Lamborghini Diablo Jota Americana ADB – Guide

When Automobili Lamborghini SpA unveiled the limited edition Lamborghini Diablo SE30 back in 1993 they only built 150 units of this special celebration model … but Lamborghini had an idea about taking their V12 flagship onto the track, so they created the very wild Diablo SE30 Jota on an already limited production model … a mere 28 Jota kits were created by Lamborghini and only 12 Diablo left the factory doors with the Jota kit installed, a further 15 were installed onto existing cars … today only 27 Diablo SE30 Jota are known to have been made, but several have been crashed … and one owner even had the Jota kit removed from the engine because he didn’t like the race car handling.

It is safe to say that obtaining one of these Diablo SE30 Jota back in the mid-nineties would not only be very expensive, but also next to impossible … let alone have her street legal … but there was another solution … Milano Imports, operated by the late Al Burtoni, located in Gilroy, the United States could turn any ‘normal’ Lamborghini Diablo into a Jota Americana … or as Al stated ‘probably the fastest Diablo in the world’.

The very first Lamborghini Diablo Jota Americana was built on a 1991 chassis (number MLA12182), rumor has it this car was custom ordered by a client from the Middle East, but he never took delivery of her, some sources state the famous baseball player, Jose Consco bought it from Milano Imports when this unique Bull was ready.

This Lamborghini Diablo was extensively modified by Al Burtoni, on the outside your attention is immediately drawn onto the custom purple and silver metallic paint scheme that was created by Michael Santoro combined with an amazing looking light grey alcantara interior.

The original engine cover has been replaced by the ADB Jota Americana bonnet that boasts two large air intakes for the forced induction system, complete with a carbon fiber pressure tray that actually ‘seals’ against the engine cover to keep the hot air from the engine from interfering with the cold air from the intakes. This pressure plate bolts onto a custom made ADB Jota Americana Plenum … a bolt on, plug in unit that offers increased power (at least 60hp more according to Al Burtoni) and goes from the idling 1,150rpm straight up to the limiter without any flat spots … add the special ADB exhaust system and you have a very fast Bull that is completely street legal.

And that’s not nearly all the modifications to the original V12 engine from Sant’Agata, there are also special ADB Jota Americana pistons that offer an 11.7:1 compression rate, fully balanced these come complete with custom rings and wrist pins, add the ADB Performance valves that increase the flow by 5% over the entire RPM range, the ADB Jota Americana camshafts will push the final hp rating of the Diablo Jota Americana well over the 600hp mark.

Initially Al Burtoni would install a carbon fiber clutch assembly to make sure all that extra power can effectively be put onto the street, the factory original clutch just wouldn’t handle the +600hp very well, add custom made, 3-piece forged wheels in a large 9.5×17 (front) and 13×18 (rear) inch size and a track inspired rear wing and you end up with a truly one of a kind exotic that could outrun just about anything she would encounter on the open road in the late Nineties.

In late 2007 this very special Lamborghini Diablo Jota Americana was offered for sale in an eBay auction, still looking very close to the way Al Burtoni built her year earlier. The listing did mention a ‘claimed’ 625hp at the time … sadly I couldn’t find any record of the sale price anymore.

This unique 1991 Diablo Jota Americana was seen at the 2008 Greenwich Concours where she drew a lot of attention, at the time with a New York registration, in 2010 the car would be again photographed during the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, still on a New York license plate, but this time the custom, carbon fiber pressure plate was removed and a quartet of upright air filters were installed … in December 2010 the car came up for sale … once again on eBay.

Listed at $89,999 with 34,572 Miles on the counter this 1991 Diablo Jota Americana was now being sold after nearly $40,000 had been invested in rebuilding the complete engine and clutch … the latter now being made from Kevlar instead of carbon fiber, according to the seller at that time the interior was made from 40yds of alcantara and comes with power steering, something that wasn’t available on the Diablo back in 1991, also note this Diablo Jota Americana came with the lower style Diablo VT dashboard, not the original, rather high 1991 version.

Furthermore the seller stated only 6 Jota Americana V12 engines with full induction system have ever been built, this one comes complete with the carbon fiber pressure tray, special ignition wires, dual ADB coils, custom engine management, special ADB cylinder heads, titanium Jota valves, chrome liners. New HID headlights and carbon fiber fins on the shoulder mounted air intakes to draw even more air onto the radiators while a rear view camera allows you easier parking of this Bull.

By late June 2012 this Lamborghini Diablo Jota Americana was listed for sale again, this time in an auction style with a bid at nearly $47,000 that didn’t reach the reserve … it is unclear if she sold, nor where this very special, but not factory original Jota is currently located … even if this isn’t one of the 12 factory built Diablo SE30 Jota, this custom made Jota Americana surely has some value.