The Last Car Lamborghini Built Before Audi Took Over Was Wild

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A Hyper-Lambo Like Nothing Available At The Time

What Happened To The Lamborghini Pregunta?

One of the most significant moments in Lamborghini’s history was when the famed Italian automaker was acquired by Audi AG in 1998 to become part of the vast Volkswagen Group empire. Following this acquisition, Lamborghini produced its first car under Audi, the legendary Lamborghini Murciélago, and, after a production run of ten years, the Lamborghini Aventador.

Lamborghini

Automobili Lamborghini was created in 1963 after its founder had a disagreement with Enzo Ferrari over the cost of servicing his cars, arguing that Ferrari was overcharging for off-the-shelf parts. Enzo didn’t respond amicably, so Ferruccio took matters into his own hands with the 350 GT. Lamborghini later introduced the Miura, widely regarded as the first true supercar and one of the prettiest ever made. These days, the brand’s identity is characterized by AWD drivetrains, outrageous special editions, and raucous engines. The 1,001-hp Revuelto is its current V12 flagship, while the Urus SUV is its bestseller.

Founded

1963

Founder

Ferruccio Lamborghini

Headquarters

SantÁgata Bolognese

Owned By

Audi

Current CEO

Stephan Winkelmann

Interestingly, before Audi acquired Lamborghini and made the Italian automaker just one of the many companies owned by the VW Group, Lamborghini had introduced a concept car a year earlier, a hardcore Lamborghini based on the Lamborghini Diablo but better in nearly every regard.

This article focuses on the Lamborghini Pregunta concept car, based on the Diablo.

The Lamborghini Pregunta

At the 1998 Paris Motor Show, a striking concept car bearing the raging bull badge was displayed for the first time to the public. This car was the Lamborghini Pregunta, one of the lesser-known concepts conceived by the Italian automaker. Its name translates to « question. » However, it wasn’t a Lamborghini-only affair.

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The Lamborghini Pregunta was the result of the collaboration between Lamborghini and a French coachbuilder called Heuliez, who was known for its work on concept cars, a handful of one-off cars, and several production cars, the most noteworthy being the legendary Renault 5 Turbo. Reportedly, this partnership between Lamborghini and Heuliez allowed the French coachbuilder to develop a new concept car based on the Lamborghini Diablo. The apparent brief offered to Heuliez was to design a concept car that envisioned the Italian automaker’s future cars and answer the question of what if Lamborghini’s models were inspired by fighter jets.

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Marc Deschamps was the lead for the project and had previously worked as the Director of Style at the famed Italian design house Bertone. In line with the fighter jet inspiration, the Lamborghini Pregunta was inspired by the Dassault Rafale, and the one-off concept that debuted at the Paris Motor Show used the same matte-gray paint used on the French fighter jet. Fighter jet-inspired Lamborghini models are not unusual, as years after the debut of the Lamborghini Pregunta, Lamborghini would introduce the first of its « few-off » series, the Lamborghini Reventón, inspired by the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
The Lamborghini Pregunta’s background and history were not the most important parts of its story. That honor goes to the hardware shoehorned into the fighter-jet-inspired frame.
A Hyper-Lambo Like Nothing Available At The Time

Model

Lamborghini Pregunta

1995 Lamborghini Diablo SV

Engine

5.7L NA V12

Horsepower

530 hp @ 7,100 rpm

510 hp @ 7,100 rpm

Torque

445 lb-ft @ 5,500 rpm

428 lb-ft @ 5,900 rpm

0-60

Est. 4 seconds

4 seconds

Top speed

Est. 206 mph

202 mph

As we’ve said, the Lamborghini Pregunta utilized much of the Diablo’s hardware, most notably the chassis and naturally aspirated V12. The chassis was draped in a new body styled by Heuliez, and the fighter-jet styling was apparent in the Pregunta’s large side air intakes, roof-mounted intake, revised roofline, and softer curves than the Diablo. The striking body was made of carbon fiber, finished in the same colorway as the fighter jet from which it drew inspiration.

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One of the most notable features of the Pregunta’s exterior design was the ten small circular light units that peppered the clam-shell front end, which used fiber optics. The interior design was as outrageous as the exterior, characterized by an eye-popping blue dashboard accentuated by blue seats and a blue gear shifter, all complemented by several gray-shaded elements, including the steering wheel, door panels, and center console. The Pregunta also featured cameras instead of rearview mirrors and glass screens featuring a GPS navigation system, another indicator of its fighter-jet inspiration.
As for the Diablo’s atmospheric V12 engine, in the Lamborghini Pregunta, it was coaxed to put out 42 hp more than the Diablo, because of several changes Heuliez’s made, which included moving the radiators to the front. Its 530-hp output was equal to the output of the second iteration of the Lamborghini Diablo SV, and was greater than that of the Ferrari F50. Top speed was greater than the standard Lamborghini Diablo, and it could complete a sprint from standstill to just over a thousand yards in roughly 20 seconds.

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Interestingly, the Lamborghini Diablo SV that debuted in 1995 used its V12 engine to power all four wheels and not just the rears as before, which afforded it an impressive 0-60 mph sprint, but that wasn’t the case for Heuliez’s version of the Diablo. Instead, power was sent exclusively to the rear axle, paired with an engaging gated manual transmission. Despite no AWD to aid its launch, the Pregunta’s sprint times just about matched those of the Diablo thanks to its higher power output and lower weight thanks to the absence of AWD.
What Happened To The Lamborghini Pregunta?

Unfortunately, mass production was not to be the fate of the Pregunta. After its debut, the Diablo offshoot would be displayed at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show, but, if you’ll recall, Audi had recently acquired the Italian automaker around this time. One of the earliest decisions following the acquisition was the cessation of all prototype and concept projects, which included the Pregunta. Lamborghini likely never intended to send the Pregunta into production anyway, as it was conceived to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lamborghini’s involvement in the Paris Motor Show.

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Only a single example of the Pregunta exists. Following Audi’s internal cease and desist, and because of the agreement between Lamborghini and Heuliez, the rights to the car’s design would not be sold off to another company, making the Lamborghini Pregunta one of the rarest Lamborghini models ever made. This one-off, fighter-jet-inspired Lamborghini would make its way to auction in 2013, listed by Autodrome, a French automotive dealer, who ultimately sold it for $1.6 million. Regarding fighter-jet-inspired cars, the Lamborghini Pregunta ranks as one of the coolest and most unique cars ever to wear the raging bull.

Sources: Lamborghini.