My FH5 Log: Novena Diabolos

As the whole world's gone to hell, experiencing a new kind of hell, there's only one kind of demon that shows that Hell awaits when you have fun, the Lamborghini Diablo.

The Diablo, Spanish for demon, is Lamborghini's V12 flagship supercar that dominated the 90s, following the footsteps of the successful Countach. The 90s is all about the fall of the Soviet Union, the rise of Bill Clinton, Michael Jordan making headlines in the NBA, the death of Princess Diana, the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, and the Asian financial crisis, everything about the 90s is an eclectic mix of doom and prosperity but nothing in the 90s is prepared for this kind of hell Lamborghini unleashed to the world.

Launched in 1990 as the direct successor to the Countach, the Diablo features a 5.7L V12 engine with computer-controlled multi-port fuel injection that produces 492PS of power and 580Nm of torque. Mated with a 5-speed manual, it's capable of a 0-100kph time of four and a half seconds and a top speed of 325kph. The Diablo has spawned numerous variants and the one featured in FH5 is the SV variant. Being the first to use the SV marque since the Miura SV, the Diablo SV is rear-wheel-drive and features an upgraded V12 engine producing 517PS of power and 580Nm of torque.

The Lamborghini Diablo, like most supercars in the 90s, was involved in motorsports, and the most potent of all the racing Diablos is the GTR version. Based on the Diablo GT road car, the GTR features a stripped-down interior, and the 6.0L V12 engine sourced from the GT road car but with new fuel and ignition systems, individual throttle bodies, dynamic air intake duct system, VVT, titanium connecting rods, and a lightweight crankshaft, capable of producing 598PS of power. Only 40 of these were made.

With the two Diablos getting their moment of introduction, it's time to unleash hell in Sierra Nueva's gate to hell; the Devil's Pass. Chock full of twists and turns, the Devil's Pass is probably one of the most punishing but probably one of the most enjoyable road tracks Sierra Nueva offered.

As I get the show on the road, oh look! Foggy weather! A recipe for a horror movie story! But this ain't the time to fantasize about another slasher because it's time to witness the trials of these two Diablos on a foggy technical road course as they are using whatever means necessary to survive all the way to redemption. Send in the tape.

With the two Diabos found redemption at the end of the Devil's Pass, I got the results;

Diablo SV - 3m43.807s

Diablo GTR - 3m23.070s

So, I was surprised that the track-only Diablo GTR emerged as the ultimate Diablo ever made before it went to hell and got its role taken over by its successor, the Murcielago.

Dubbed one of the coolest supercars to emerge from the 90s, the Lamborghini Diablo is proof that Hell awaits when you have fun with it. It may have descended into darkness a long time ago, but its legacy remains part of the Lamborghini heritage, something to take note of from Lamborghini's 6-decade history.

Is the Diablo worthy of being the coolest Lamborghini in its 6-decade history? Hell if I know...

Diablo IV

The long-awaited installment of the megahit Diablo RPG franchise has arrived and all hell breaks loose as veterans and newcomers are embarking through the depths of hell in this all-new adventure.

Diablo IV (XBOX)

Diablo IV is the long-awaited installment of the megahit RPG series welcomes seasoned Diablo veterans and newcomers to the depths of hell with new and exciting ways and means to keep themselves occupied in this terrifying new adventure where darkness heels.

Playing solo or going co-op with other players with online connectivity, Diablo IV features a dark and gritty storyline packed with a memorable cast of characters as well an endless exploration of dungeons packed with powerful monsters and demons to slay if you have the right gear when things are getting skirmish against you.

Because Diablo IV features open-game mechanics, even when you finish the game's story, you can take part in events to win powerful goodies that are essential to your future endeavors. You can even meet up with other players in towns, contribute to World Bosses battles, or battle against other players. The possibilities are nearly endless in this new Diablo adventure and that's just the start of it because this is an ever-evolving RPG game, expect numerous surprises post-launch.

