1982 Lamborghini Countach LP 500 Coupe

Lamborghini stunned the automotive community with their Miura at the 1965 Geneva Motor Show with its mid-mounted transverse V-12. The design was courtesy of Marcello Gandini and he introduced another groundbreaking design in 1971 - the LP 400 Countach. It predicated the angular style typical of the 1980s, ten years in advance. Power was from a four-liter V12 offering 375 horsepower.

The Lamborghini Countach featured upward-hinging 'scissor doors', fender flares, wide tires, and safety bumpers for the American market. A total of 110 early 'periscopo' models were built between 1974 and 1977. Seventy-seven additional examples of the LP 400 were produced with more conventional mirrors. The 400S was introduced in 1978, with fender flares and an optional rear wing.

In 1982, the engine was enlarged to almost five liters, thus birthing the LP 400S, also known sa the 5000S. Stiffer U.S. emission regulations meant that carbureted grey market imports could no longer pass EPA standards.

This example is the 1982 Geneva Motor Show car. It was brought to the United States and served as the development car for the United States version, utilizing a Bosch fuel injection unit to control emissions. When complete, the car passed the EPA tests and it was later sent back to Italy to serve as the U.S. production prototype.

The car is finished in its salon-car livery of silver with a blue leather interior. The car has never been restored and is very original. The DOT bumpers that were fitted by the factory in 1984 have since been removed, and though it was once equipped with fuel injection, it has more recently been retrofitted with the original-specification Weber carburetors.

The engine has been completely rebuilt along with the transaxle. It is a low mileage example with fewer than 18,000 kilometers.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2014