Posted Dec 15th 2011 3:30PM
CommentsAdd
The Lamborghini Countach remains the Kleenex of supercars. Its bombastic wedgy shape was so overexposed in the 1980s, it's a wonder it didn't wind up in therapy. As the decade wore on, the Countach picked up more and more plastic surgery, but even so, mid-1980s examples have an unmatched blend of swagger and silliness. And if you're going for a car transported straight out of Tony Montana's seething dreams, don't you want to find the best one?
This black beauty offered for auction is a 1987 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole with just over 1,900 kilometres (1,200 miles) on the odometer. Countach 5000 QVs benefitted from the car's characteristic V12 being bored and stroked V12 to 5.2-litres, along with the addition of four valves per cylinder (hence the name).
U.S. market cars were unfortunately marred by federal bumpers, which this car also sports. Swing that scissor door up, and you suddenly forget about the silly appendages. Besides, the period-perfect gold phone-dial wheels and tan Connolly leather interior draw your eyes, and a little time with a socket wrench would net you a sleeker, bumperette-free silhouette, anyway.
Current bidding on eBay Motors sits at US$130,000, which means this Countach is about the same price now as it was when it first left Sant'Agata – fitting for a car that presents as new as this one. Of course, the reserve price isn't met, so who knows what the seller is hoping to get out of the sale. While we might prefer the design purity (and comparative rarity) of earlier LP400 models, even Countach detractors have to step back and admire this car. It'd be hard to fight the urge to drive this thing everywhere – even milk runs would become an experience.
