Zagato Raptor is a forgotten legend

To this day, the Lamborghini Diablo is synonymous with a true supercar. Crazy, strong, fast, with a door that opens up - just poetry. Probably, many readers in their youth had a poster with this car above the bed - I have too. Not surprisingly, some brands, such as the Italian Zagato described, wanted to build cars along the lines of the Diablo. What came of it?

Speaking of Lamborghini Diablo, this legendary car is worth mentioning. Few people know that over a dozen years of Lamborghini Diablo rule, a dozen factory versions, several racing evolutions and, unfortunately, an unrealized roadster prototype have seen the light of day. The latter can be a real revolution. The car looked like a soap dish without normal windows and only small fairings.

Lamborghini Diablo, in addition to great fame, has also contributed to the creation of many concept cars based on it. Some had only the Diablo engine, others had a complete chassis with transmission. Italian studio Zagato is among those interested in creating new objects of desire based on Diablo. The beginning of the history of this intriguing car is very interesting.

Well, with the idea to build an exclusive super coupe based on the Diablo, Zagato came to the winner of the World Cup in ... skeleton Alain Vicki. The Swiss athlete had a dream - he wanted an Italian car that was very strong, fast and unique. He also wanted it to be built by hand. The project started in the summer of 1995. Interestingly, instead of building the massive clay construction that was very fashionable at the time, the company went straight to designing the chassis. Alain Vicki, Andrea Zagato and Norihiko Harada, who headed the Turin studio at that time, worked on the body shape. Just four months after the start of work, a fully working car was presented at the Geneva Motor Show. The car was named Raptor - "Predator".

At the time of the premiere, the car looked great. Even today, comparing this car to today's supercars, there's no denying that the Raptor is impressive. The car was unusual a few years ago. The phenomenal carbon fiber body drew attention with the wedge-shaped profile inherent in Zagato designs, the bulges of the roof, between which there was an air intake of the engine compartment. The glass panel wrapped around the cabin also looked impressive, giving unusual access to the interior, but more on that in a moment. The rear of the car was just as phenomenal as it offered no traditional lights, just a single stripe lamp. Hot air exited the engine compartment through two louvres.

As for the aforementioned access to the interior of the car, the designers tried to surpass even the iconic Lamborghini Diablo. The Raptor has no door at all. To get inside the car, you need to raise the entire sphere, including the roof with glazing and cutouts instead of a door. Not! If the weather was right, the hardtop was completely removed and the Raptor turned into a sturdy roadster. A truly impressive project.

The interior for two, in accordance with the instructions of Alain Vicki, was finished and furnished in a rather spartan way. Naturally, the materials are even by today's standards of the highest quality. Almost most of the interior is covered in black Alcantara, and on-board instruments are kept to a minimum, in front of the driver's eyes there is only a small digital display. Accessories? If the additions include a small Momo steering wheel with Zagato logo and a long shifter operating in the H system, then you are welcome. In addition, there is practically nothing in the cabin - the main thing is driving cleanliness.

What is hidden under this interesting body? There is no revolution, since underneath it is practically the entire chassis, engine, gearbox and suspension from the all-wheel drive Diablo VT. However, the gentlemen from Zagato wanted to be original and threw out the serial traction control and ABS system. As for the brakes, they were much stronger on the Raptor model. The British company Alcon took care of the preparation of the new set. The V-shaped, 5,7-liter naturally aspirated 492 effortlessly developed 325 hp. Taking into account the tests, this power was enough to exceed km/h. But what was it really like? It turns out that the Raptor should be much faster, since it weighed more than a quarter of a ton less than the Diablo.

Unfortunately, the end of the story is very sad. The beginning, yes, was promising. In the days following the launch of the Raptor in Geneva, 550 names entered the list and were willing to buy the car. Initially, the car was supposed to be built at the facilities of Zagato, and over time it was supposed to be added to the production line at the Lamborghini plant. The only prototype managed to pass a series of tests and ... the end of the history of the Raptor model. Lamborghini did not want to participate in the production of this model. Experiencing a difficult period and a change of ownership, the Italian brand chose to focus on its projects, including the successor to Diablo - Kanto. In the end, Kanto, designed by Zagato, didn't see the light of day either. Lamborghini was taken over by Audi, and Diablo lasted a few more years.

Today, models like the Raptor are forgotten and abandoned, but it's in our hands to write, admire and respect them.