By the start of 2015 there was a concerted effort among market makers to drive the price on the classic Lamborghini Countach to the $1,000,000 mark. This red 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary edition would be a bargain compared to the seven figure Countachs that are being marketed through high-end auction companies. And the 25th Anniversary Countach is thought by many to be the fastest Countach ever produced.
This week Gullwing Motor Cars of Astoria, New York posted a red 1989 Lamborghini Countach, one of the later model Countachs produced. It is a 25th Anniversary Edition, a special Lamborghini design to commemorate its 25 years in production. It has a tan leather interior and only 30k klicks on the odemeter. Gullwing tells us it has been with the same owner for the past twenty years and remains an excellent driver with original paint and interior.
During 2014 the Lamborghini Countach emerged as one of the most desirable collector cars with prices skyrocketing out of site. In fact a red 1974 Lamborghini LP400 Periscopo, the sixth Countach ever built, was sold at the Gooding & Company Auction at Pebble Beach, California in 2014. It sold for $1,870,000. Those who saw it described it as a largely original and unrestored example, one of the earliest Countachs in existence. The Countach was one of the first modern day super cars, produced from 1974 to 1990. Its design was so over the top for that era that it set the standard for exotic cars today. So few Countach models were produced during the early years that the LP400 model Countach is in short supply for exotic car collectors.
When they unveiled the Countach at the 1971 Geneva Auto Show it just made everything else look average. Bertone’s Marcello Gandini was the designer for the Countach. Everyone said it looked like a flying wedge. Unlike other beautiful designs, this Countach was as fast as it looked. The V-12, four-cam motor was rated at 375 hp with a top speed of 180 mph on paper.
The Countach was so low to the ground that its spaceframe tubular chassis required doors that would open up and out. Thus came about the iconic and often imitated canteleavered doors, sometimes called “scissor” doors or “Lambo” doors. Over the years the Countach kept getting updates that improved the look, including side vents that were required to adequately cool the engine and brakes. These were the NACA ducts on the doors and rear fenders.
The 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary edition had the same 5167 cc engine with four valves per cylinder as its predecessor the 5000QV. Any Countach sold here in the U.S. came with the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, providing 414 base horsepower. And the 25th Anniversary editions had many improvements over its predecessors. The hood had a raised center section incorporating dual-ducting. Various redevelopments to the rear-end were made; most notably the introduction of a rear bumper section extending out beneath the rear valance. The anniversary edition also had straked fins within the ducting atop the rear fenders. These provided much needed extra cooling.
The 25th Anniversary Edition was considered the fastest Countach of all. On paper, Lamborghini reported that it would do 0–60 miles per hour (0–97 km/h) in 4.7 seconds, and 183 miles per hour (295 km/h) top speed.
The 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary is one of the sexiest cars ever built, appealing to men and women alike. It is part of a design so remarkable that it is now legendary.
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