Is it in USD??
ESCAPE ROADS: 1984 Lamborghini Countach - AutoWeek Magazine
In Italy's Piedmont region, where Lamborghinis are made, "Countach" is a wolflike gasp of appreciation by a man gazing upon a beautiful woman. In the early 1980s, Hollywood seized on the car's "bad boy" label. A Countach scene opened the popular movie
Cannonball Run, based on a true story about a high-speed, illegal transcontinental U.S. road race and starring Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise and Lamborghini babe Adrienne Barbeau, whose black Countach zipped past a police car and outran it during a chase as credits appeared on-screen.
The Countach's debut in 1971 had caused a sensation. Styled by Marcello Gandini of Bertone, its sharp-angled body and svelte roof curve influenced the looks of
performance cars for years. Its lightweight tubular spaceframe gave the Countach exceptional torsion strength. To accommodate a 24-valve, 375-hp V12, the "cabin-forward" passenger compartment was outfitted with a handsome leather interior. Built low to the ground and extra wide at 78.5 inches for cornering stability, a Countach needed vertical scissor-door openings for parking in a normal space.
Production began in 1974. During the next 16 years, according to Lamborghini experts, approximately 1500 Countaches were produced in several versions.
A 1984 look-alike of the
Cannonball Run Countach is owned by Warren Miller of Topeka, Kansas. Miller's 5000S is one of 190 believed to have been manufactured from 1982 to 1984. At the time, Lamborghini was having financial difficulties. Countach sales during these years made the company's survival possible.
Miller bought his car in 1990 at an auction at Great Gatsby's Antique World of Atlanta. Seven years after purchasing it, he learned that while the car had been in the possession of its original owner, somebody intentionally cut its brake line with the apparent aim of causing injury.
Subsequently, Miller learned that a Countach can be a dicey investment, though reviewers have often written glowing praises of the car. The Lamborghini predecessor model, the Miura SV, usually has more resale value, though it is neither as fast nor as catchy-looking.
"The most exciting thing about my Countach," said Miller, "is the sensation I get from pushing the gas pedal to the floor and feeling all 12 cylinders thrust me forward.
"A person can't view operating a unique car like a Countach rationally. They are
automotive history. Being handmade, Countaches have peculiarities never seen in mass-production vehicles. Outlets joined by hoses sometimes are not the same diameter, making hose replacement challenging. Mine runs on hard-to-find 100-octane gas and with a five-speed gets 10 mpg. Its hard racing springs let me corner flat like a go-kart, but Countaches don't have power steering. Only a muscular driver can really fling one through a corner."
DOLLARS & SENSE
ORIGINAL LIST PRICE: $94,000
CURRENT MARKET VALUE: $57,000 (est)
06-14-2008, 04:56 PM
Countach for $57,000???
