94 Ferrari 512 TR vs. 98 Lamborghini Diablo SV

Finally had the pleasure of getting my Diablo SV delivered after an exhausting 2.5 year wait. I unexpectedly won a European Auction car in July of 2020 figuring "if I win it for this price, I'll be fine waiting". Low and behold I did win, got a little luckier than anticipated over the intervening years and was able to add my other dream car - a 1994 Ferrari 512 TR to the stable which arrived in April this year. The Diablo could only be imported once it reached 25 - so it was unloaded last week.

Now having driven both cars (a few miles not a ton), I thought I'd write a very subjective comparison between two cars that are on paper similar, but in practice very different.

The Diablo ...

1. What's obvious: The Diablo is far louder and faster than the TR. They're really not in the same league performance wise, and the noise of the Diablo is violent and loud in comparison. The front lip is also painfully low to the ground. And as expected, I really can't see anything behind me - I ask people to help me back up.

2. What's not Obvious: While visually the car appears completely uncompromising and ridiculous, next to the TR the rear end appears very tall and the whole car has the impression of being much larger. The cockpit is roomier than the TR, but the pedals are spaced much more closely together and the steering wheel adjusts but pretty much only in a direction that completely separates your legs from Torso. The seats are also incredibly narrow (I'm a 32 waist and its still tight).

3. What I didn't Expect: The car is visually bigger, and has a "brawny" reputation but all the control weights are much lighter than the TR. Power steering helps, but even the clutch, gear-change, and brake pedal are all lighter. Furthermore, the seating position is very odd. You can see nothing of the nose from the cockpit, and you're seated far closer to the front axle so you get this strange sensation on turn in. While moving, the car does shrink around you.


The 512TR ...

1. What's obvious: The Ferrari is the more "GT" of the two and the engine seems happier more of the time. The flat 12 has never been the high RPM screamer, but feels tractable and refined across the entire rev range and feels smoother at idle.

2. What's not Obvious: The TR takes forever to get to operating temperature (long warm ups) and in cooler (60F) weather here virtually never gets hot. Furthermore, even with an aftermarket exhaust its still relatively quiet from inside. The seating is incredibly odd for my long torso but also somehow comfortable where my legs are very bent and my head hits the roof but it also feels totally fine and normal (I'm 6'2"). The cockpit is also very open so there's no big center tunnel and the visibility out the car is terrific. When it's moving it feels like a much smaller car than the dimensions imply.

Unlike the Diablo, all the control weights are very heavy and affirmative. The gear change takes a much more deliberate motion, the without power steering any adjustment at any speed takes effort.

3. What I didn't Expect: People are excited to see the TR, but go ballistic for the Diablo. Someone stopped their truck mid traffic and ran to talk to me about "they don't make em like they used to". The tiny details on the Ferrari are a nice surprise so frequently (fuel filler cap, the Glovebox mirror, the wonderful curvature of the rear glass, and the little aluminum brackets to hold harness plugs in the engine bay, the Ferrari embossing on bolts).


Which do I prefer? That really depends on the occasion above all else and I can't see really ever giving one up since they scratch different itches. The Ferrari seems more useable more of the time, but the Diablo is more exciting when the adrenaline surge hits. I couldn't fault anyone for liking one more than the other.


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Yes I think we even chatted about buying your 512 in early 2020! That's when I won the Diablo instead