Location: Santa Monica, California

$360,250 USD | Sold

Addendum

Please note that due to California emissions, this car can only be offered to a dealer or out-of-state resident. Please see an Auctions America Car Specialist for more details.

Founded in 1963, Lamborghini has built a reputation of making some of the most exotic and wildly styled supercars in the world. Sporting an out-of-this-world design, the Countach has become synonymous with the term supercar, and in 1988 it had the distinction of being the platform upon which Lamborghini would celebrate its upcoming 25th anniversary.

The Countach debuted in 1974, but it wasn’t until February 1976 until Road & Track magazine staffers got their hands on one to put it through its paces in one of the magazines highly respected road tests. The cover of the magazine didn’t hold anything close to the vest. “Countach! Fastest Car We’ve Ever Tested” was the byline. Their enthusiasm for the car was in full evidence; “Those who decried man’s journeys to the moon as flights of madness need not read further, because the same type of dedication, blind enthusiasm and technical advancement that led to those initial space triumphs is seen in the Lamborghini Countach. If you don’t love cars, don’t even try to understand the Countach.

Its no-holds-barred, cost-no-object design is, on one hand, one of extremes and excesses and, on the other hand, a mobile demonstration representing the pinnacle of automotive design, technical achievement and sophistication, the likes of which we will probably never see again. We can think of few cars that are endowed with the emotional and visual charisma of the Countach.”

As the car developed over the years, the battle for the honor of building the world’s fastest production sports car had long since come down to just two marques: Ferrari and Lamborghini. Every tenth of a second from 0- to 60-mph was bitterly contested, as was the all-important top speed figure in the contest for the wallets of the wealthy clientele. It was an enjoyable battle to observe as the two giants built increasingly quicker cars in this noble pursuit. Showdowns between the latest machines from the two marques became a semi-regular occurrence on the cover of Road & Track and based on the frequency, their readers ate it up.

As the years progressed, and for the first time since Chrysler took over, Lamborghini had instituted new styling changes. The anniversary edition featured more than 500 changes in total, including an upgraded Alpine sound system, restyled front air dam and air intakes, front and side skirting and wide wheel flares. All-new 15-inch alloy three piece wheels with the famed five-vent design were manufactured by O.Z. Racing and shod with Pirelli P-Zero 345/35 ZR15 tires that gave the car greatly needed assistance putting its monstrous power to the pavement.

The 25th Anniversary Countach was unveiled at the 1988 Formula One Italian Grand Prix at Monza and would become, to many, the most desirable form of the car. The new Countach retained the same striking visual flamboyance and incredible performance that Lamborghini’s customers had come to love; special 25th Anniversary badging confirmed the car’s special status.

The example offered here is one of only a reported 658 Anniversary examples built. It shows just 6,500 actual miles on the odometer from new and has one high-quality repaint that was applied within the past few years at a cost of $30,000. At this same time, all of the wheels were refinished and the badges were refurbished as well. It is in wonderful condition and is finished in red with a tan leather interior. Equipped with the 5,167-cc, 425-hp V-12 engine with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, five-speed manual transmission, ventilated disc brakes at all four corners, power windows and power seats; the Lamborghini also is accompanied by its books and tools.

This was easily the most advanced Countach ever offered and the most desirable variant. In fact, it is widely regarded as the best road-going Countach in terms of handling and reliability as well.

This Countach offers the discerning collector a chance to purchase one of the most widely recognized supercars ever produced, an icon of 1980s ostentation, and in many ways the same as it left the factory. In 2004, American car magazine Sports Car International named the car number three on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s, and listed it number ten on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/ca15/lots/r0144-1989-lamborghini-countach-25th-anniversary-edition-by-bertone/