As they say, Hell awaits when you have fun with the newest Diablo IV because, with its ever-evolving world, this game delivers, veterans of the Diablo franchise easily become the Decuple Crown of this game if they have the urge to get addicted to its demon-slaying thrills and tons of powerful items and equipment to collect, especially those that cannot be obtained through normal gameplay. This is the newest adventure that deserves to be played over and over again and you can't be fully satisfied with it because it's definitely one of the most addictive games of 2023. Once played, forever smitten.

Ready to unleash hell on demons? Pack everything because it's going to be a long night in Diablo IV.

Forza Horizon 4: The Diablo GTR

Having won from the recent Horizon Playlist, the best Diablo ever made, the Lamborghini Diablo GTR, is now in my FH4 collection and it's time to have a little talk about the best Diablo ever made.



The Lamborghini Diablo GTR is the extreme version of the Diablo supercar, one of the most iconic supercars made from the 90's. Only 30 of these were made for the company's Supertrophy one-make series and the GTR is powered by a 6.0L V12 engine producing 590HP of power and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. As a racing machine, the Diablo GTR features an integrated roll cage to the tube frame and the rear spoiler is bolted directly to the chassis rather to the body. It comes with numerous modifications inside and out to make it more suitable for track duty.



As a track-only Diablo, it feels nonsense to take it on British roads so I decided to bring it somewhere that is purely fantasy and suited enough for the likes of the Diablo GTR and with that, I brought it to the fantasy world of LEGO Valley so it can flex its Italian muscles in the brick-filled world. Ready? Go!

Job well done. There's nothing else I can say.

Enjoy your new ride!

Forza Horizon: MORON 5 AND THE CRYING LAMBO

The senior bully vs. the junior bully

Autumn Fallout

Troublemaking Italians by night

Think of The Reunion meets Moron 5 but believe me, a V12-powered Lamborghini is more enough to be a "moron" because when you take a spin in one of these; the Miura, Countach, Diablo, Murcielago, and the Aventador, you'll becoming more of a moron who want to spend the rest of his lifetime making so much trouble in Colorado. I mean look at these;

Five times the trouble, right?! I mean hey, we all love a good troublemaking Lambo because they're more fun to drive than Ferraris. The feeling of driving a Ferrari is a bit serious, a bit emotionless, and a bit...well you get the idea. As for Lamborghinis, the feeling of driving a V12-powered Lambo really plant a smile on my face, acting like an idiot, and I'm becoming a moron like anyone else.

The Aventador, Murcielago SV, Diablo SV, Countach QV, and the Miura, they are what I called the MORON 5 but there's a Lambo that I like to call it the CRYING LAMBO. Why? It's rare, it's expensive, and they only made 15 of them. That's the Reventon Roadster.

The very rare Reventon Roadster

Here's a good story about the Roadster version of the Reventon; it was launched at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and it is limited to 15 units available, five less than its hardtop equivalent. Sadly, it's proven to be less quicker than its hardtop equivalent; its top speed is 205 mph and it takes just 3.3s to reach 62 mph. Still, it's more than enough to call this one THE CRYING LAMBO. It always out there to hunt those five V12 Lambos that we all love but hey! Moron 5 and the crying Lambo! Ha ha ha ha ha.....

V12 Lambos are more on fun, more on laughter, and more on ridiculous adventures in Colorado. I'm starting to get my nose bleeding...Sorry about that. As I said, those V12 morons like the Aventador, Murcielago, Diablo, Countach, and the Miura, they're like five friends who are morons back when they were kids and they when they grow up, they went to something that they thought it was some kind of audition of some reality show but turned up to be application to some nightclub...as macho dancers. (laughing)

Just as I thought, the dumb can't get even more dumber every time when you set foot in one of these V12 Lambos.

The other Aston Vantage

An Aston Martin made for grand touring

Following Ford Motor Company's acquisition of Aston Martin in 1987, Aston Martin unveiled the V8 Vantage at the 1992 Birmingham Motor Show and it is essentially a high performance version of the Virage.

The base model comes with the 5.3L V8 engine that produces 344HP of power while the Vantage added two superchargers at the 5.3L V8 so it generates over 550HP of power and 549.7 ft-lb of torque. It's mated in either a 6-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. Despite its 2-ton weight, it can go 0-100kph in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 300kph.

