Before the Murcielago, Zagato’s eccentric Diablo successor.
Name: Lamborghini Canto (P147)
Debuted: 1999
Specifics:V12, 6.0-liter engine producing 640 horsepower, rear wheel drive, six-speed manual transmission, 217 mph (350 km/h) maximum speed
Why It Matters Now:
Although we all know that the Diablo was replaced by the Murcielago in the end, this bizarre Canto nearly made it into production. In fact, Lamborghini stated in a press release that it would build the car back in the day, before eventually scrapping the supercar designed by Zagato.
The Diablo was nearing its 10 th anniversary. Lamborghini began to explore the possibilities of developing a successor for the supercar. In June 1998, Audi brought in a new umbrella to help accelerate work on the successor. The goal was to launch it in 1999 at a starting price of $400,000 with a limited production of 400 examples.
Things didn’t go according to plan as Audi’s chairman at the time, Ferdinand Piech was not a fan of the car’s design. He criticised the Canto’s 1998 design for not being as aggressive than the Countach or Miura. He also complained about the large air intakes at his back, for reasons that are easy to understand. In 1999, the original design of the supercar was updated. The rear end was also reworked to reduce the intakes.
According to a Lamborghini press release, the updated model was set to be revealed to the public at March’s Geneva Motor Show 1999. The Canto was not shown in Switzerland as Piech did not approve the modified car. The project was ultimately cancelled, although five cars were produced. One of the prototypes was purchased by a collector and shipped to Japan.
The oily bits: While the 6.0-liter V12 engine was used for the testing phase, it produced 640 horsepower. However, the press release mentioned a power output of 610 horsepower. Lamborghini decided to tune the engine to keep to the same maintenance schedule that the Diablo. During its early development phase, the Canto had a 510-horsepower engine that was adapted from the Diablo SV. It was then converted to the Diablo SV -R’s powertrain.
2001 was the year that the Diablo was finally taken out of service to make way for the Murcielago.