Official Countach Value Thread

Thanks! So LP400 - highest value, then LP400S/LP500S (also known as LP5000S, all 2V and all sidedrafts) with wheel arches and LP5000 QV with FI for USA and Downdraft for Europe, then same for the 25th Annirversary (least value)?

 

Mostly because that car is a candidate for restoration.

 

Not exactly, highest value to lowest value is LP400 > Downdraft & LP400S S1 > LP400S S2 > LP400S S3 & LP500S > 25th > Fuelie.

 

Thanks! So Downdraft is 5000 QV with the highest power, Fuelie is 5000 QV with Fuel Injection and less power. Was not expecting it to be the last but good so. Will be getting one in the next couple of years...

 

5000S has sidedraft carbs. It's a bigger motor than the 400S and bigger carbs- Weber 45mm. Aside from that it's similar to the 400S with just minor differences Lambos tend to have (little things like different radio, different climate controls etc).

5000S is rated at 375 HP, just like the 400S. QV is rated at 420 or 455.

At 268K that's an amazing deal. I don't anything about that car but I do know that once in a while someone needs to sell and buyers can score a deal, like on the Colorado Black 400S David Anderson sold last year. It rarely happens but every once in a while someone gets lucky.

 

Interesting observation, however, is that while a handful of LP400 cars have sat on the global market without buyers, in some cases for well over a year, downdrafts are quickly acquired by eager and discerning buyers.

 

The formula amongst variants can change over time with any make or model of car, one day I see Periscopas at a par with Downdrafts which are gaining in their direction, after all they are the ultimate performing version of a very iconic sports car.

 

Sold yet another Countach Downdraft for $644,000 exactly today, congratulations to the super-excited new owner for fulfilling a long-term goal.

 

S1 would pull more dollars than a DD in most circumstances.

 

Possibly, that said I think they are about par right now based on our Private Treaty numbers as we have Downdraft numbers up to $840k, meanwhile, the I see S1 numbers softening versus Downdraft numbers strengthening a bit.

Let's see what 1121096 in the UK actually brings.

 

I'd have easily agreed with that statement in the past, but I'm not so sure now as things are always changing.

Here are the most recent S1 auction results:

http://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/ad19/abu-dhabi/lots/r0010-1979-lamborghini-countach-lp400-s-series-i-by-bertone/784902

http://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az17/arizona/lots/r202-1979-lamborghini-countach-lp400-s-series-i-by-bertone/408122

Granted the last result involved a modified example, and the previous one was particularly well-bought, but contrast that with the latest auction result for a Downdraft which was high-bid at $590k (@ $650k all-in) which we've now sold for $644k, admittedly a nice restored example, that said, all this underscores why I think Downdraft and S1 are about at par, for now, in my book anyway.

More Downdrafts are being restored to a very high standard than any other variant, and you can expect their values to ascend accordingly as tangible value is undeniably being added by these restorations to the tune of $350,000 to $450,000 each time. This is attracting more serious affluent collectors to these cars, people used to well-restored cars of a high quality, who hitherto would not have considered a Countach at all, many of whom are Ferrari collectors previously focused on that marque. These high-quality restorations are dispelling the myth that owning a Countach means having a poor-quality car that is unreliable. Lastly, I can tell you from all the enquiries I get that these days there is basically one single variant of Countach I'm asked for - Downdraft - and this leads me to believe they have an ascending value trajectory and they could logically surpass S1 values as their appeal is they are more powerful and can accommodate most drivers comfortably in the cockpit.

Any market is in a constant state of flux, always changing, there's no telling tomorrow, but for now if you look closely at current numbers ongoing, you'll see emerging trends.

 

Wow! Congrats!

 

Joe........Just to make sure....a downdraft car is not a car with downdraft Carbs but it must be a quatro valve with downdrafts.

 

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Funny. I still don’t understand the term and I own one. To me, it’s simply the non-injected Quattrovalvole. More simply put - the one with the amazing single engine cover dome.

 

We sold 2 in January and are working on another.

A Downdraft is https://lamborghinichat.com/forum/threads/countach-downdraft.503457/

The Countach built @ Sant Agata with the 6 Weber 44 DCNF vertical twin-barrel carburetors on a performance version of the QV L 507 V4 engine.

 

Regardless of which Countach model is the most valued a rise in price in one model is good for all models as they all will increase to a certain extent proportional to one another.
Just my two cents. Sincerely, Vic

 

Agreed Vic, that's the position any Countach owner ought to take.

What's also good from personal perspective is the ones I'm selling are falling into the hands of new first-time Countach owners who have longed for one for a long time, some of whom will likely never sell the car or will certainly keep it for a few decades. It’s important for the values of these cars to have committed enthusiastic long-term owners who will really care for the cars and enjoy them. In today's market we are seeing more of such owners emerge and less of the speculative type of owner we saw emerging @ 5 years ago when values were spiraling upwards at an alarming rate.

 

Those two S1 cars are poor indicators as they were on the low end of the value range due to the condition of both cars. The black car was average driver quality and was a great deal, I know the owner. Probably a good candidate for restoration. The DD’s in comparison with a 6 in the front of the sale price are restored or high quality cars. A black DD Dugan restored a few years ago scored a high sale price which are on par with sale prices of today. Prices have held strong for the DD’s. Top quality S1’s have brought $1MM in the past and because there are only 50 ever made and even less that trade hands it’s harder to determine their value. I think collectors may pay more for the top quality S1 which are more rare over the DD of the same quality.

 

Spot on Geno.

 

I agree the last S1 result was of a modified car as I already noted, the black S1 was in the same quality that most S1s exist, 1121096 as restored brought in the $600ks and don't think it'll bring more now, the one single S1 that brought $1m did so at the height of market insanity, I think that car would bring significantly less at auction today, as would the one single S3 that brought in the 900ks. S1s are rarer, true, but limited production numbers alone is not an automatic guarantee of increased value as we can see from a number of Lamborghini modes & variants. How do I know that S1s are @ a par with Downdrafts? I'm in the market attempting to sell at least 2 beautiful examples via Private Treaty.

As a professional who does this full-time, I think the market is changing, and the status quo of past formulas can't be taken for granted.

 

It's not just limited numbers the S1 has going for it.

 

Agreed, it has lots of great things going for it: sleek silhouette, bravo wheels, the first half of production have the neat Stewart Warner gauges, and more besides, I'm a big fan, I've owned 3 early S1s, 1034, 1036 & 1038, and I still love them.

By saying "limited production numbers alone is not an automatic guarantee of increased value" is not to say that the S1's only attribute is that it's rare, but to repeat the often quoted market saying that rarity does not guarantee something will be more valuable.

That said the market is the market and its always evolving.

 

When it's a special car(S1) as was being discussed, rarity does come into play.

 

Current ask is $917k for the 1121096. In 2015 at the height of the market it sold for $725k. I saw the car soon after it was restored. It was done very nicely with a few minor issues. Most would say it’s the best color combo.

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az15/arizona/lots/r129-1979-lamborghini-countach-lp-400s-series-i/181446

 

Yes it does come into play, but it doesn't automatically mean the rarer car will command more than a more prolifically produced car, there are many examples of this within the Lamborghini brand and beyond, sticking with Lamborghini, and sticking with just the Countach model, for example, there are 3 times as many LP400 than the S1 built, but the former brings more than the latter.

Beautiful livery indeed, by the way it brought the seller a net in the $600ks as I mentioned, let's see what it brings now, I'd love to see what this or another one would bring at auction nowadays as well.