The 1971 Geneva Motor Show was perhaps the most pivotal automotive exhibition of all time, acting as the stage for the unveiling of Marcello Gandini and Lamborghini’s paradigm-shifting supercar: the LP 500 Countach. However, when the otherworldly automobile first began prowling the streets three years later, many discovered that from behind the wheel, Gandini’s wonder wedge felt closer to the agricultural equipment that earned Ferruccio Lamborghini his fortune than the supercars that garnered his fame.
By the start of the 1980s, Lamborghini was in a dire financial situation, but luckily for the Bolognese firm, engineer Giulio Alfieri — the man responsible for the Maserati 250F, Birdcage, and 3500 GT Ghibli to name a few — planned to rectify both the Countach’s poor driving characteristics and Lamborghini’s monetary woes in one fell swoop. The solution? Bore out the Countach’s V12 from 4 to 4.8-litres, resulting in a torquier and therefore easier to drive supercar. To add even more poster car appeal, they bestowed the LP 5000 S with fender flares and a Boeing-inspired rear wing. Alfieri was right: in an instant Lamborghini’s order books were filling up faster than they could build these dream machines.
This 1982 Lamborghini LP 5000 S is the 25th example built, and presents in its fabulous original Wolf of Wall Street-style white-on-white specification. Currently showing 56,000 km on the odometer, this Countach has been regularly maintained by its current owner of 23 years and reportedly offers the driving experience to match its jaw-dropping looks. So, if you’ve been dying to add one of the most iconic automobiles of all time to your collection, don’t miss out on Aguttes’ Summer Sale on June 23rd, where this road-going UFO will head to auction.
Paris, 23 Jun
