A Lamborghini concept car from 1998 is heading to auction next month. The Lamborghini Pregunta was created not only on the cusp of the new millennium, but also before the marque’s acquisition by the Volkswagen Group and its subsequent stewardship under Audi AG.
Commissioned by Chrysler, the one-off Pregunta made its debut at the 1998 Salon de Paris. As the final — and arguably most extreme — Diablo-based concept, it was a showpiece by the French coachbuilder Carrosserie Heuliez-Torin. Working with Lamborghini-supplied underpinnings, Heuliez design director Marc Deschamps — the man behind the Renault 5 Turbo, Lamborghini Jalpa, and Citroën Camargue — pushed his vision to the limit. Constructed entirely from carbon fibre, the Pregunta wore a matte dark grey finish borrowed from the Dassault Rafale fighter jet, a theme echoed in its aviation-inspired canopy glass, scissor doors, and twin removable roof panels.
The aircraft influence extended to the cabin as well. Azure blue Alcantara seats, aviation-style instrumentation, and a fighter jet-like division of driver and passenger space set the tone. Cutting-edge features for the late 1990s included rear-view cameras in place of mirrors, GPS navigation, fibre-optic ambient lighting, and a Formula One-derived digital dash.
The concept was fully drivable, too. Beneath its reworked Diablo chassis sat Lamborghini’s 5.7-litre V12, producing 537 PS and paired with a gated five-speed manual powering the rear wheels. The performance figures remain impressive today: 0–100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 333 km/h.
After its show debut, the Pregunta continued to appear at events until 2007, when it entered private ownership. Since then, it has been restored, certified by Lamborghini Polo Storico, and even displayed at the marque’s museum. Now, nearly 30 years later, this singular piece of automotive history will cross the block at Broad Arrow’s Zoute Concours auction on 10 October, with an estimate of €2.5–3.5 million.
