough to propel the Diablo past that symbolic mark.

And this Lamborghini seems to have been kept under a glass dome all these years: its odometer shows only about 7,000 miles, or a little over 11,000 km. That’s exactly what Matt Jones plans to change, since he wants to use the car and take it on real road trips.

A childhood dream come true

Gull-wing doors, retractable headlights, a massive rear wing, oversized air intakes, and a naturally aspirated V12: the Diablo SV embodies just about everything that defined the Italian supercar of the 1990s. For its new owner, the experience is all the more special because he describes this Lamborghini as a true «poster car» from his childhood.

After the ultra-exclusive Murciélago SV, he decided to go back in time rather than chase after a newer Lamborghini. And with only 11 units announced in this Viola color, it’s hard to imagine a more spectacular way to do it.