This Stunning 1989 Lamborghini Countach Is Up for Auction, but Time Is Ticking
Tick-tock, tick-tock. Time is running out for bidding on one of the most coveted, most charismatic Lamborghini Countach supercars ever to be offered by the Bring a Trailer online-auction site. This fire-truck-red 1989 Countach is one of just 658 examples of the 25th Anniversary edition built from 1988 to 1990.
While the breathtaking lines of the original scissor-doored Countach came from the drawing board of legendary Bertone designer Marcello Gandini, it was Horacio Pagani, an engineer at Lamborghini at the time, who came up with the polarizing body modifications for the 25th Anniversary version. Pagani specified carbon and Kevlar body panels, fin-straked sill extensions, and mid-positioned air intakes—at more of an angle—with long slats on top, all to improve aerodynamics and increase cooling airflow to that big V-12.
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This particular car is especially rare on account of having its iconic 5.2-liter V-12 fitted with six Weber downdraft carburetors, as opposed to the more common fuel-injection configuration. For the 25th Anniversary variant, the Bizzarrini-designed 12-cylinder engine—with those Weber downdraft carbs—was rated at 449 hp. That was a 35 hp increase over the fuel-injected versions that came stateside. According to magazine road tests at the time, the carbureted Countach could run from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 183 mph, making it one of the fastest supercars of its day.
Also adding to the notable nature of this example is the fact that it was first sold in its native Italy by dealer EmilianAuto S.p.A. of Bologna, 50 miles from the Lamborghini factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, making it a more-desirable, full Euro-spec specimen.
Based on the listing presented by Bring a Trailer, the car resided in Italy until 2014, when it was then shipped to the UK. There, it underwent a full mechanical refresh that included a new clutch, new cam belt and carb tune-up. Just before it was imported into the US, in 2022, it was given a fresh coat of Rosso Siviglia paint. Today, this Countach is being offered by exotics specialist WOB Cars, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and it shows just over 15,000 kilometers (9,600 miles) on the odometer.
Currently, the vehicle has a high bid of $475,000 with only one day to go. That’s well below the $550,000 fetched by the black 1989 25th Anniversary example originally owned by rocker Rod Stewart, which sold on the online-auction site in March.
Yet for the top-priced Countach models, look no further than the earliest examples. At February’s Artcurial auction in Paris, a rare 1975 Countach LP400 went for roughly $1.05 million. Bring a Trailer’s auction ends on Thursday, April 27, at 1 p.m. PT. To check out the listing, visit here. It’s worth taking a look just to see the in-car driving video.
Click here for more photos of this 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary edition.
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