Page 1 of 1 At the company's 30th anniversary celebrations in September of 1993, Lamborghini introduced the Diablo SE30. As the name suggests, this was a Special Edition to celebrate 30 years of Lamborghini but it was more than just that. It was a carefully developed, lightweight version with an eye on forming the basis for a new competition car. Limited to just 150 examples, the first Diablo SE30s were delivered in June of 1994.
Compared to the production Diablo, the SE30 featured a stripped down interior and further weight was saved by replacing the glass side windows with plexiglass examples. Boasting many carbon-fibre composite components, the interior was finished in blue Alcantara complete with special 30th Anniversary logos. Although the dashboard was identical to the one fitted to the Diablo VT, it was stripped from the air-conditioning and the radio/cd-player. The power steering was also removed.
Complementing the aluminium panels derived from the production car were revised carbon-fibre composite parts like the deeper front spoiler and the cooling intakes on the flanks of the car. The SE30 was also fitted with a bespoke and adjustable rear wing. At higher speeds, it was automatically lowered to reduce drag. In addition to the special badges and design tweaks, the first Diablo SE30 stood out because of the striking metallic purple finish, which was also ordered for many of the production cars.
The Diablo SE30 featured a subtly modified version of the 2WD drivetrain from the 'standard' production Diablo. The output of the all-aluminium V12 was increased by just over 30 bhp to 525 bhp. This was achieved by installing revised cylinder heads and a free-flow exhaust, and also by reprogramming the injection system. In addition to the increase in power, the 125 kg weight saving helped the Diablo SE30 to accelerate to 100 km/h in just four seconds.
Towards the end of the production run, Lamborghini finally introduced the Jota package, which was originally intended to convert the SE30 into a competition car. Instead, it was an upgrade for the road cars through a further revised engine, which now produced 595 bhp. The Jota also featured a new engine cover with two prominent intakes for the V12 engine. Lamborghini produced only 28 upgrade kits, of which only around 14 were fitted by the factory, while the others were used to modify existing cars.
Highly sought after today, the Diablo SE30 remains as the ultimate development of the 5.7-litre, rear-wheel drive Diablo. It is also one of the last supercars to be delivered without driver aids like power steering and anti-lock brakes. Page 1 of 1
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Diablo SE30 Jota
At the company's 30th anniversary celebrations in September of 1993, Lamborghini introduced the Diablo SE30. As the name suggests, this was a Special Edition to celebrate 30 years of Lamborghini but it was more than just that. It was a carefully developed, lightweight version with an eye on forming the basis for a new competition car. Limited to just 150 examples, the first Diablo SE30s were delivered in June of 1994.