NEW YORK: Maurizio Reggiani, who retired in 2023 from his position as Lamborghini chief technical officer, has taken a job at Eccentrica, a new company that modifies classic Lamborghinis.
Reggiani, the engineer behind Lamborghinis such as the Murcielago, the Reventon, the Aventador and the Huracan, will advise the San Marino-based resto-mod firm on how to produce a modernised version of the Diablo supercar that debuted in 1990.
His first appearance with the company will be in August during Monterey Car Week in Carmel, Calif. Eccentrica is neither associated with nor endorsed by Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
The company says it will produce 19 updated Diablos for €1.35 million (RM6.9mil/US$1.5mil) apiece.
Reggiani.
Each Eccentrica will start with a donor car and retain the general look of the original Marcello Gandini-designed Diablo but will have modernised steering, shifting and braking systems, traction control, and air conditioning, among various cosmetic upgrades including modernised headlights.
Power will come from a naturally aspirated 5.7-litre V12 taken from the first generation of Diablos (1991-94) and re-engineered with new components, including a new camshaft and electronic butterfly valves.
"This is an exceptional possibility to work on a reminder of what happened 30 years ago with something that is of today,” Reggiani said in an interview with Bloomberg on July 11.
"We will create an exciting experience for a small number of customers who want to have, let me say, as much Diablo as possible.”
It’s a rebuke to electric-vehicle proponents who have dropped electric motors into re-imagined classics, ranging from the Porsche 911 to the Ford Mustang.
"(Electric technology} is a solution in terms of reducing emissions, but it’s clear that the added weight takes out the fun of the drive,” says Reggiani.
Eccentrica’s V12 promises 550hp and 600Nm of torque, both of which surpass that of the original Diablo, which registered less than 500hp.
"It is much more important to be 50 kilo less compared to 50hp more,” Reggiani says. "This continues to be my vision.”
The philosophy runs counter to automakers from Bugatti Automobiles SAS and Bentley Motors Ltd. to Ferrari NV and Porsche AG, whose marketing around recent introductions indicates that any additional power from hybridisation offsets the weight gain.
Bugatti unveiled its 1,800-hp Tourbillon hybrid on June 20; Bentley came out with a 771-hp Continental GT hybrid on July 11.
Ferrari and Porsche are already selling six-figure hybrid sports cars of their own.
But Lamborghini owners love the notorious roar and rumble of the V12, Reggiani says.
"People want to have something with as little as possible electronic control and as much as possible human control and emotion,” he says.
"A car like this can fulfill this kind of dream.”
Others share the sentiment.
During Bloomberg’s Hot Pursuit! podcast on July 5, Tom Wagner, the co-founder of Knighthead Capital Management, predicted that as EVs become more prevalent, small-batch internal-combustion cars will become coveted jewels.
Knighthead Capital funds Singer, the California company that sells million-dollar sports cars updated from old Porsche 911s.
"The fundamental reality is that most EVs don’t inspire the same kind of passion that certain other vehicles do,” Wagner said.
"People can use EVs as the mode of transportation, low cost, high tech. But on the weekend, maybe you want to go out and have a different experience. Let’s call it digital versus analogue.”
Deliveries of the Diablo-inspired V-12 produced by Eccentrica will begin in June 2025. — HANNAH ELLIOTT
