This week I exchanged car keys with friend of mine, and I really had my hopes up. His car: 2005 Gallardo E-egear. Stock exept race brake pads and semi slick tires. My: 93´Diablo 2wd, straight pipe exhaust, no cats. We started with the Gallardo, and I really had my hopes up, since I have been thinking about getting ones of these later on down the road. First impression is that the build quality is really nice, and everything you would expect from Audi. The ergonimics is also in another world than the Diablo for sure. After getting familiar with the car, the traffic cleared up. I jumped down into 2 gear, sports mode on, and nailed it, expecting that I unleashed mayhem, I held my breath..... After we had run out of revs in 3rd, I looked at my friend, and a bit rued, I could not help to ask, " Was that it..!?"...My friend looked a bit flustered, and answered that "if you are looking for some buton that gives it 100hp more, it not here..." On a postive note, the E-gear (like it or not) provides some nice throttle blips on the down shifts in sport mode. IMO the car needs a mild sports exhaust to add to the experience. I am sure that the quality of the Gallardo, the low noise and the AWD all makes the acceleration seem more controlled, BUT I am also sure that my Diablo is faster in straight line acceleration. Braking and in the bends, the Gallardo leaves the the Diablo for dead, especially this one with racing brakes and tires. Getting out of the Gallardo left me a bit sad, sad because I realized that the Gallardo is not for me, so that car is off the "must own list". For me the Lamborghini experience has to be an extreme experience, all about DRIVING. When I take the lambo out a sunday morning is should be an occasion, and with the Gallardo I dont see that. I love that fact the with the D every acceleration feels like its the end of the world, how the steering is so direct had heavy, how the clutch and gears are so heavy that you are physically exhausted after a fun drive. ALL the same things the Gallardo owners wants to avoid. This thread is not to disrespect the Gallardo or its owners, simply my experience. I guess its all about the purpose. If I wanted a lambo that could work on a daily basis, the Gallardo is the way to go for sure, for a thrilling sunday drive, not so much.
This is precisely the reason why I like older cars, they are visceral and need to be fought with for control... true bulls indeed!!
I'm for all that. The Gallardo is a sedan compared to the Diablo. What did the friend say about the Diablo? Probably didn't like it because he had to DRIVE it. LOL.
The 91-93 Diablo is an awesome car. The last of the real brutes. You can also upgrade the brakes - Movit.
+100 Diablo reallly feels like the slightly more refined brother to the Countach. Definitely very related; but Gallardo and more modern models seem only related by name. It is an experience and an event to take out every time. Modern cars not so much. My favorite Diablo behind the SE30 is the early 2WD. Lightest weight Diablo (behind the SE30), and more raw and involving than newer models, and a bargain today. Case in point is that the Murci I had was sold and the SE and early 2WD stayed. Can't ever see getting rid of SE30 or early 2WD.
Yeah, I totally get what you're saying... I feel the same when I compare my G to my 930 and Viper. Of course, both those cars are modified... but still... very raw and visceral compared to the G. I love them all for different reasons. Much like your Diablo, my 930 tries to kill my ass every time I give it a workout...
At first he was scared of the shear size, next the clutch being heavy, the tight area in the footwell etc etc. It was a challenge for him to shift gears fast, as it requires some concentrations meanwhile the V12 is haulling like its the end of the world. He also agreed the the car was way more brutal, and in straight line acceleration the Diablo 2wd is faster. After 20min he mentioned that he was allready getting use to the size and feel, but that it feels more like a monster then the G. But again he uses his car for track days, and there the Gallardo is deffinantly better suited. Bottom line both had a good time and a great experience, and we where both happy to take or own car back afterwards I think.
curious- what's the HP of a Dialblo (vs. the Gallardo's 500 hp for early models). I am so impressed with my G's 500hp (after coming from a 270 hp NSX) that I still get a kick out of it. Love the G so far, but also looking forward to a drive in a 12-cyl Lambo sometime.
First 2WD and VT series: 492 hp SE30: 525 or 535 hp ....different factory sources list both, so who know which is right? SE30 Jota: ~600 hp early SV: 510 hp SRV: ~540 hp 1999 all models except GT or GTR: 530 hp GT/GTR: 575/590 hp 6.0: ~550 Conclusion: All Diablos make around 500+ horsepower and the variance, excluding the race cars and Jota was within ~10%, so they all were very fast. More significant, imo, is the weight of the cars, which is why the lighter cars such as the early 2WD, SE and GT, are the best performers of the street legal bunch. The GTR and SVR were the lightest but they were race cars and not street legal (unless your name is Roy Cats!). The Jota probably is the best performer of all with the crazy power and light weight making awesome power/weight! But kind of like the Countach discussion earlier, there is no such thing as a bad Diablo. They all rock!
The Thrill of driving wasn't there in the Gallardo, and even in the Murcie... But the thrill starts since I decide to take my 93 Diablo out for a fast run... the Diablo has everything... the body, I feel like I am walking toward a jet fight... the sound, the control, power... Tried Murcie once and felt much less thrill... nice easy ride... I don't have the Gallardo but my Ferrari 360CS also pretty much modern feel... nice easy ride... http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=176911&page=21
