The rare Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster from 1997, once owned by former US President Donald Trump, will be up for auction at the end of January. Before becoming the 45th President of the United States (2017-2021), Donald Trump, a billionaire real estate and entertainment tycoon, was known for owning numerous expensive supercars. One of these was the Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster.
The Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster made its debut in December 1995. It was a targa version (a convertible model based on the design of the Porsche 911) of the Lamborghini Diablo. Only 132 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadsters were produced for the US market between 1997 and 1999.
In 1997, billionaire Donald Trump ordered a specially painted Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster with personalized details. Trump sold this supercar in 2002. Since then, the vehicle has changed hands twice and has been driven for 39,970 kilometers.
Notably, during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, the supercar appeared on the eBay online marketplace with a starting price of $460,000.
According to the auction house, the 1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster features a Blu Le Mans paint finish, a color not previously available on Lamborghini Diablo models in 1997. This was achieved through a collaboration between Lamborghini and Donald Trump for promotional purposes.
In addition to the unique paint color, this “super bull” bears another mark of Trump – a black-painted driver’s side door sill plate with the inscription “Donald Trump 1997 Diablo.”
Despite passing through three owners and being in use for 27 years, the exterior of the Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster 1977 remains in relatively good condition compared to many cars of the same age. The 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels are still in great condition. Compared to the coupe variant, this model received design refinements with added air vents for improved aerodynamics.
The supercar uses a mid-mounted 5.7-liter V12 engine, producing 492 horsepower and a peak torque of 582 Nm. Power is transmitted to all four wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox. Consequently, the car can accelerate from 0 to 97 km/h in 4.1 seconds before reaching a top speed of 325 km/h.
The interior combines two-tone black and white. After extended use, the leather-trimmed seats have developed some wrinkles, but this might not be a significant concern for vintage car enthusiasts. The car’s audio system comes from the Alpine brand.
The one-of-a-kind 1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster is set to be auctioned at the Scottsdale 2024 event from January 20th to 28th, 2024, hosted by the renowned auction company in the US, Barrett-Jackson. In the used car market, this supercar model has been traded for around $330,000.
