John Cena Reveals 20-Year Struggle To Get Lamborghini Diablo Replica Working

Plenty of celebrities own expensive, high-end cars, but it’s rarer to find one that’s a genuine, die-hard car person. We know of at least one, though – and his name is John Cena.

Yep, the WWE star/human meme has a well-documented passion for cars. From getting sued by Ford for reselling his GT before he was supposed to, to revealing that his recent daily drivers have been a succession of Honda Civic Type Rs, Cena likes a fast car.

This isn’t something new for him, either. He recently appeared on Club Shay Shay, a podcast hosted by retired Denver Broncos star Shannon Sharpe. In a clip from the podcast on YouTube (where Cena, despite his reputation, is fully visible), he details what he calls his worst-ever purchase.

Cena explains that, in 2003, when his wrestling career was taking off, he wanted to treat himself to a Lamborghini, but at the time didn’t want to spring for a real one. He found a company that produced replicas, and would even fit them with a V12 from BMW – and this is where the trouble started.

A full two years on from ordering it, Cena explains, the car finally arrived. “It doesn’t go into gear, the motor is held together with the timing of two Chevy V6s, so everything’s confused, nothing runs.”

A real Lamborghini Diablo Roadster

The car subsequently visited 10 different workshops, with Cena spending what he estimates is the value of one and a half real Lambos (model unspecified), and he finally took delivery of the working car… this year.

The podcast’s a little light on details, but a few days ago, Cena helpfully posted pictures of (presumably) his Lambo replica on Instagram, in a rare post of his wedded to the slightest bit of context. It’s a pretty convincing-looking replica of a facelifted Diablo Roadster, and we even get a shot of the engine bay with the BMW V12 nestled within.

The Autopian seems to have tracked the car’s origins down to a long-defunct company with the catchy name of North American Exotic Replica Cars. Back in the 2000s, it offered Diablo replicas, either based on a stretched Pontiac Fiero chassis, or custom-built replicas of the Diablo’s spaceframe underpinnings. They started at around $60,000 for the Fiero-based cars, and around $100,000 for the Diablo chassis reps, depending on engine.

In the years since, Cena’s career took off enough for him to own some bonafide Lambos, including a rather bold green over yellow Gallardo. It appears, though, that the fake Diablo is still in his possession to this day. We hope, after a wait of over 20 years, he’s finally getting to enjoy it.