REVIEW: Davis & Giovanni LB-Works Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 • DiecastSociety.com

REVIEW: Davis & Giovanni LB-Works Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0

Words and photos courtesy of LAMBOdiecast.com

 

You might think this is another one of those Kato-San LB Works limited edition Lamborghini models, with those wide wheel arch extensions and low riding air ride suspension but in the case of this bright orange metallic Lamborghini Diablo you are wrong, this is not an LB-Works Diablo, as far as I know, Kato-San didn’t modify a Diablo yet.

This ‘Sunset Dream’ as she is called has been created by Souki, a car customizer in Tokyo during the day, and an EDM music maker during the night. He already created a famous Nissan Skyline in true boso style, but his love for low riders, Bosozoku and supercars took the better of him and led to the creation of this one of a kind Diablo that was built in Sant’Agata in October 2000, sold though Lamborghini Newport Beach in the United States of America.

In late September 2012, his Instagram account shows the first photo of an Arancio Atlas Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 with black painted, factory wheels but looking stock as far as body goes with the exception of the angular rear wing.  In August 2013 a photo shows a different front bumper in Murciélago style, now with additional splitters on either side combined with side sills in a similar style and new custom wheels.

In May 2015 the original headlights were replaced by custom made units boasting a very nice C-style LED daytime running light. In late November 2015, an AirRex air ride suspension was installed, lowering the Diablo completely to the ground.

In March 2016 he started work on the original front bumper, by May 2016 he replaced the first custom front bumper with a Huracan inspired version, complete with a full width lower splitter, totally changing the front look of the Diablo.  By September 2016 he replaced the factory original engine cover with a brand new one he created himself, now with three perspex louvres that allow an amazing view on that massive V12 engine, later in October 2016 Souki painted the entire roof, engine cover and rear section on his Diablo in glossy black, making those louvres stand out, even more, showing the grey engine manifolds.

Starting out with a drawing of what Souki had in his mind posted on November 2016, it took him six months, until May 2017, to create the wide fenders from scratch to be test fitted, just as with the impressive LB-Works widebody fenders.  Souki had to cut into the original bodywork of his Diablo to be able to fit the 20-inch Sky Forged S216 wheels from Azzurre Motoring under the wide fenders, fitted in gloss black in July 2017 when they matched the roof but by August 2017 the wide fenders were finished in the same, stunning Arancio Atlas as the rest of this unique Diablo.

THE SCALE MODEL

In 2019 Davis & Giovani creates an amazing 1:18 scale model of this unique car, limited to 30 units, I managed to get hold of number 25 after a lot of doubt.  This is officially the most money I paid for a scale model Lamborghini in my entire collection to date, some of my models might be worth more now, but I never paid this much for a single model before, so I took some time to finally reach out to Tiago from Rare118modelcars and ask if he still had this orange metallic version in stock, and he did.

There are some other shades made by D&G too, like a very nice dark metallic red one, but in real life this is the only one in existence, and it’s finished in Arancio Atlas and you know me, I don’t like fantasy shades on my models, so I specifically wanted this exact model for my collection because no other company makes this specific Diablo VT 6.0 and I really wanted to know if these very expensive Davis & Giovani models are worth all that cash.

Now I have seen D&G models being listed for totally ridiculous prices on eBay, €1,000 and more and that is just crazy money for a sealed 1:18 scale model.  This Diablo was available for €635, still a lot of money for me, that buys almost 3 AUTOart models instead.  I saved up for a while to reach my goal, made the order, paid Tiago and had the transport.  However, the company messed up the delivery.  My package almost went back to Portugal!

But it didn’t, and I could finally admire my very first D&G scale model, and see for myself if these models are indeed worth their high asking price at €635.  I have to admit they are really good, very nicely finished, a perfect paint job (I couldn’t find any flaws in the paint) and the details are just amazing.  I was under the impression MR models were great, but D&G is on a higher level indeed.

The wheels and tires are just magnificent, as are the disc brakes and calipers, on this model.  The calipers are black, but even then you can distinguish the fine detail on them, and just look at those exhaust tips and that Lamborghini script at the rear… they almost look real, this is a high-end scale model indeed.  They even put the three screws on the round taillights, just like on the real car that’s attention to detail on a different level compared to most other models in my collection.

Now Souki replaced the original headlights on his Diablo VT 6.0 with custom made LED units, and this D&G model naturally has these too.  Aas far as I can tell from actual photos I found online of the real car, this Sunset Dream model from D&G is a perfectly scaled-down replica.  I love it.

We’ve all seen the glass engine covers on the Murciélago and Gallardo, even the Aventador and Huracan but in the days of the Diablo, this was not an option.  This didn’t keep Souki from creating his very own engine cover, with glass louvres, which clearly show the massive V12 engine powering this ‘Devil’ from Sant’Agata.

And D&G managed to put just the right amount of detail on the engine and inside the visible engine bay to have you admire this 1:18 scale version even more, and then you discover the interior.  Take out a magnifying glass, D&G clearly shows how the stitching on a 1:18 scale model should look.

