Countach, the ultimate supercar

Yeah baby! I want that! That's what it's all about right there

What a great clip to start the day.

 

Another nice story.

 

Great memories, especially with this 5000S.
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Good for Davide for making the effort to record Stanzani's testimony, Simon George interviewed him for my book, he knew so many secrets.

 

Correct. The North American Alpine Downdraft had this box. It was for emissions in NA.


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I have been meaning to say what a great job Simon has done highlighting the Countach amongst classic cars in general by making the effort to take this car to a number of prominent venues and share it via social media. Bravo, I personally cannot get enough of his Viola Periscopa

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I'll soon be re-acquainted with the Nero/Bianco 1120300, I understand I am one of the few people who has seen this car in modern times.

Are we all agreed that this is the last built LP400?

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Please post some pictures if possible. I spent my 7th grade sitting next to that picture in English class (teacher was a car guy). May have influenced me. I know I spent more time looking at the photo than reading The Merchant of Venice.

 

I've posted a bunch in the thread, key in 1120300, one I took of it when I visited last

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Yes!
Built in December 1977 and consigned January 2nd 1978.

 

This car is absolutely stunning, The purple,white combo is soo,pimp,in a very good way, period correct, poss one of my favorit Countach in existence.

 

New to Steve Dypvik.

I had the good fortune to meet Steve at his home in Rancho Santa Fe and spend the day talking about this car before he passed away, amazing story, I also had the good fortune to chat about the car with the late Gary Hall, the next owner, the current owner is a family friend.

A very special Countach.

 

For the Historians who have asked me of the Vin number of the Alpine Downdraft, here it is:

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OK, I might just be throwing the cat among the pigeons...
But remember I have noble intentions, and definitely when it comes to classic Lamborghini's!
I know lots of people with different interests/objectives are reading this thread. Yet, I think it's important the right people get to know this:

Believe it or not, there are -currently- at least 12 Countach LP400 for sale in the world...
But more than this... there are about 25 others being restored at the moment (maybe 5 of them were already finished earlier this year).
Certainly I'm missing a couple more hidden in Japan or the middle-east... or in Italy!
And I'm not even including the ones that have changed hands in the past two/three years... or the past two/three months.

The LP400 market is about to collapse in the following years! I mean... BIG TIME!
So, whether you own one or will sell one, make sure it's a good one!
You know, with all the correct details, features, spec... name it like you want... I personally use the word "accuracy".
I know some investors already who are going to have a bad time, but the true enthusiasts may have a chance here! Remember, every LP400 was UNIQUE!

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PS: Nope, this is not some kind of self-advertizing for my services, many people here already know I'm helping most of the time FOR FREE (except cash-oriented brokers whom I charge about $ 500-1000 per audit or to issue a car's full history data)... It's all about giving the opportunities to real Lambo enthusiasts who may not see the upcoming challenges in collecting/restoring/selling such a rare -but soon not that rare anymore- automobile.

 

I wonder how comfortable the car is for Simon given his height?

 

I respectfully disagree. If there are 12 for sale and 25 being restored, I think prices will firm up. Actually, they already have. Especially once the available number of examples find new homes and go on to restoration and/or move into stronger hands. REAL LP400 prices are already WAY DOWN from the mania of 2014. Buyers are far more educated and have been clued in to what it would cost to mend a rough or "modded in period" example. Great PL400 are seven figures. Needy ones (especially if they have a bad history) will eventually change hands for 1/2-2/3 of that figure.

 

Sweet, put me down for three more, and let us know exactly when this is happening

Seriously though, the market moves up & down, but it's not that volatile.

Agreed on all points.

That said, IMHO the expression restoration is used loosely.

Even with the seat bolted to the floor it must be very tight, I'm 6' 2-3" and he is taller than me!

 

Interesting thoughts, thanks for sharing them as they might be seen controversial. Do you know how many of the ones which are for sale or are undergoing a restoration are owned by "investors"? Can you also say something about the restorations, are these good ones or just superficial ones to make the car good looking?

 

[QUOTE="joe sackey, IMHO the expression restoration is used loosely[/QUOTE]

Indeed the term “restoration” means different things to different people. Over the past few years, Countach values have risen to levels that make the proper remanufacture of a few variants justifiable. The amount money, patience, commitment, research and love involved in doing this is almost unfathomable to anyone who hasn’t survived the ordeal. As more and more examples go down the remanufacture path I think the “traumatic bonding” of the cars and owners will run deep. Once that happens, they become impossibly difficult to get their keepers to part with them.
If there are more examples presently being restored than are available for sale, this is a clear indication that the market for LP400 is nowhere near danger of collapse.

 

I think the “investors” have left the party.

