Countach, the ultimate supercar

I want to say that it is being restored by a member here DaniT.
He is in the process of restoring three Countach's. If you follow through the thread below you should find it.
I believe everyone here will acknowledge the fact that he is doing an incredible job on all of these. Sincerely Vic

https://ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/qv-fi-87-hla12144-full-restoration.509425/

 

Your correct.

 

You also need to consider what is actually on the market vs who is fishing. If an owner is looking for say 20% above market is it really for sale? I don’t know all of the cars you mentioned but I was looking for a Periscopo for some time as you know. In my experience nearly every car had an unrealistic price given the circumstances; some had an engine that wasn’t stamped, others were over stating the quality of their restoration, others didn’t make sense given currency and import costs. Many cars are in between the condition of a car needing a full restoration and a well done car. The list goes on. At the end of my search, I realized that while I love the design of the Periscopo, I love the later design equally as much and the driving experience of my Downdraft was all around better (including the room in the car which was tight even at 5’10”) and so I decided I didn’t need another Countach and moved on to other cars that offered a different experience altogether. Perhaps this has happened to others who have gotten disenchanted by unrealistic asking prices on overrepresented cars. That said, I do think a properly restored car wouldnt have a problem selling at a market correct price, which has certainly come down from a few auction results of 2014.

 

Agreed!

 

BTW, I know you have an incredible wealth of knowledge AND really value your input here... but you also said the same thing about Miura S and SV values about two years ago...

Since that time, all the good cars have been sold and anything new to market is at a massive premium.

 

Yes. We all need to remember that during the mania of 2014, people whether they were actual enthusiasts or speculators were buying these cars eyes closed. All buyers were concerned about was getting in while they still could. When they they actually became acquainted with their new acquisitions, I'm sure that more than a few if these buyers were dissapointed. Hence many changed hands multiple times at lower and lower prices over the past few years. Savvy buyers today realize that in order for a Countach to live up to their dreams/expectations it really needs to be in top shape. Buying an already well sorted or properly restored example is the best way to go. "Buy cheap, but twice".... "Frugal Countach buyer pays the most"...

 

Thank you all for your well-measured inputs!
Good to see things from different eyes than mine, slightly biased by the prism of a Periscopio sometimes
Let's see which LP400 will follow who's predictions within the followning months and years...

 

I think your data point of EURO 638,250 or Approx $750K USD illustrates roughly what a needy but complete running and driving "10 footer" LP400 is worth nowadays. I think the price realized was strong taking in to account that it had a non original engine. I think that in order to command seven figures they have to be MUCH nicer...
I think that the market has a solid footing where it is. That said, I don't think prices will escalate from here until immaculate concourse restorations of these cars are the rule rather than the exception. These restorations take years, so once these sparkling LP400s emerge in the custody of well heeled enthusiasts the price of entry will become very steep indeed.

 

Are we on page 1000 yet?

 

Almost

 

[

The top shelf stuff is always good.

We average about 25 posts per page, so a bit more to go.

 

One thing that complicates the market is that the Countach is one of the most difficult and most expensive cars there is to restore. Lots of cars out there that need lots of money spent on them to make them right. As you start to take apart the car you realize it was not far off a show car and not designed to be easily dismantled!

That said, ridiculously satisfying if not expensive projects. As the cars cross the threshold where they are worth restoring you will see another level. Just like what happened with Muira. Muira s languished for a while. Everyone you saw was needy, and prices low. Years later with cars restored the values soared. We’ve seen the Lp400s go this way, then the low bodies, now the DDs, and last will be the other variants.

But I still think that as the children of the 80s start getting into peak earning potential. The key demographic for these cars have not fully reached top earning potential. And more emerging markets awaken in Asia, these cars are going to have a higher than general market upward trend where most are 1M plus.


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one thing to note:
some cars today are still "cheap", i mean very good value for money, while others are already very expensive
i mean at a prince range that makes them out of range for many


as Victor said you can still buy a nice early or VT diablo for 150.000 euro, may be a bit less
if you consider a range of 150-300 you can buy almost any diablo besides GT and Jotas ....so you have a wide spectrum of cars to choose from

you need to spend around 1M for a nice LP400 and if you get a "less than average one" and restore it carefully, the amount will be may be even higher
and at that price level...almost anyone will do a lot of research before pulling the trigger and does not buy anything that is short of cristal clear history and proveneance, with a reason.

i am not sayng a diablo is the same thing as an LP400... of course one if much more important for lamborghini and supercar history, but we can all agree at 1M price range there is a limited market and you have nice alternatives
at diablo price range the market is much bigger and not many nice alternatives imo

 

....and the more complicated a story the less likely it is to be true...

 

Fitting in one of these things depends on several factors. Height is the most obvious, but weight is another. If you have a big(ish) keester /waistline this will have a big impact on your ultimate comfort and headroom. The ultimate deciding factor is how badly you WANT to fit. Simon is tall but thin. He appears to (just) fit. Mostly because he WANTS TO;-)

 

Near Geneva, in Bellevue I guess. Great to see those cars driven.

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That seat appears to be in a lower position than stock?

 

I looked into seat mods & decided to just move the seat a little closer to the wheel and tilt it back as much as possible. Another possibility is to change the seat(s), however the banana seat is such a part of the Countach styling that I could just not do that.