Both on the seats and on the dashboard the double stitch pattern is just mind-blowing, it is absolutely perfect, this is how it should be done, add the carbon fibre central console and you just can’t believe it.  Finally, gaze upon the dials behind the steering wheel. And they look as real as it gets.  The windows used by D&G are unbelievable clear and show the interior perfectly, every little detail, every switch and dial all the meters in front of the driver’s seat, absolutely magnificent.

BOTTOM LINE

This is a very expensive model, don’t get me wrong, I probably will not be able to add a second D&G model to my collection any time soon.  It took me a long time to finally part with this kind of money for one single model but I don’t regret it, well not too much.

This is a one of a kind Lamborghini Diablo and no other company presently makes a similar model like this one, so the choice clear, I had to get my first D&G model in my collection.  I should advise you to buy D&G models too?  That all depends on two things, one, are you into these strange, very personal, highly customized Lamborghini models and two, can you spend this kind of money without having to be hurt on any other area financially.

That for me is the bottom line with each and every model I add to my collection, can I spare the money without hurting myself.  I never buy a model with household money, that is just wrong, every model in my collection is bought with ‘spare money’ I’ve saved up.  Same for this outrageously expensive model.

I love this D&G model and if I had the money I would surely be adding more models from Davis & Giovanni… these models are probably the best, most detailed 1:18 scale models you can find on the market today.

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9 Responses to "REVIEW: Davis & Giovanni LB-Works Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0"

  1. DS Team says:

    We’ve always wanted to see a review from a collectors perspective from Davis & Giovanni and here it is! Overall seems like a very solid effort. The price is extremely high for a sealed, resin effort. To put this in perspective this model is just short $1000 CND. That’s Exoto territory. Sometimes we have to put price aside to acquire that special model, I think we’ve all been there. Davis & Giovanni is definitely not for all. We’re okay with that.

  2. InTheFastLane says:

    I don’t normally like tuner models, but this looks spectacular!

  3. Yeow Yi Fan says:

    Go big or go home.

    I am not a resin collector but this one has my true admiration. The screws on the rear lights are a testament to that. Tremendous respect.

    Then again… CND 1,000! X_X

  4. William Keenliside says:

    I love the look of this Diablo, but I wish it wasn’t so expensive. Maybe if someone else reproduced this model, but at a much cheaper price point, I’d scoop it up, but for now, 1,000 CND is waaaay too high.

  5. Steve says:

    Its a rip off, resin models are nothing but a toy model that only looks good, if you look underneath the model you will relise that it truley is a toy model with a great paint job and nothing more. there is no detail like you get with a CMC the exotic materials and the craftsmanship that comes along with it, visually pleasing and i love Lambos dont get me wrong, $1,000 thats a joke.

  6. Leslie says:

    I personally collect Amalgam, Exoto, CMC, Tameo, Make Up, MR, BBR, and even Tomytec TLV and Tarmac Works models. Just got two Davis & Giovanni models recently and I have to say, for 1:18 scale, DG’s quality is the best among all these brands. The accuracy, paint job, material quality, QC, attention to details, are all the top notch.

    Amalgam is great for its 1:8 and 1:12, but 1:18 is sub-contracted to other factories and the quality is better than BBR, but worse than MR.

    MR is excellent in accuracy and details. Take the 1:18 Ferrari Enzo as an example, MR’s 1:18 Enzo is much better than the Amalgam and BBR counterparts. But same as Amalgam and BBR, MR does have some unstable QC issues.

    Tameo is great for its kits, but you need a very skillful craftman to build for you (unless you have great techniques).

    Make Up is probably the best in accuracy and quality, but they have quite serious QC issues in recent years.

    BBR has excellent paint job (one of the best) but they always failed to create accurate and detailed models. They are always missing decals and even side lights on many of their models.

    I understand many people love open-models from Exoto and CMC, but I am an accuracy-freak and I just cant accept unproportional steering wheel which is bigger than a cooking wok, not-in-scale screws which are as big as coffee tumblers when you scale them back to 1:1, and windshields which are so thick that they are more bullet-proof than a tank.

    To some people maybe those are craftmanship, but I’m sure any model builder knows how much effort, skills, dedication, and costs are needed to build a perfect and accurate resin model. And most importantly, resin models can last a lot longer than diecast, which will have bubbles in the paintwork after certain years (no matter how well you preserve the models).

    So I do not agree that a superb quality resin model should be valued lower than a diecast. I somehow think diecast models look more like a “toy”, while some resin models are so fine like an art collectible. The level of visual appreciation is totally different. But of course, everyone has their personal preference and most importantly we appreciate what we love and should be happy that the market for scaled models keeps growing in recent years even the world’s economy is downturning. As a collector, we have a lot more options to choose from.

    Much appreciate this wonderful review and this unique Diablo 6.0 VT Sunset Dream is certainly a very special and beautiful one. Enjoy!

  7. Jerry says:

    Beautiful car well designed. How much are they and where can you get 1

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