The Lamborghini Diablo is a fascinating chapter in the storied automaker’s history. Conceived at a time when Chrysler was attempting what seemed like a hostile take-over, the peak 90s supercar was a replacement for the beloved Countach. Combining the Chrysler ownership with developing a brand new supercar whose direct forebearer was an 80s icon, the Diablo had some headwinds against it. Today, the earliest cars trail the later ones by a decent margin, as numerous quality and performance improvements were made near the end of the production run. This is a 1991 model with just 974 kilometers from new, and it’s listed here at Broad Arrow Auctions.

The Diablo can confuse you in terms of desirability if you just breeze through the numbers. The biggest sales often happen with the limited-production offerings like the VT, the 6.0, the SE30, and the SV. All of those short-lived trims combined significant performance gains with quality control improvements. The oldest Diablos do have a reputation for being somewhat needy, owing to parts-bin components and likely just the nature of assessing what worked and what didn’t in a brand new model. Look no further than how the initial offering of the Dodge Viper RT/10 compared to the significantly improved GTS coupe.

The Chrysler influence was most noticeable in the cabin, where the comfort levels were surprising for owners who were used to the cramped conditions of the outgoing Countach. Leave it to an American car company to recommend creating some added space inside and perhaps thicker carpeting underneath your feet. I don’t have the specifics on how Chrysler convinced Lamborghini’s designers to adjust the interior for American tastes, but the Diablo is certainly an easier car to drive for a few hours than the Countach. Interestingly, despite its lack of use, you can still see evidence of the material on the dash wrinkling or coming unglued from the lower surface.

The Easter egg in the auction description is this juicy morsel: it was shipped to a dealer in France in the second year of Diablo production where it remained unsold and undriven for 16 years. It was eventually sold to its first owner in 2007, who continued to preserve it (which I interpret to mean he did not drive it.) The Diablo was prepped for sale with servicing that included “…engine oil and filter, brake/clutch hydraulic fluid replacement, cleaning the brake-pressure distributor, electrical diagnosis of the rear lamps, and replacement of the reverse-gear switch and brake-light switch.” This is actually a surprisingly concise list for a supercar that has barely been driven since 1992. Do you think this time-capsule grade Diablo will break records when it sells? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Araknid78 for the tip.