- 1,115
- Rivera
- Tsukishima-TDUDT
This heavy modification was performed by Automoviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica S.A. The prototype took 4 years to create. It has a top speed of 385 km/h and a 0 - 100 acceleration time of 3.5 seconds.
Here's a text by LamboCars.com:
A very special Lamborghini model is shown here, it is obvious that some people went through great lengths to create a very special car, completely different from the Diablo that was built by Automobili Lamborghini SpA at that time.
This car was built in Mexico by Automoviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica S.A., a company which in 1995, actually received permission from Automobili Lamborghini SpA, under control of Michael J. Kimberly at that time, and Robert A. Braner, President of Automobili Lamborghini USA, to both distribute and build Lamborghini's in the Mexican United States and all the Latin American States including the Caribbean.
We actually received documents from Sr Ing Jorge Antonio Fernandez Gracia, Automoviles Lamborghini Latinomérica S.A. that state this fact, paperwork signed by the then current International Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel R. Gordon Stewart at Automobili Lamborghini SpA Italy. These documents can also be seen on the official website for Automoviles Lamborghini Latinomérica S.A. by the way.
Lamborghini Latinoamerica S.A. was allowed to build a limited series of special race oriented models and even create an own concept with Lamborghini components, the latter would become the Lamborghini Coatl model, keeping in mind the hand finished feeling these special cars would have to offer, each and every Coatl would be finished according the tastes and requirements made by the fortunate buyer, note the Coatl was not a factory prototype but, according to the people who created it, it was built with permission from the factory.
The special steering wheel used would be carved by a single craftsman and within exact measurements taken from the hand and fingers of the future owner, the pedals and seat would also be custom made to fit the actual owner. This seat would be made from a mould taken from the person who would be driving the Coatl, while his weight would also be taken into account when finishing the driver's seat.
Another feature on these Coatl would be both the exterior and interior color, the paint for the bodywork would be mixed on special demand, making each Lamborghini Coatl an individual car, no two would be finished the same.
The one featured on this page actually received 14 coats of paint to create a very special look, depending on the angle of the light over the bodywork, the color would change from orange to red and a brown tint.
The leather used for the interior would also be dyed to an exact match with the customer's order, his actual initials would be engraved into the cylinder heads and the steering wheel, while custom carpeting with the owner's name could be installed too.
The bodywork was a very special design, mainly consisting of both Carbon Fiber and Epoxica from Aereo-Astonautico, the customer could even order a sequential gearbox, larger disk brakes or an optional Dual Turbo installation.
But let's take a look at the exterior design first, the side was dominated by two big air intakes, with vertical slats, probably feeding air to both the engine and the rear brakes. Up front you'd notice the sculptured, deep chin spoiler with twin air intakes to cool down the front brakes, while the entire front part was now a single unit with built in air extractors similar to the one seen on the Ferrari F50.
The very original headlights were covered units, while on the roof a single air intake was mounted to pull air into the engine compartment, a treatment also used on the Diablo SV and the limited edition Diablo GT. At the rear the design was rather dramatic, the entire rear bumper unit became a rather different looking mould, with twin exhaust pipes incorporated into this bumper at the right and left outer sections, while a single center bumper was also in place.
The taillights actually looked similar to what Lexus used, a design that became notorious on the tuning market a few years later, seen today on all kind of cars. Also a third rear brake light was built into this rear part, a big spoiler was mounted at the rear on this extremely revolutionary design.
With all these special body panels and personalized interior, it was very strange the wheels became the standard 17 inch units taken from the Diablo SE30 model, it should be no problem to install 19 or even 20 inch wheels underneath this space age body design, but probably the owner who ordered this specific car liked it this way.
It took four years to design and built the first Lamborghini Coatl, which was finally presented to the public during 2000 when it was called the Lamborghini Eros 2000, but the results were worth it, a top speed of no less than 385 Km/h (234 Mph) and an acceleration figure of 3.54 seconds to reach 100 Km/h (about 61 Mph) from a stand still, naturally the engine was tuned to obtain these numbers, a power output of 635 Bhp and an enlarged displacement of nearly 6.3 Liters were needed.
The chassis was modified to cope with this much power, it was upgraded by using Chromium Molybdenum steel, note that both the engine and chassis had been designed in England by none other than McClaren.
The initial intentions were to be able to offer and start building the first customer's cars in the middle of of the year 2000, at this moment there is a new website for Automoviles Lamborghini Latinomérica S.A. on-line, and interest is high according to the people behind this project, whose design is patented by the way.
This car caused quite a stir when a member of the official Lamborghini Mailing list came across it, some people really didn't like the fact that someone changed their precious Lamborghini into this strange looking vehicle, but if you have the money and want to be different than the other guys in your street who all own a Lamborghini Diablo or Murciélago, this could be the only way to get noticed.
Design has always been a very personal issue, either to love it or you hate it, whatever you might think about it, at least this car can be called a real Lamborghini and not a kit car.
http://www.lambocars.com/diablo/diablo_coatl_special.html
