Eccentrica V12 review: a reborn Lamborghini Diablo that's "monstrously analogue"

What is it?

Essentially a restomod Lamborghini Diablo by a company called Eccentrica Cars. And yes, we’re talking some of the usual promises: lots of carbonfibre, modernisation and a stratospheric price tag.

But this one’s slightly different in that the idea was to keep the character of an early ‘90s Diablo, just reinvigorate it with methods and materials from 35 years later. So there’s no supercharger or twin turbos, no massive power hikes or DSG slickboxes. It’s still a naturally aspirated 5.7-litre V12 with pure rear-wheel drive and a chonky manual. It’s supposed to be all Diablo, just refined and elevated.

Photography: Mark Riccioni

Okay. So why would you do that? Diablo is iconic.

It’s wise to know the donor before we get into what Eccentrica does. And the Diablo is definitely a bit of a legend, with the late ‘80s seeing Marcello Gandini style up the successor to the Countach. That car was supposed to be more useable than the angular icon, with adjustable seats and electric windows and all those 1990s fabulous bits. Like being able to get in and out of it without an engine hoist and two broken legs.

Thing is, Chrysler bought Lambo in 1987 and didn’t like Gandini’s super-edgy aesthetic and smoothed out the design, which gave us the slightly more softened first-gen Diablo in 1990. But it didn’t get power-assisted steering until 1993 (when the VT or ‘Viscous Traction’ AWD version appeared), nor traction control or ABS in the originals. So early Diablos were the supercars that made people work for their speed.

And fast they were: just over four seconds to 60 and a 200mph+ top speed in 1990 was seriously quick. But the car developed over time, and later Diablos became not exactly easy to drive, but easier. In fact, the last-gen 6.0-litre manual is a personal hero, and one that would definitely be in the lottery garage. So if you’re going to throw a million quid’s-worth of ‘improvements’ at a Diablo, it’s going to have to be very good indeed.

So what has Eccentrica done to the outside?

A lot. The body is now carbonfibre (rather than aluminium and plastic), lighter and features more edges and creases rather than radii. It’s sharper and more defined. The pop-up lights now flap down to reveal LED headlights (blame current safety regs for modernisation there) and there are LED DRLs on the wider, more defined front end. It’s shorter, features bigger ventral inlets and a pair of roof scoops, plus a pair of centrally located Capristo exhausts behind a thinner semi-floating rear bumper – themes that riff on the Diablo GT special edition (1999-2000 and only about 83 produced), although that featured only one roof-mounted lung.

Is it more modern to operate?

There’s still an open-gated manual, but instead of the ’90 car’s five-speed, there’s now a six. With no reverse. Well, there is a reverse gear, but the six speeds (shorter than the original’s stratospheric first and second, aligning more in the fifth and sixth) are inveigled into the original casing. Reverse occupies the void that was the power-take-off for the later VT or ‘viscous traction’ all-wheel-drive cars.

You engage reverse by selecting neutral and dipping the clutch, hitting a button to electrically-engage and then lifting the clutch like normal. Not an electric reverse gear, just an electrically actuated one. It’s a bit more of a faff than a simple re-slot of the gearlever, but hey, you want to be quite deliberate when reversing a million-plus car anyway.

What about the interior?

It’s glorious. The original car had a massive binnacle slumped in front of you, switchgear from a tractor and panel gaps that could serve as doorways to other dimensions. The stitching was ridiculously wobbly and the plastics (the ashtray particularly) felt like Bakelite.

But the Eccentrica has swathes of well-fitted Alcantara, a neat wheel, a milled sphere of a gearknob and a retro-futuristic digital dial set that looks brilliant. There are shades of the Astra GTE digital dash of my childhood, but honestly, that’s a compliment. Plus there are milled and very tactile switches, levers and buttons, all still chunky, but fun to operate. And that’s what this interior feels like: fun. It’s still recognisably a Diablo - and yes, it has the requisite scissor doors - but it’s been sorted. Best bit of the car, in some ways.

What’s it like to drive?

Much, much easier than an early Diablo, though still not entry-level supercar. Most very fast things these days are actually as easy to drive as any modern hatch if you ignore the size/vision restrictions, but the Eccentrica still has sharp edges. The biggest difference is power-assisted steering, which is an absolute revelation from the early car. Later Diablos got it, but this makes a 1990 version something you can actually use, rather than force a forearm workout upon.

The tyres are modern (wider at the front than the old one, slightly narrower at the rear) as is the suspension, plus there’s been significant composite sheathing and strengthening of the box-frame chassis. It all means that it hangs together in a much more purposeful fashion, and the new suspension has something solid to push from. It’s a much more confident – and confidence inspiring – supercar.

What it isn’t, is unrecognisable from the original. The sawtooth bits may have been smoothed (there’s traction control and metered power outputs from a moded system), but you’re still dealing with largely the same physics as the old car. It’ll turn better, stay more level and be more reliable in its reactions, but you still don’t want to get this Diablo too bent out of shape unless you have room; the Eccentrica will still bite.

It’s also not hugely faster. A few tenths to 60, a few more mph. In a straight line it’ll be a bit faster, in the corners more of a difference. But it’s easier to drive thanks to electronic throttle bodies and a lighter clutch (still not ‘light’, mind), that assisted steering and better vision. Still makes a mega noise, especially from the valved Capristo exhaust.

So what’s the conclusion?

The Eccentrica is admirable for its clarity of vision, and in some ways, restraint. The idea was to make a Diablo that still feels like an early Diablo, just with some modern techniques and technology. And it’s been utterly successful at that. It’s a niche market, but those that get this car will love it.

This is by definition a restomod, but Eccentrica haven’t lost the gritty purpose, that soul that makes a Diablo a Diablo. It’s better in every direction, from the materials to the seating to the stereo, but driving it, there’s still that sense of toothiness that you get from a classic Lamborghini. It’s still not for the weak, but it’s a lot less 1990s flimsy. It’s still monstrously analogue, a wonderful struggle to go fast in, but it’s unlikely to fall apart on your driveway, or melt when it rains. It’s a Diablo, but elevated.

Is it worth over a million (plus donor car)? For those that can afford such excess and have the need for something that challenges, yes. For the rest of us, we can but watch and dream.

Specs

Price: £1,042,000 (plus donor Diablo, circa £300k)
Engine: 5.7-litre V12, naturally aspirated
Power/torque: 550bhp, 443lb ft 
Performance: 0-62mph in 3.8secs, 208mph top speed
Transmission: six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Weight: c1,600kg