Cosmic Bull: Jay Kay’s Lamborghini Diablo SE30 hits the showroom

It’s not often we’re presented the opportunity to buy a purple car for huge sums of money. And while money still does not grow on trees, it does seem to tumble out of the pockets of select car enthusiasts at an alarming rate.

For anyone with such desirable money troubles, there is this 1996 Lamborghini Diablo SE30, offered in the UK for £549,995 (about $726,609 on this side of the pond). No ordinary Diablo, relatively speaking, this Viola Metallic car is number 142 of 150 Diablos built to celebrate Lambo’s 30th anniversary. It’s also one of only 16 right-hand drive versions. The SE30 was appropriately tweaked, as only a 30th anniversary car could be: the 5.7-liter V-12 makes 525 horsepower, up from a standard Diablo’s 472. It’s also a bit lighter, features a revised front end, and comes only in rear-wheel drive.

What sets this particular example apart, however, is its past. This purple bull was formerly owned by UK singer Jay Kay, of Jamiroquai fame, and it starred in the music video for Kay’s “Cosmic Girl” 21 years ago. Provenance, folks. The video is little more than Kay and friends driving mountain roads in the Diablo, a Ferrari F40, and a Ferrari F355. It looks like fun. It looks like a Petrolicious video, if we’re being honest. Somehow, Jay Kay and his associates managed to wreck an identical Diablo during filming. But that just adds to the lore, doesn’t it? This is the car that survived.

Despite a production span of 11 years, fewer than 3,000 Diablos were made. While “ordinary” Diablos tend to fetch $90,000–$200,000, depending on year and spec, these SE30s are the ones to own and have really begun to catch on with collectors. Prices are climbing as a result. RM Sotheby’s failed to sell a different Viola Metallic SE30 at $400,000 in May, but a year ago the auction firm hit big in Monaco with car #132, in even more desirable Jota spec, which sold for $760,000.

So this $726,609 ask on Jay Kay’s old ride isn’t totally astronomical. But it is cosmic. Buy it for yourself at Amari Supercars.