The missing Lamborghini Diablo SE30 prototype found in the Arctic Circle

The car was thought to be lost forever. Yet it was in a surreal setting, far from the Italian racetracks and palm trees of the Riviera, that a prototype of a Lamborghini has just resurfaced. A Diablo SE30, the very first example produced, chassis 0000 P0, was found in the Arctic Circle, in a dust-covered garage deep in Sweden.

In search of the lost supercar

The story begins with John Temerian, a Miami-based American collector and founder of Curated, a reference in the restoration of rare supercars. One day, he receives an intriguing message from a former Lamborghini employee:

"I know where the original Diablo SE30 prototype is."

For an automotive history buff, it's a revelation worthy of a buried treasure. The Diablo SE30 is no ordinary Lamborghini: presented in 1993 to celebrate the brand's 30th anniversary, it symbolized Lamborghini's move towards a more radical, lighter, race-bred era. 150 examples were produced, but the prototype SE30, chassis 0000 P0, was to remain the property of the Lamborghini Museum. However, it mysteriously disappeared at the end of the 1990s.

This 0000 P0 chassis carries the DNA of the experimental XL30 model, developed when Horacio Pagani was still working for Lamborghini and experimenting with the first carbon-fiber structures. Some parts are even made of wood, testifying to the artisanal methods used in the 1990s for prototypes. It is powered by a 5.7 L, 523 hp V12 engine, and weighs 125 kg less than a classic Diablo.

From the museum to the Great North

Temerian's search took him all the way to Sweden, a country where car registers are public. After years of fruitless research, he finally received a photo: a purple Diablo, half-covered in cardboard boxes, sleeping in a small garage. Temerian sent his collaborator, Chip Davis, to check it out. Problem: the car was not near Stockholm, but more than 16 hours north, in a region where the polar night lasts for months.

After an 18-hour expedition through snow and ice, Davis finally discovers the incredibly well-preserved Lamborghini. An inspection of the chassis confirms the miracle: this is the original SE30 prototype.

Following publication of the VINwiki video recounting this incredible adventure, several residents of northern Sweden confirmed that they knew the previous owner. One of them recounts:

"Everyone here knew he had a Diablo. I often passed him in bars, and even saw the car in his garage. He sometimes came to the detailing center where I worked, and to sit in it, even at a standstill, was an incredible experience. The roads here are not made for a Lamborghini..."

Another amazing anecdote: the car is said to have appeared in a Swedish snowboarding film, Stomped, released around 2002 or 2003, driven by rider Hasse Åhlund.

From the cold to the heat of Miami

The prototype was then shipped to Florida, where the Curated team carried out a meticulous restoration. Today, the Diablo SE30 0000 P0 is on display in sunny Miami, after spending more than two decades frozen in the cold of the Far North.