To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Fort
Lauderdale event, 29 - 30 March 2019.
Estimate:
$220,000 - $260,000
- 425-bhp, 5.2-liter DOHC V-12 engine with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel
injection
- Five-speed manual transmission
- One of just 657 25th Anniversary editions
- Less than 12,400 km
It took just one event for the voluptuous Lamborghini Miura to
become yesterday's news: the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. It was under
Geneva's bright lights where Lamborghini took the wraps off of the
wedge-designed LP500 prototype.
The Marcello Gandini-penned LP500's crisp, geometric lines and
scissor-type door hinges may not have been as much of a shock to
show goers as Lamborghini's announcement that the concept car would
go into production within a few years. The LP500 show car would
later be used as a testing and development vehicle before a second
prototype was revealed in Geneva in 1973. A bright yellow third
prototype considered to be the first true Countach debuted in 1974,
this time with a 5.1-in. longer body to accommodate a more
practical, spacious interior.
When the Countach finally went on sale in 1974, it boasted a
Miura-derived 3.9-liter V-12 engine wedged longitudinally behind
the passenger compartment. A five-speed manual transmission hurtled
374 hp to the rear wheels with authority. The Countach became a
legend in its own time. Within the next 15 years, its V-12 grew to
5.2 liters and made use of the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injection
system.
As Lamborghini's 25th Anniversary as a carmaker approached, the
company tasked Horatio Pagani with updating the Countach's look
with larger intakes with strakes for better airflow and a
pronounced rear bumper set below slimmer taillights. Just 657
examples of the Countach 25th Anniversary were built, each capable
of sprinting to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds.
The 25th Anniversary Countach offered here is painted black over
light tan leather with black piping. Its odometer shows less than
12,400 km. Aside from a modern Alpine DVD head unit with satellite
radio, the Countach is presented in unmodified condition and
retains its rear-mounted 25th Anniversary badge.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/fl19.
