Lamborghini and boats is a longer love story than one could have thought. In 1969, Ferrucio Lamborghini had already installed two V12 units in his Riva Aquarama.
The development of increased displacement V12 engines by the factory led to the creation of two monster 8.0l and 9.3l V12s. Weighting in at 315kg, they were too big and too sophisticated for any kind of road vehicle. Their conception allowed them to run either clockwise or counterclockwise, making them perfect for use in powerboats. The Lamborghini factory built 2 concepts showing the possible uses for each variant, called the Quetzal 1 and 2.
The story of the Lamborghini powerboat engine is still alive today as they are used in some of the Class 1 boats of the World Offshore series.
One of the most famous boats ever powered by Lamborghini’s V12 was without a doubt Didier Pironi’s Colibri. After a short career in formula 1, Pironi turned to powerboat racing. In 1987, while he was taking part in the Needles Trophy off the coast of the Isle of Wight, the lightweight Colibri boat overturned at high speed after hitting a wave created by an oil tanker.

The engines we are offering for sale today were installed in the Colibri. The current owner purchased them when all of Pironi's powerboat racing team assets were liquidated. These early offshore engines are equipped with a mechanical injection system, only offered at this time of the factory-sponsored competition boats, while privateer ones retained carburettors. Later on, all off-shore Lamborghini engines were supplied with an electronic injection system.
The two engines from the Colibri are available. One of them is in perfect working order and is priced at EUR 17,500. The second one needs some repairs (broken connecting rod + reparable hole in the block) and is available for EUR 12,500.

The price includes all European Union taxes and commissions.