Due to the amount of money they cost and the fact that they’re quite well set up from the factory, not that many people tend to modify Lamborghinis outside of a select few. And if you do see a modified one, it’ll typically have a body kit, some wheels, and/or some modifications on top of the stock engine.
However, what ‘1 Way Diesel Performance Diesel’ did, as their name might hint at, was probably one of the wildest engine swaps we’ve ever seen. The speed shop managed to cram a twin-turbo diesel engine into the back of a 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo with Motor Trend’s Texas Metal Loud and Lifted show documenting the build.
But before you worry that they ruined a perfectly good Lamborghini, it’s worth mentioning that the car was totaled when 1 Way Diesel Performance acquired it. The mess of smashed, twisted, and bent metal that could at one point be called a Gallardo was essentially destined for the crusher, but after they straightened out the frame, replaced the missing body panels, and did some general freshening up, it was time for the car to receive its new heart: a twin-turbo Cummins diesel straight-six.
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If you’re wondering how they managed to fit the Cummins motor in the Gallardo’s engine bay, which was only made for an engine five cylinders in length, the answer is that they technically didn’t. In order to shoehorn the new engine in, they had to cut the original firewall and re-fabricate a new one. That being said, the end result turned out quite clean, and is minimally intrusive into the interior.
And on the topic of the interior, it too features a handful of custom touches, namely the steering wheel, seats, dash, and gauge cluster. The exterior has its fair share of custom work as well, such as a full widebody kit, a large wing, custom wheels, smoked taillights, and custom brake calipers with the 1 Way Diesel wordmark etched on them Power figures for the new engine are unknown, but we’d be willing to bet the modified powerplant is pushing at least as much if not more than the Gallardo‘s stock 493 hp (500 PS / 368 kW) and 376 lb-ft (510 Nm) of torque.
With that big-heavy diesel behind the driver, you’d think the car would lose its sporting character, but it’s reportedly still quite light on its feet. Helping that out is the six-speed gated manual transmission, which maintains the engagement factor event if the engine itself doesn’t behave the same as the stock V10. Regardless of that, you’ll probably never find another Lamborghini that can roll coal (besides their tractors, of course).
What do you think of this build? Is it something special or sacrilegious? Let us know in the comments.