There are people out there who say that Lamborghini has never quite been the same since the storied brand was snapped up by Audi in 1998; that it’s a sanitised, watered-down version of its old self. We’re not sure who these people are, given that Lamborghini will currently sell you a 1000bhp V12 hybrid rocketship in the form of the Revuelto, but they’re out there.
Perhaps they’ll be interested in this: it’s the 1998 Lamborghini Pregunta concept, the final Lambo-badged car designed without any input from the VW Group, and it’s coming up for sale.
Lamborghini Pregunta – front, doors open
The Pregunta (Spanish for ‘question’, weirdly) was dreamt up when Lambo was owned by far less of a faceless corporate entity than VAG, the *checks notes* Chrysler Group. Never heard of it. A fully functional car, it was effectively a Diablo SV underneath, with 530bhp from its 5.7-litre V12 sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual (gated, obvs).
On top, though, it was unrecognisable. It was treated to a full rebody from French coachbuilder Heuliez, also responsible for such weirdness as the Intruder concept, a jacked-up open-top roadster based on the Mercedes G-Wagen, and such mediocrity as the production of the Vauxhall Tigra TwinTop.
Lamborghini Pregunta with Dassault Rafale
It’s become a bit of a cliche to describe Lambos as having ‘fighter jet styling’, and the Pregunta is probably the root cause of that cliche, because stylist Marc Deschamps directly cited the French Dassault Rafale multi-role fighter as an inspiration (quite obviously not to be confused with the Renault Rafale).
As a result, it received full carbon bodywork finished in stealthy matt grey, many vents and slashes, and a removable glass roof that resembled a fighter jet canopy when in place. Inside, meanwhile, there’s lots of alarmingly-patterned bright blue Alcantara, a big wand-like gearknob, and the finest digital instrument cluster 1998 could offer.
Lamborghini Pregunta – interior
1998 was an important year for Lambo, because that was the year Audi took over. By the time the Pregunta debuted at that year’s Paris show, the company had been fully absorbed into the VW Group masses, and all its concepts since then, like the Egoista and the Terzo Millennio, have been far tamer and more toned down. No, wait.
As for the Pregunta itself, it remained in Heuliez ownership until 2008, before being snapped up by a private collector, reconditioned by Lambo’s Polo Storico heritage wing in 2021, and placed on display in the company’s museum in Sant’Agata.
Lamborghini Pregunta – rear
It’s now heading up for sale at Broad Arrow’s auction on 10 October, during the Zoute Grand Prix Car Week on the Belgian coast. As a one-off Lambo, it ain’t gonna come cheap – the auctioneer puts the estimate at €2.5-3.5 million, or around £2.2-3 million. Even then, we’re not sure if it’s something that could be made road-legal, but if nothing else, it’ll make a heck of a sculptural piece.
#Bonkers #Forgotten #Lamborghini #Concept