455HP 1989 Lamborghini COUNTACH 25th Anniversary Edition

by


1989 Lamborghini COUNTACH 25th Anniversary Edition 9

You know what they say… don’t meet your heroes.

We say… don’t meet your hero cars unless you can also drive them!

As a static piece, this very special 1989 Countach sits awkwardly among giant 60s musclecars. It is tiny in the flesh.  Much, much smaller than you would imagine.  At least two feet narrower in back than the DIablo or Murcielago, let alone the fairly gigantic Aventador.

And you’ve all heard the cabin is impossible to enter or exit. This is true. We weren’t expecting to be SO, SO SMASHED inside once in though.  Butt down, then legs in… does not work.  The leather-wrapped A-pillar is actually a leather-wrapped roll cage element — a giant metal tube in your temple.  Once in, we were even more unhappy…. head hard into the roof metal, legs folded punishingly.  This Countach has power seats…, with adjustments we couldn’t alter due to the battery being unplugged.

Even so, wow.  Hideous as first-sitting.

The rewards on the road, however, are hopefully as steep as that wedge windshield!  This example with barely 7k total miles will deliver an as-new experience… even 25-plus years later.

1989 Lamborghini COUNTACH 25th Anniversary Edition

Mecum Auctions

Lot T212 // Kissimmee 2016 // Jan 15-24

1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary
10,565 Kilometers Since New

  • Engine
    5.2/455 HP
  • Trans
    5-Speed
  • Color
    Red
  • Interior
    Ivory
ESTIMATE: $350,000 – $450,000
After the gasoline shortages, expanding EPA restrictions and choking speed limits of the late ’70s and early ’80s eroded the initial excitement for the first Lamborghini Countach, production of the revolutionary supercar from Sant’Agata was reduced to a trickle. In fact, development within Lamborghini stopped completely until the France-based Mimran Group intervened with offers of cash and a new business plan. The Mimran Group’s success attracted the interest of the then-expansive Chrysler Corporation, and by the late 1980s the factory once again bustled with activity, including an ambitious new ground-up Formula One program and engineering team headed by Ferrari’s former chief engineer Mauro Forghieri. Forghieri and his team made several refinements to both driveline and suspension, but aerodynamics and the Countach’s aging aesthetics remained an issue. The occasion of Lamborghini’s 25th anniversary was the catalyst for the overall cleanup needed to improve what would be the final edition of the Countach. The car gained new elegance with the addition of a front air dam and completely redesigned engine and cooling intakes now integrated into the body lines. New lower body work integrated with the fender flares and blended with a redesigned rear bumper. Repositioning the radiators and using larger fans improved cooling, which was among the most crucial of a plethora of internal improvements. And while the driveline was unchanged, new OZ modular wheels were used and new Pirelli Zero Asymmetrical tires replaced the old P7s.Sold new at Prestige Imports in Miami, Florida, this is one of 657 Countach 25th Anniversary Editions produced. Powered by Lamborghini’s beautiful 455 HP V-12 with 5-speed manual gearbox, it received an extensive engine service in 2014; the clutch was replaced in 2009. The car retains its original Rosso Siviglia paint, Ivory interior with Red piping and the original Pirelli tires and has been driven 10,565 kilometers since new. The tool kit, manuals, service records and Countach book are included with this factory U.S.-specification 25th Anniversary Countach.

HIGHLIGHTS

– 1 of 657 25th Anniversary Edition cars produced
– U.S. Specification model
– Sold new at Prestige Imports in Miami, Florida
– 10,565 kilometers since new
– Extensive engine service in 2014
– Clutch replaced in 2009
– Original paint and interior
– 455 HP V-12 engine
– 5-speed transmission
– Rosso Siviglia Red
– Ivory leather interior with Red piping
– Service receipts
– CarFax