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Maurizio Reggiani, who retired in 2023 from his position as\u00a0Lamborghini chief technical officer, has taken a job at\u00a0Eccentrica<\/a>, a new company that\u00a0modifies classic Lamborghinis.<\/p>\n Reggiani, the engineer behind Lamborghinis such as the\u00a0Murcielago, the Reventon, the Aventador and the Huracan, will advise\u00a0the\u00a0San Marino<\/a>-based resto-mod firm on how to produce a\u00a0modernized version\u00a0of the Lamborghini Diablo supercar that debuted in 1990. His first appearance with the company will be in August during\u00a0Monterey Car Week in Carmel, Calif<\/a>.\u00a0Eccentrica is neither associated\u00a0with nor endorsed by\u00a0Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company says it will produce 19 updated\u00a0Diablos for \u20ac1.35 million apiece. Each Eccentrica will start with a donor car and\u00a0retain the general look of the original Marcello Gandini-designed Diablo\u00a0but will have modernized steering, shifting and braking systems, traction control, and air conditioning, among various cosmetic upgrades including modernized headlights.\u00a0<\/p>\n Power will come from a naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V-12 taken from the first generation of\u00a0Diablos (1991-94) and reengineered with new components, including a new camshaft and electronic butterfly valves.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an\u00a0exceptional possibility to work on a\u00a0reminder of what happened\u00a030 years ago with something that is of today,\u201d Reggiani said in an\u00a0interview with Bloomberg on July 11. \u201cWe will\u00a0create an exciting experience for a small number of customers who want to have, let me say, as much\u00a0Diablo as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a rebuke to electric-vehicle\u00a0proponents who have dropped electric motors into\u00a0reimagined classics, ranging from\u00a0the Porsche 911 to\u00a0the Ford Mustang.<\/p>\n \u201c[Electric\u00a0technology] is a solution\u00a0in terms of reducing emissions, but it\u2019s clear that the added\u00a0weight takes out\u00a0the fun of the drive,\u201d says Reggiani.\u00a0<\/p>\n Eccentrica\u2019s V-12\u00a0promises 550 horsepower and 442 pound-feet\u00a0of torque, both of which surpass that of the\u00a0original Diablo, which registered less than 500 horsepower. \u201cIt is much more important to be 50 kilo less compared to 50 horsepower more,\u201d Reggiani says. \u201cThis continues to be my vision.\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0philosophy\u00a0runs counter to automakers from Bugatti Automobiles SAS and Bentley Motors Ltd. to\u00a0Ferrari NV<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Porsche AG<\/a>, whose marketing around recent introductions indicates that any additional power from\u00a0hybridization offsets the weight gain. Bugatti unveiled its\u00a01,800-horsepower Tourbillon<\/a>\u00a0hybrid on\u00a0June 20; Bentley came out with a 771-horsepower Continental GT hybrid on July 11.\u00a0Ferrari<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Porsche<\/a>\u00a0are already selling six-figure hybrid sports cars of their own.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Lamborghini owners love the notorious roar and rumble of the V-12, Reggiani says.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople want to have something with as little as possible electronic control and as much as possible human control and emotion,\u201d he says. \u201cA car like this can fulfill this kind of dream.\u201d<\/p>\n Others share the sentiment. During\u00a0Bloomberg\u2019s Hot Pursuit! podcast<\/a>\u00a0on July 5,\u00a0Tom Wagner<\/a>, the co-founder of\u00a0Knighthead Capital Management<\/a>, predicted that as EVs\u00a0become more prevalent, small-batch internal-combustion cars\u00a0will become\u00a0coveted jewels.\u00a0Knighthead Capital funds\u00a0Singer<\/a>, the California company that sells million-dollar sports cars updated from old Porsche 911s.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe fundamental reality is that most EVs\u00a0don\u2019t inspire the same kind of passion that certain other vehicles do,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cPeople can use EVs as the\u00a0mode of transportation, low cost, high tech.\u00a0But on the weekend, maybe you want to go out and have a different experience. Let\u2019s call it digital versus analog.\u201d<\/p>\n Deliveries of the\u00a0Diablo-inspired\u00a0V-12 produced by Eccentrica\u00a0will begin\u00a0in June 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n