Car of the Week: This Pristine Lamborghini Countach Is One of the Last ’80s Models Ever Made. Now It’s up for Grabs.
Any car lover with a pulse reacts instinctively to the sight of a Lamborghini Countach. The heart rate increases and there’s a rush of adrenaline as the shape excites a primal response like few automotive models can. The most evolved and user-friendly Countach is arguably the LP5000 QV, and this example available on Cars & Bids checks all the boxes.
Doug DeMuro, founder of Cars & Bids and well known for his online reviews, says of Lamborghini’s Countach, “It’s quite possibly the coolest sports car of all time. That wedge shape is still the stuff of childhood dreams, 50 years after it first came out. This one is a late-production car—though not the controversial Anniversary model—with big power and in a truly sensational color. Part of me wants it for myself.”
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Lamborghini’s Countach had a long life, built from 1974 through 1990, with 1,983 examples comprising the model’s sixteen-year production run. Developed to succeed the Miura, and from the pen of the same designer, Marcello Gandini, the Countach LP500 prototype was unveiled at the 1971 Geneva Auto show to an astonished crowd. By 1974, the LP400 was coming off the production line as a hand-built dream car for the marque’s best customers.
Only 157 of the rare “Periscopo” variant, so called because of its novel rearview mirror, were made before it became clear that improvements—mostly in the way of new, wider tires and some creature comforts—were in order. By 1985, the Countach had become a more drivable car and, like most of its owners, had added a few inches and pounds. The interior afforded greater comfort, such as was possible with a vehicle that featured scissor doors and two reclining, hip-hugging bucket seats.
Importantly, it was what dwelled behind the driver that was important; a V-12 engine bored and stroked to 5.2 liters and with an extra two valves per cylinder. Thus named the LP5000 QV (Quattrovalvole, four valves), it makes about 414 hp, a healthy number of horses for the time.
With 631 examples of the Countach LP5000 QV built, its production volume was only exceeded by its successor, the 25th Anniversary Countach, of which 657 were made. While nearly mechanically identical, the latter featured restyling by Horacio Pagani, which looked cool in period but, like a three-piece polyester disco suit, has suffered the test of time and the scrutiny of contemporary taste.
This pristine example of the LP5000 QV is one of the last versions, and is one of the few to wear the Pagani-styled rocker panels. Factory equipment includes 15-inch OZ wheels, the signature rear wing, and updated automatic climate control, specific to the 1988.5 model-year cars. Modifications are limited to an Ansa exhaust, a Euro-style front bumper, and removal of the U.S.-spec rubber bumperettes at the rear.
The consignor, Matthew Ivanhoe of the Cultivated Collector, says, “The Lamborghini Countach is certainly among the top-five most iconic cars. What is less well known is that a good Countach is a quite pleasant—dare I say easy—yet thrilling car to drive. This example is the final evolution of the original Gandini shape . . . [and] is exceptionally rare in configuration. Over 80 percent of QVs were produced in red, and with this car being one of nine in Giallo Fly, this is truly a rare bird.”
Although a stateside-market car, it’s equipped with a metric odometer showing 17,300 km, or about 10,800 miles. The ultimate late-model Countach, it will be featured by Cars & Bids in an online auction running through Monday, May 22.
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Click here for more photos of this Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV on offer through Cars & Bids.
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