► ‘As-new’ Lamborghini Countach at auction
► A remarkable 155 miles on the odometer
► Set for sale in Arizona by RM Sothebys
Here’s your chance to rewind the clock to 1990 and snap up what is essentially a brand new version of one of the greatest supercars of all time.
RM Sothebys is selling this remarkable Lamborghini Countach with just 155 miles on the clock at its Arizona sale on Thursday 26 January 2023. It carries an estimate of $750,000 – $1 million (£606k – £808k) and is believed to be the lowest-mileage Countach in the world.
The final model year 1990 25th Anniversary rolled off the Sant’Agata Bologenese factory line in August 1989 in a relatively muted metallic black paint over grey leather.
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Paperwork presented by the auctioneers suggests it was sold in February 1990 to a doctor in Detroit for $275,000 (£222k in today’s money). Remarkably, it reappeared at the supplying dealer, Clark Motor Company in Ohio, in 2007 with just eight miles on the clock, suggesting it was more of an art installation than a red-blooded driving machine.
It was bought by a collector and regularly inspected, started and taken for short spins to keep the 5.2-litre V12 in working order. RM Sothebys says that the Lambo still rides on its original Pirelli P Zero tyres and has a full set of original documentation, including manuals, brochures and 1990 registration paperwork.
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Not for nothing has this become Lamborghini’s poster child of the supercar era. The 25th Anniversary model was unveiled at the 1988 Italian Grand Prix to mark a quarter of a century of outrageousness and it was worked upon by Horacio Pagani, then the engineering chief of the supercar maker’s new composites division.
Updates included revised air intakes for the brakes and engine, a raised nose design and new two-piece 15-inch alloy wheels that were wider than the rims fitted to the 5000 QV.
The interior (above) benefited from electric windows, power-adjusted seat backs, a fresh steering wheel design and a more powerful air-conditioning system.
Mechanically, this Countach was identical to the 5000 QV: 0-the 62mph took a raucous 4.7 seconds and the factory quoted a top speed of 183.3mph. Just 657 were manufactured.
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