YouTuber’s Diablo VT May Not Have Been a Dumb Choice After All

Will Tyler Hoover’s gamble on a low-mileage Diablo VT Roadster pay off? With prices on the rise, it just might.

At the beginning of his videos, Tyler Hoover, host of Hoovies Garage, usually calls his channel something along the lines of “the dumbest automotive channel in all of YouTube.” It’s his way of owning up to his habit of buying the cheapest specimen of a particular car that typically has a long list of expensive problems and pumping money into fixing them. But one of his most recent purchases, a 1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster, may have been a good investment (the intro to Hoover’s latest video is definitely “Dumb and Dumber,” though).

Hoover bought the removable-hardtop Lambo and a 25th anniversary edition Countach at the same time from a Kansas lawyer. According to Hoover, he only “wanted what he paid for the cars 10 or so years ago.” That must’ve been a shockingly low amount because Hoover is keeping the amount he paid for the pair a secret…for now. Over its entire life, the VT Roadster has only accrued roughly 12,000 miles, which the condition of the seats backs up.

You can’t really attach a dollar amount to the VT Roadster’s design. It’s priceless. The uncompromisingly hard and fast lines give it the basic wedge shape of its predecessor, but not the same I’m-a-drug-dealer-and-I’m-not-trying-to-hide-it vibes.

Another major difference is the fact that the VT Roadster has a removable carbon fiber roof panel. That necessitated a total redesign of the rear end to aid engine cooling and aerodynamics, the looks of which Hoover swoons over – particularly the asymmetrical rear wheel arches. “As you can see, the shape of it, it kind of swoops like an old car from the ’20s or like this thing’s going 200 miles an hour standing still.”

Between the giant air intake cutouts sits a 5.7-liter V12 that tramples the road with 485 bull…er…horsepower. That’s connected to a gated five-speed manual gearbox. Although it’s dated in terms of forward gears, even when compared to other manual transmissions of the time, it’s part of the Diablo’s enduring appeal. Lamborghini stopped offering stick-shift cars with the 2014 Gallardo LP560-2 50th Anniversary. In more ways than one, Lamborghini just don’t doesn’t make them like they used to.

Apparently, the well-heeled enthusiast community has noticed that. Hoover says prices for his particular raging bull model are on their way up. That certainly seems to be the case on Hagerty’s website, which shows that ’97 Diablo VT Roadster values have been increasing since May of 2020. As of today, they range from $150,000 for one in fair condition to $317,000 for one in concours shape. If Hoover can manage to avoid paying his pal David Long, aka The Car Wizard, a fortune for repairs, he may come out on top with his new purchase. Even if Hoover doesn’t, he can still blast down the road in a V12-powered Italian supercar, which is a victory at any price.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Derek also contributes to other outlets. He started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to get even more automotive content out to fellow enthusiasts.

He can be reached at autoeditors@internetbrands.com.