In 1996, Lamborghini recalled the Super Veloce nameplate used on the 1971 Miura SV and created a new entry-level version for its Diablo supercar.
While the Diablo was introduced under Chrysler’s ownership, Lamborghini engineers made the SV under new management after the company changed its owners in 1994. There were new rules, and the carmaker had to increase its sales by any means. Its marketing department considered that a more powerful car with a lower price-tag could boost the sales. They were right, up to a point, but not all the way since bigger power on a rear-wheel-drive vehicle without electronic nannies spelled troubles for the drivers.

The car was already brutal in its look. Its pop-up headlights with dual lamps and air-scoops in the spoiler showed the most aggressive front fascia in the supercar world from those times. Unlike the rest of the range, the SV featured dual air-intakes on the roof that were needed to bring cold air to the engine. Depending on the customers’ requests, Lamborghini installed either a carbon-fiber rear wing or a color-body fiber-glass one.

Inside, it was the same cramped interior but adorned with some SV stitching on the sport-bucket seats. Lamborghini extensively used Alcantara inside the cabin: the seats, the center stack, and the dashboard sported the new (then) expensive material.

Under the hood, the Italian engineers squeezed 517 hp from the 5.7-liter V-12 engine. The power was sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.