Vehicle Description
1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopicas/n 1120064, engine no.
1120064 Tahiti Blue with Tobacco Interior Automotive history is
lined with a century of achievements worthy of praise. But at the
very top tier of excellence and design audacity, you simply cannot
surpass the extraordinary Lamborghini Countach. Decades after the
introduction, the Countach still remains the definitive supercar,
ultimately changing everything we thought we knew about performance
and beauty. The Countach not only changed paradigms of performance
and design, enthusiasts and competitors worldwide quickly
recognized that a fledgling company barely a decade old was about
to show the world that a new leader had arrived.Unveiled at the
1971 Geneva Motor Show, few were prepared for the shock of the
Gandini penned V12 powered mid-engine Countach. Unlike many one-off
show cars that serve mostly as inspiration, Lamborghini shocked the
world again when they announced the Countach would be a production
car. The daring cab-forward architecture, longitudinal V12 engine,
low profile, and aggressively chiseled geometric design captivated
everyone with visions of the future. After three long years from
the debut of the LP500, the design was revised to the LP400
delivering an achievable production car without compromising the
Gandini design. The Countach not only became an instant performance
legend, it immediately became the ultimate object of performance
desire, celebrated in posters, advertisements, movies, and exotic
car showrooms throughout the world. Arguably the father of modern
supercars today, Lamborghini continues to shock the public with
their radical performance offerings, but none today have so
indelibly made their mark on dreamers and enthusiasts than the
Lamborghini Countach.In production for approximately fifteen years,
the pure shape of the early LP400 Countach, void of later mandated
import modifications, various aerodynamic trim, and with the
properly proportioned low front profile, is a masterwork of
automotive design. These earliest production versions offered
unobstructed clarity of the original Gandini concept contained in a
drivable exotic. Among the many celebrated and innovative details
exclusively featured on early cars is the Periscopica roof
configuration. This innovative feature was derived from the low
profile of the rear window in relation to the roofline,
dramatically angled windshield, and driver position. A traditional
rearview mirror would simply not allow a clear view of the rear of
the car. In response to this problem, the roof was channeled in the
center and recessed allowing a periscopic view of the rear through
the cleverly dropped roof section in between driver and passenger.
Only 158 cars were built with this unique and desirable feature. In
recent years, astute collectors have specifically collected these
rare early Periscopica examples for their rarity and unique body
design. This particular matching numbers Countach, #1120064 is the
32nd one constructed of the 158 Bertone bodied Periscopica cars.
According to Lamborghini factory records this Countach was
originally finished in Blu Metallizzato with Tobacco leather
interior and shipped on March 2, 1975 to Al Mansour Trading, the
official concessionaire to customers in Saudi Arabia. Contained in
the factory records, a second Countach, #1120062, just one car
earlier, had been delivered to the same Saudi location with that
car selling new to Prince Mansour bin Mishal, a member of the House
of Saud. Though the first owner is not known by name, it is likely
they were of high status given the exorbitant cost of these cars
when new. By the 1980s, #1120064 was sold to a resident of
Mayen-Koblenz, Germany and painted black. By the early 2000s, the
car exited Germany and was sold to an Italian collector who
repainted the car to the correct original color.In 2015, an
American collector purchased the car from Romagna Motorsport Srl,
Ravena, Italy, and imported it to the states. Upon arrival the car
was delivered to Restoration and Performance Motorscars (RPM),
Vermont where servicing has been performed on a regular basis
throughout the past five years. In July 2015, all brake calipers
were removed and overhauled. While the brakes were off, the shocks
were removed and sent out to be rebuilt. Suspension bushings were
tended to, new needle bearings installed up front, and left and
right rear spherical bearings were also removed, serviced, and
replaced. In September 2015, the brakes and shocks were returned
from the rebuild vendors and installed with testing and detailing
including oil and brake fluid change, transaxle oil, a new battery,
and various brake hoses. In 2018 the car was further serviced with
new spark plugs, carb jet and float chamber cleaning, distributors
rebuilt, and fuel diaphragm replaced. With the rebuilt parts
returned, the car was started and tested showing satisfactory
results. Further work in early 2019 included removing both fuel
tanks for repair. Careful and expert workmanship resulted in
resealing both tanks with proper materials and reassembling to the
tight body interior dimensions using proper rivet and welding
methods and correct specification 3M rubberized coatings for
improved longevity. Odometer reading at this time was 20,951 kms
with total invoices over the past five years exceeding $25,000.00.
Today, with just 21,060 kms indicated on the odometer, this
Countach LP 400 Periscopica presents as a beautiful example of
brilliant design and engineering. The early body design is clean
and pure, particularly the crisp lines and geometric forms so
vividly depicted in this color. The recessed Carello driving
lights, flanked by thin vertical vent slots, bring the front of the
car to a near knife edge, remarkably close to the original Gandini
concept. Hovering over the road, this gorgeous feature is even more
remarkable when compared to the later year heavy bumper cars. It is
astonishing to note that in profile, the front bumper line is
positioned well below the front wheel axle center a dimension
impossible to achieve in modern cars today.The vivid blue paint is
glossy with excellent depth showing smooth coverage and quality
detailing throughout. The correctly finished satin black louvered
trim, clean and unmarked glass, and crisply detailed emblems are
excellent condition. The distinctive front indicator light lenses
and bright red taillights are properly polished to a high gloss.
The unmistakable and first of their kind production scissor doors
open and close smoothly via cleverly concealed push button knobs
hidden inside the twin NACA duct side intakes. Both doors smoothly
swing open and shut with confidence, revealing clean inner door
surfaces also finished to the same level of excellence as the
exterior paint. The hood and trunk both open and shut properly and
show excellent panel gaps, likely better than original factory
specifications.The view of the Countach from the rear is simply
breathtaking. The expansive rear deck pours outward into the rear
fenders and creeps up the trapezoidal roof and flows into the
dramatically angled windshield. The only interruption to the flow
of this geometry is the recessed V shaped channel for the periscope
rear view mirror, itself a marvel of clever Italian engineering.
The beautifully finished Campagnolo factory wheels are in excellent
condition finished in the correct satin silver metallic. One of the
rear wheels shows a bit of porosity to the casting edge, typical of
original castings from this era. The car is shod with correctly
sized Michelin XWX tires with ample tread remaining. The aggressive
stance, pure body form, angular geometry, and vivid color deliver a
remarkable, energetic impression. The interior is finished in an
ideal warm tob...for more information please contact the seller.
