To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Abu Dhabi event, 30
November 2019.
Estimate:
$400,000 - $500,000
- Upgraded with Miura-style 40 IDL Weber downdraught
carburettors
- Repainted in its original colours and retains its original
engine
- Recently serviced in addition to previous work done by
Lamborghini specialist Rene Ruch
Whereas recent Lamborghinis have been named after bulls or
bullfighting, the word Countach has its origins as a phrase used by
Piedmontese men to describe the moment of laying eyes on a
beautiful woman. No wonder, then, that Lamborghini chose it for its
groundbreaking supercar when it launched the Lamborghini Countach
LP400 in 1974.
Few cars have caused such a stir in the automotive world, and the
man responsible for the outrageous design was a then relatively
inexperienced Marcello Gandini of Bertone. Unconstrained by trivial
matters like user friendliness or ergonomics, Gandini let his
imagination run wild for the Countach, and the result was one of
the most striking cars of the 20th century. Impossibly low, wide,
and angular, it was poles apart from anything that had come before,
and it changed the design ethos for nearly every supercar that
followed, especially those from Lamborghini. The mid-mounted V-12
engine, forward-located cabins, and scissor door arrangement of the
Diablo, Murci�lago, and Aventador can all trace their origins to
Gandini's Countach.
Perhaps the most significant innovation was the arrangement of the
powertrain; where the Miura had already pioneered a mid-engined
V-12 layout, the Countach engineering team, led by Paolo Stanzani,
chose to take the concept one step further and installed the engine
longitudinally. What's more, they also managed to mid-mount the
transmission by moving the output shaft to the front of the engine
rather than the rear. Drive was then channelled via a propshaft
that ran through the engine's oil sump to a rear differential and
through to the rear wheels. This format not only increased
stability by keeping mass in the centre of the car, but also
allowed the gear linkage to be shortened, thus improving its
action, whilst also permitting far easier access to engine
ancillaries for servicing and maintenance.
This 1979 Countach is a Series I LP400S, and it is noteworthy for
its optional V-shaped rear wing and its engine upgrades.
Lamborghini had experienced reliability issues with early Countach
prototypes, and the original intention to launch the car with a
5.0-litre version of the V-12 was scrapped in favour of using the
same 3.9-litre V-12 as used in the Miura. However, due to the
packaging requirements of the engine bay, the downdraught Webers
were changed for side-draft Weber 45 DCOE carburettors, and peak
power output was slightly lower than that of a Miura SV as a
result. This obviously mattered to Heinz Steber, a former owner of
this particular car in the 1980s who also owned a Miura, as he
chose to have the engine fettled by a specialist in Luxembourg to
have the same downdraught 40 IDL Webers as used in the Miura. The
car retains this unique configuration today.
It has spent the majority of its life in Germany and Switzerland
before being purchased by its current owner in 2014, when it had
just had a new clutch fitted and had its engine thoroughly
overhauled by Lamborghini specialist Rene Ruch. Soon after the
sale, the car was sent to KP Performance in Bahrain, where it was
given a full respray in original colours. It has been lightly used
since but always looked after, and it benefits most recently from
having a comprehensive service, during which the fuel lines were
replaced and carburettors tuned. It presents very well indeed, its
paintwork blemish-free, and its original navy blue interior is a
testament to a life of care and attention. Just 50 Series I LP400s
were produced, and few are likely to be as tidy as this example, or
have such an interesting history.
Please note the temporary import symbol incorrectly references the
EU. It should reference the UAE.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/ad19.