Countach – Lamborghini’s Lamborghini

We’ve spoken about the Lamborghini Countach before, and with good reason, because it is after all the ‘poster child’ of supercars. Literally. How many of you had one of those red-framed images of a Countach on a black background back in the day? Yep, think supercar and you won’t have to wait long until the Countach pops into your head. 

So why, then, are we featuring another? We’ve told the story once before, right? Well, yes. But we haven’t told the story of this particular Lamborghini Countach. You see, the 1980 Lamborghini Countach LM400 S2 ‘low body’ you’re looking at here is more special than the others. This Lamborghini was Lamborghini’s. Not the company, the man. Ferruccio. 

Other than some press clippings from the 1980s, the whereabouts of this car have been a mystery. It was Ferruccio Lamborghini’s from new, before being bequeathed to the family upon the great man’s passing. After that, the car was sold to a private collector, where it has been until now. All those years, hidden away. Now with another collector, the Countach apparently changed hands for a record fee. But then, what would you expect? This is Lamborghini’s Lamborghini. 

The Countach isn’t going straight from one collector to another though. Instead, it’s going to its new home via the talented hands of Iain Tyrrell, who you’ll know from a recent feature. And while we were there to speak to Iain, we concluded that it would have been remiss of us to not point our lens at the car. You may have seen the video above, but these pictures are exclusive – nobody has had access like this. 

So what makes the car so special, apart from the obvious? Well, it’s a rare model for starters. An LP400 S2 ‘low body’, it’s perhaps one of the most collectible of its kind, even before getting to past owners. The S2 saw the arrival of the flared arches, spoiler and those familiar, dished alloys, but it ushered in these changes care of the original specification body. The S3 was a taller car, by some 30mm, so as to give a hair more space inside. This car is still the original low body. It’s a purer model for many. 

Power comes from a carb-fed V12 with, as the name suggests, 400bhp. This in turn is mated to a five-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear, impressively wide, wheels. Make no mistake, this machine is an absolute monster to drive. One that will chew up and spit out the tame and timid. It’s a car from a time when computers, power management and airbags were but a pipe dream. It’s a pure supercar. 

How though, did Ferruccio come to own it? After all, by 1980 he was no longer a part of the company he had created. He left in 1974, but in doing so, left an itch unscratched. The Countach concept had arrived in 1971, but Ferruccio never took delivery of one. He’d had a Miura, and loved it thoroughly (despite his initial reluctance to build a mid-engine car), but no Countach. The car was plagued by development issues, meaning there wasn’t a road version ready until the same time as his departure from the company.

It was the threat of Lamborghini’s demise that actually sealed the deal for Ferruccio. In 1980, Lamborghini was a company very much on the brink of collapse. It had entered into bankruptcy in 1978, and put into the receivership of Swiss brothers Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran doing their utmost to reinvigorate the brand, it wasn’t going well initially. Of course, as we know, the brothers pulled Lamborghini back from the brink and bought the company in 1984, and increased production of the Countach and bolstered the range with additions like the Jalpa.

However, before they gave the company the lifeblood it so desperately needed, the future of the brand was looking uncertain. It was at that time of uncertainty that the head of sales for Lamborghini, a close friend of Ferruccio, called to offer him the chance to buy one. This one. 

A cancelled order, this car was originally painted red. As many of you will know, Ferruccio was not a fan of red on his cars for obvious reasons. As such, the car was stripped down and painted white. The proper colour – his words – for this model. It was delivered to him in May 1980. 

The car stayed with Ferruccio until his death in 1993, and in the years it was with him, it was driven. The car wears an odometer reading of just over 17,000km, most of which were put on there by the man himself. It wasn’t a trophy, it was a car he drove. 

Upon his passing, the car was, as mentioned above, bequeathed to the family before being sold to a private collector. Now, sold again for that record sum, it’s with Iain Tyrrell for some sprucing up. No better man to do it, really, given his passionate involvement and understanding of these cars. 

In the video above, Iain test drives the car and sets out what needs to be done. Some minor fettling, a clutch fluid change and bleed, some suspension works. A refreshingly short list for such a fragile car. But one that has now been satisfied. In the later part of the video, Iain presses on with confidence and makes that magnificent V12 sing. It’s quite the spectacle. 

Now complete and back in rude health, the Lamborghini that once lived in Ferruccio’s garage is soon going to join another private collection. We hope though, sincerely, that the new owner takes the opportunity to capitalise on the work done by Iain and his team. This car is a red-blooded, angry, snarling beast of a machine that needs to swallow up the tarmac from time to time. It’s what Ferruccio would have wanted.