Five reasons why you need this Lambo Diablo SE30 Jota

RM Sotheby's upcoming Monaco auction - which kicks off on 14 May - already has one car you must immediately find money for. That's the £2.3m, road-legal Porsche 911 GT1 Evo. You read it here first.

But here's another you might also take quite a strong liking towards. It's a very rare, very powerful and very lairy Lamborghini Diablo SE30 Jota. Yep, a lairier version of the poster Lambo for a generation of motoring enthusiasts.

The 'SE30 Jota' moniker gives it away as no ordinary Diablo. Because it's not. The regular SE30 was introduced to celebrate the company's then 30th anniversary, and itself was a rear-drive, more powerful Diablo.

This Jota edition however, was even more hardcore. It became the most powerful production Diablo built, originally intended for customers who wanted to go GT racing, available as an upgrade kit. 

Here then, are five reasons why you need it...

Yes, long before the Huracán rocked a rear-wheel-drive only setup, this special edition Diablo was already scaring drivers senseless around the world. So because it was only rear-drive, it was lighter (goodbye, front driveshaft!) and boasted wider wheels, a larger rear-wing, and more aggressive front spoiler.

The 'standard' SE30 was built as an anniversary special. The 'Jota' was the hardcore version built for circuit racers, and as such, featured a more powerful V12. This is excellent news.

The 5.7-litre naturally-aspirated unit was treated to a lighter crankshaft, new cams, a reprogrammed ECU, a better, freer-breathing exhaust (read: louder) and ROOF SCOOPS. Also, there was a new engine cover. 

The result? Nearly 600bhp (well, 595bhp to be precise. But 600 sounds better).

So, thanks to that 100bhp power increase over the standard Diablo - and 60-odd bhp increase over the 'normal' RWD SE30 - this Jota could accelerate from 0-60mph in just 3.8 seconds, 0-100mph in 9.1 seconds and top out at a rather terrifying 211mph. That's fast by any standard.

As mentioned, Lamborghini rolled out the standard SE30 as an anniversary special edition. Just 150 were made, and of those, only 28 were converted to this Jota spec.

And of those 28, only 15 Jota kits were installed by the factory itself. This then, is one of the 15 of the 28 of the 150. Make sense? Good.

The original owner - who received the car in July 1995 - also decided to option a metallic blue/violet paintjob and two-tone leather interior. Things like electric windows, a radio and power steering - originally removed to save weight - were put in.

Yep, barely run in. The odometer reads 6,700km (around 4,100 miles), gets just two registered owners on the book since 1995 (the first in Japan, the second in Germany), and has recently been treated to a full 'engine-out' service, and sports a new clutch. Perfect for those full-throttle starts.

The price? It's expected to sell for upwards of £357k (€450,000). And the bottom line is this: it's an extremely rare, well-mainted 600bhp, manual, rear-wheel-drive limited edition Lamborghini Diablo. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?