Thillainathan Pathmanathan – författare

This book examines the Diablo in detail, starting with Ferruccio Lamborghini’s objectives for his eponymous supercar company and his diktat that it eschew racing, which would go on to heavily influence the Diablo’s design and development, even though the founder had long since left the company. Each of the model variants is examined in detail, as are the socio-politico-economic factors that that made designing and developing the Diablo imperative and unavoidable , and which forced the Sant’ Agata works into making evolutionary modifications as well as introducing radical innovations over the course of the Diablo’s long reign. Written by two passionate and deeply knowledgeable owners who for over two decades have run two wedge shaped, spaceframe, Bizzarrini-engined Lamborghini flagships, this book also delves into pre-purchase considerations, the Diablo’s known foibles and the value of a pre-purchase inspection, before discussing the buying process, the trials and tribulations of periodic servicing, preventative maintenance, and garaging, after which it shares the sheer elation and exhilaration of actually piloting a Diablo.

In 1971, the prototype Lamborghini Countach reset the supercar template. Its unique and revolutionary south-north engine-gearbox layout, its longitudinal rear mid-mounted Bizzarrini V12 engine and its equally singular and stunning design language marked it out as something entirely new. As a production car the Countach reigned supreme for an unprecedented sixteen years, during which time it evolved through six variants. It finally met its end in 1990 at the hands of a most unlikely assassin – its own aerodynamics. However, the Countach’s influence lived on beyond this. It spawned a dynasty that lasted until 2010 and included the iconic Diablo and Murciélago. These successors, like the Countach’s equally iconic predecessor, the Miura, were radical but ultimately derivative machines, rather than truly revolutionary cars. The seminal Countach, on the other hand, was a genuinely pioneering leap whose fingerprints can still be found all over Sant’ Agata’s latest flagships. This book sets out the hard, objective evidence for why the Lamborghini Countach should be regarded not only as the quintessential supercar, but also as the most instructive all Lamborghini’s flagship models to date.