Lamborghini Pregunta: When the Diablo Looked to the Sky
Thirty-five years after the birth of the Diablo, Lamborghini still reminds the world that true madness is not born in a spreadsheet. In 1998, the company unveiled the Pregunta, a prototype that turned a V12 supercar into something that breathed the air of a fighter jet.
The Lamborghini Diablo was a cultural icon of the 1990s, a machine that transformed noise into art and speed into a creed. Its V12 engine roared with the conviction of a new performance era. Yet a decade later, one Italian design studio wondered: how much further could the “devil” go? Out of that question came the Lamborghini Pregunta.
With two seats, an open roof, and bodywork that looked more like a military aircraft than a road car, the Pregunta was unlike anything else on the supercar scene. The design was led by Belgian stylist Marc Deschamps, who had previously drawn Bertone creations such as the Jalpa and Athon. The carbon-fibre body, built at Heuliez’s studio in Turin, was crafted entirely from the same lightweight material then used in fighter jets rather than sports cars.
V12 Heart, Jet Soul
Technically and spiritually, the Pregunta was an evolution of the Diablo. It used the same mid-mounted 5.7-litre V12 as the Diablo SV, producing 530 horsepower and 605 newton metres of torque, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. With advanced aerodynamics and front-mounted radiators, it could sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 333 km/h. It was a concept, yes, but one that could be driven.
Born From the Air Force
The visual links to aviation were unmistakable. Its matte grey paint echoed fighter fuselages, scissor doors opened skyward, and air intakes carved into the body gave it an aggressive, almost predatory stance. The headlights featured eight small spherical elements at the front and ten at the rear, arranged in a way that made the car seem almost biomechanical, as if alive rather than engineered.
A Cockpit for the Road
Inside, the design followed the same idea. The driver’s side resembled a pilot’s cockpit, while the passenger’s space was calmer and more comfortable. Blue Alcantara, fibre-optic lighting, and glass displays created an atmosphere straight from the future. Magneti Marelli supplied a digital dashboard borrowed from Formula One technology, while the car also featured navigation, rear cameras, and a contemporary audio system. Conventional mirrors were unnecessary—the rear view came entirely through cameras.
From Paris to the Track
The Pregunta made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show and appeared again in Geneva the following year. Its launch video showed it racing across an airbase, “chasing” a jet fighter—a fitting metaphor for a car that blurred the line between earth and sky.
After its brief public life, the Pregunta disappeared for several years until resurfacing at the 2007 Rétromobile show in Paris, where it was sold to a private collector. That same owner later drove it both on Parisian streets and at Spa-Francorchamps. In 2014, Lamborghini’s heritage division, Polo Storico, officially verified the car’s authenticity and displayed it in the company museum. In 2025, the Pregunta was sold again, this time to a new collector at auction.
A Rebellious Chapter in Lamborghini’s Story
Though never an official Lamborghini project, the Pregunta remains one of the most extraordinary chapters in the brand’s history. Its aircraft-inspired form and Diablo-born heart embody an era when technology and art shared the same dream of flight, a dream no one had yet fully conquered.
