O-to-60 in $275,545

ByCraig Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Todd Foster gets an advance peek at the new Lamborghini Diablo Roadster yesterday at the First Hawaiian Auto Show at the Blaisdell Center. The annual auto show opens today and runs through the weekend.

The Lamborghini Diablo Roadster is one of the more exotic cars featured at the First Hawaiian auto show

By Jerry Tune
Star-Bulletin

A Lamborghini Diablo Roadster, priced at $275,545, is the among the more exotic cars at the 21st First Hawaiian Bank auto show, which opens today at the Blaisdell Center.

More than 300 new 1998 cars, trucks and recreational vehicles are part of the show, which runs from noon to 9 p.m. The show, which is free, continues tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Lamborghini uses 492 horsepower to go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.0 seconds, without leaving first gear, said Roy Andres at Las Collezione Nicolai, a division of the JN Automotive Group.

It has a top speed of 202 miles per hour.

The Lamborghini, named 1997 exotic car of the year by the Robb Report, will be carried by JN Chevrolet at 2999 N. Nimitz Highway, near the airport.

The nine-foot long car is low to the ground but the electronic suspension system allows it to raise up nine inches with the press of a button, Andres said.

There are only 300 of the the roadsters in the world, he added.

The auto show also will showcase the new, sleek version of the Volkswagen Beetle but unlike the classic "Bug," this model has its engine in the front. The new Beetle will sell for about $18,000.

Many of the auto makers are changing designs for the upscale sports sedan market, and improved safety features also are common. Toyota has revamped doors and optional side-impact bars for the Corolla.

General Motors Corp.'s new OnStar cellular phone-based communications system will be available as a dealer-installed option on some models.

This enables the driver to get information via satellite on directions, and also get emergency help or even make dinner or movie reservations. The cost is $1,000 plus a $22.50 a month service charge, according to Schuman Carriage.

Two cars will be given away at the First Hawaiian Bank auto show: a 1998 Nissan Frontier XE 4X2 truck and a 1998 Suzuki Esteem GL wagon.