For stopping power, the V8 Vantage comes with the large-diameter AP brake discs; the 362mm diameter front rotors were among the largest ever in a road car.

The V600 model boosted the supercharged 5.3L V8 engine to 600HP of power.

Production of the Vantage V8 commenced in 1993 and continued up until 1999. In 2000, Aston Martin's "Works Service" unit built nine bespoke Vantage Volantes (convertibles), one of which was built to long wheelbase specifications.

The Vantage and the R33

Unlike any other past model Astons, the V8 Vantage from the 1990's is not exactly more of a show-off but with the fighting stance of a street fighter, this car's always on the offensive rather than the defensive side. The outside though, I find it very confusing that if these came from the Nissan Skyline R32 or the R33 perhaps. If you put them on the same place, you'll know that they're highly identical in design terms.

The supercar of the old-school

What surprised me is the sound of its supercharged 5.3L V8 engine. It sounds like a combination between Pavarotti and the roaring noise of the fictitious Assoluto Squaldon from Rage Racer. What I'm saying is that the engine sounds like Pavarotti while the supercharger whine sounds like Rage Racer's Squaldon. Let's not forget that when it was launched in that decade, this is Aston Martin's most powerful production model they've ever made.

As you may remember, in a classic Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the V8 Vantage but only the engineering prototype because Aston Martin can't lend him the finished production model for some unknown reasons. Unlike the finished product, the prototype that Jeremy tested has its rear lamps wrong (looks like it came from the Virage), the rims are wrong, and there are no rear seats but Jeremy doesn't really matter because he enjoys it. He called this V8 Vantage "it's a Rolls-Royce with attitude".

To see all this poetic violence the V8 Vantage does, I devised a little test...

It came from the Satan Pit

The devil's bottom

This is the Lamborghini Diablo SV, one of the most well-known sportscars of the 1990's, V12 engine at the middle, no traction control, no anti-lock brakes, and a Stig to handle the beast below...

This is what happens when you pit against a Diablo

...and he's facing against the V600 V8 Vantage, which is driven by a fat bloke in slacks. Stand by, ladies and gents, for a quarter-mile race at the Top Gear Track...

Diablo PWNed the V8 Vantage!

So, the V8 Vantage lost the drag race but now let's see how good they really are by putting them at the Top Gear Test Track for one full lap at the circuit. This should be interesting.

The Diablo SV done it in 1:23.023 while the V600 V8 Vantage did it in 1:26.319, meaning that the V600 lost the bout despite the V8 Vantage V600 has more power than the Diablo SV's. Sure, the V8 Vantage V600 may have lost the fight against the Diablo but in every intangible way, the V8 Vantage is a better alternative to the Diablo because unlike the Lambo, the Aston V8 Vantage V600 has room at the back and it has proper doors unlike the Lambo's scissor doors that others find it a bit of a show-off.

No matter what, the V8 Vantage has the pecks of the chippendale and the stance of the street fighter...

The Vantage evolution

The Run of Diablo SV

Lamborghini Diablo SV

Name: Lamborghini Diablo SV

Nationality: Italian

Top Speed: 200MPH

0-60 Time: 4.1 seconds

BHP: 510 @ 7,100 RPM

Performance: Tier 4

Handling: Challenging

Class: Exotic

Drivetrain: RWD

Manufacture Year: 1995

Description:

Launched in the 1995 Geneva Motor Show, the Diablo SV revived the Super Veloce naming from the Miura SV and this is known to be the entry-level version of the legendary Lamborghini Diablo. Because this car doesn't have AWD, the power of the 510HP engine can't keep up with the Traction, making it riskier to handling the Diablo SV. Notable features from the Diablo SV includes an adjustable rear spoiler, black tail lamp surrounds, repositioned rear fog and reverse lamps, extra set of brake cooling ducts, ducted engine lid, and optional SV vinyls.

Back in 1998, Lamborghini launched the Diablo SV Monterey Edition, which is a limited run to 20 units available exclusively at the United States.

The Lamborghini Diablo SV is part of the all new Need For Speed THE RUN Italian Edition Pack, available now at either PlaystationStore or XBOX Marketplace. Return to THE RUN and try it.