In this week’s Wednesday Want we’ve found something truly special in the classified adverts and thought it really deserved some attention. You can check out past Wednesday Want entries right here.
The subject for this week comes straight from the bedroom walls of car enthusiasts across the globe. This is, of course, none other than one of the most iconic cars in automotive history — the Lamborghini Countach.
When Lamborghini wanted to replace the Miura with an updated model, it turned to famed design Marcello Gandini. If you haven’t heard of Gandini, chances are you know his work well. As a designer for the Italian firm Bertone, Gandini is responsible for cars such as the Lancia Stratos, Bugatti EB110, and Alfa Romeo Montreal.
Gandini also penned the Miura, which is why he was the perfect candidate to design the next generation of “big Lambos”.
Using the new “Italian Wedge” design language, Gandini gave the world a shape that became a focal point of supercar design for decades.
Gandini is also credited with pioneering the scissor doors that continue on as a staple of Lambo cars today.
With the design set, Lamborghini set to improve the performance over the outgoing Muira.
The earlier generation of the Countach came with the same 3.9-liter, 370hp, V12 from the Muira. However, as the car evolved so did its engine. By the time the Quattrovalvole came around in the mid-80s the Countach had a massive 5.2-liter V12 with 455 ponies.
The example we found from the RM Sotheby’s catalog isn’t a Gandini car though. As a 25th Anniversary model, its design update comes from another famous named: Horacio Pagani.
For the 25th anniversary of the company, Lamborghini wanted something special to kick off its celebration. The obvious choice was the Countach, but it needed some updating. This is where Pagani comes in. With nearly 500 subtle changes, Pagani gave the Countach a facelift without destroying the classic Gandini shape.
The most notable change on the 25th Anniversary is the rear air intakes. The original design didn’t channel air efficiently. With the updates, aerodynamics were improved and helped the car achieve a high top speed. Other tweaks came with new bumpers and strakes — or speed lines — to help give it more of an 80s appearance.
With these changes, the 25th Anniversary is the fastest Countach to ever roll out of Sant’Agata.
Performance figures put the top speed at 183mph and a 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds. These number put the 25th Anniversary above its main rival, the Ferrari Testarossa.
Despite the RM Sotheby’s catalog calling this example a 1991 model, the Countach actually ceased production in 1990. This was to make way for the new generation of Lambo: the Diablo.
The example we found is pretty much the cream of the crop among the 650 25th Anniversary cars produced. With just 3,465km (2,153 miles) on the clock, it’s one of the lowest mileage anniversary editions to come up for auction.
The original owner bought the car in 1989. However, they had to wait until July 31, 1991, to take ownership in Sweden. In 2014, the Countach went up for sale and transferred to an owner in Germany. Finally, it made its way to its third owner in Lithuania where it currently resides.
This Countach will hit the auction block on February 7th in Paris France. Currently, RM Sotheby’s estimates the Lambo will fetch between €250.000–€300.000 ($300,000–$360,000). Unlike previous Wants, this price seems to be right in the ballpark for a car of this caliber.
Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ree going to go fire up GT Sport and take the LP400 version of the Countach out of a spin.
See more articles on Lamborghini and Wednesday Want.