 

...and that is a GOOD thing.

 

Here is a slight variation on a known artwork. Guy Allen kindly made it for me. It is going to be applied on my garage's door, full size!

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Interesting reactions!
I'm not playing the game of proving right or wrong, I truly appreciate the debate and to read different thoughts and opinions.
Thank you for your interest and participation.

Let's just take some examples to "analyse" the situation...
We have some LP400 available for quite a while now already: 1120088, 1120110, 1120154, 1120172, 1120260, 1120292...
Why are they still not sold? Which one is a good buy? How to tell?
_ 1120292 was for sell in 2016 for $ 1'975'000 "negociable". Now at 1.4 M it's still unsold.
_ Owners of 1120110 were ready to let it go for 1.2-1.3 M last year. Would be a round million acceptable now? Too cheap I've been told last time I asked.
_ 1120154 was available for 1 Million already for two years. Nobody bought it. Why?
_ Was 1120260 correctly restored?
_ I've been offered 1120088 for some collectors twice this year already. Why did they all turn the offer down? How wrong is that car though it looks gorgeous?
_ What's wrong with 1120172 though it goes to lots of concours and is well advertized?
And then more cars pop up...
_ Recently several people showed interest for 1120100 at about $ 950'000. But in the end they all retracted their offer because they were thinking the engine is not original to the car. Were they right to think so? What kind of proof do they have? How can the owner prove the engine is good?
_ The very last surviving Gold Countach of the 1970s changed hands last year for a ridiculous amount I may not disclose here... and is available now again. Will it sell for what it's really worth?
_ Last year was sold 1120062 for € 817'600 and will be available again this year. Will it sell for more? Who wants to bet?
_ Nobody seem to show any serious interest for 1120028 and 1120094 available in the UK now. What's wrong with them?
_ Three months ago, 1120016 sold for € 638'250. In need of a serious restoration, but did seller and buyer know how special that car was when new? Will it be restored to its former glory with the correct details? Will it be available again soon?
_ 1120104 is finally being taken care of after a long sleep of 20 years. What will it sell for? I know several collectors who won't pay even $ 600'000 for it. But they would pay that sum for its roomate 1120290 that has a unique color combo. Oh, maybe that one is already sold... and nobody even heard of that VIN before.
_ Owner of 1120018 was ready to sell his Countach 3 years ago. He didn't know how unique that car once was. Maybe now he does. Will it affect the price? Nope. Prices have dropped already. He missed the opportunity. Will he keep it for fifteen more years then?
_ The owner of 1120030 won't let go his silver baby for less than he bought it for. Do you know how much he paid?
_ The biggest Lamborghini collector in the world has now 5 LP400. Will he buy a 6th one? 2 of them were not restored properly... but he doesn't mind.
_ One of the Wolf Countach might be available for $ 15 Millions. Will it sell? Would the owner accept a more realistic 5 Milllion offer?
_ Someone offered 1 Million for a LP400 that doesn't have any VIN or identity. Owner said the offer was too low. I would not buy it for even 50'000 myself!
_ 1120230 changed hands last year for a price other LP400 still couldn't. Why?
_ There are people believing the factory restored 1120182 to original colors. Do you think the color 'Bianco Perlato' existed during the production era?
_ Simon bought his green 1120010 for almost 2 M with taxes in 2014. How much would it sell now? Does he actually would like to sell it or to keep it forever?
_ 1120044, 1120076, 1120212, 1120270... who can tell which one is in original condition, which one is a good buy? We haven't seen these for 20 years. If you have only 800'000 bucks to spend, which one is worth it? Which one is a big joke?
_ Would you let the Polo Storico remove the Periscopio of your LP400 if they told you it had a flat roof when new in 1975? Would you believe them? Would it affect the value of that car?

Just to show you how complex that market truly is.
Earlier I used the word collapse in the sense of price-drop, not interest-drop. And from an average 1.5 M now down to 900'000, it has already started.
Many people out there can spend 150'000 to 300'000 for a nice Diablo. But once we are beyond the half-million line, it's clearly another game.
Are there really more or at least as many enthusiasts in and out there with enough money to keep the LP400 market attractive?
In no way am I pretending to be a know-it-all. What I wish is to trigger some thinking among enthusiasts.

 

what ever happened to this 1983 5000 S restoration project?
http://findclassicars.com/lamborghini/34192-1983-lamborghini-countach-5000s-great-summer-project-clean-carfax-clean-title.html

 

I think it is safe to say that we ALL know that when we are told, or read, restoration, that we inquire the words that should be put before the word restoration.
Pebble Beach
Nut and bolt
Mechanical
Cosmetic
Freshen up
Light
Backyard

Throw your own in there.