1989 Lamborghini Anniversary Countach

description General Information Features and Options Car History We are pleased to offer a 1989 US-model Lamborghini Anniversary Countach, s/n 12428. Named in honor of Lamborghini’s twenty-fifth anniversary, the Countach rewrote the rules by which Supercars are measured. Thanks to a long production run of fifteen years (1974-89), there are few cars that are more instantly recognizable or have spent as much time as poster cars on bedroom walls as the Countach. Indeed, thanks to Alpine Stereo, wall-size Countach/Alpine posters were given out at car shows in period, ensuring the Anniversary Countach’s perpetual poster status. As the Anniversary celebration model, Chief Engineer Horacio Pagani matched the 5,167cc 455bhp V-12 with bigger air boxes and new air vents, which solved the Countach’s slow-speed engine cooling problems, while massive fender flares allowed for the then-new and massive Pirelli P ZERO tires with asymmetric unidirectional tread. The front 225/50 VR 15 P ZERO tires were mounted on 8.5×15 modular OZ wheels while the rear 345/35 VR 15 P ZERO tires were mounted on 12×15 modular OZ wheels. Power was put to the ground through a ZF five-speed transaxle to a limited-slip differential. 0-60 was done in 4.7 seconds and top speed was good for 185 mph, both lightning fast for the late 1980s.Designed as a make-no-excuses successor to the stunning Marcello Gandini-designed Miura, the Countach, also by Gandini, with its scissor doors and trapezoidal body panels, created even more astonished reactions when first introduced at the Geneva Auto Show. The lightweight race car space frame was clothed in aircraft-grade aluminum while the V-12 is pointed “backward” for better weight distribution; the output shaft is at the front, and the gearbox is in front of the engine, between the seats, with the driveshaft running back through the V-12’s sump to the rear-mounted differential. The idea that such a totally futuristic and over-the-top car could possibly be put into production was inconceivable, but in Lamborghini’s tradition, the car was readied for production largely unaltered. Over its fifteen-year production, the Countach evolved as wider tires became available, rear wings helped high-speed handling, and bigger air ducts solved slow-speed engine cooling while allowing full-time A/C, a necessity with the Countach’s cab-forward greenhouse. Fuel injection helped meet US EPA standards while bumpers were added both to protect the aluminum panels and meet US DOT standards. Very few cars (and none in this price range) offer more iconic “Garage Candy” status nor offer the same visceral driving experience as does the Countach.1989 Lamborghini Anniversary Countach s/n 12428 has been treated to not one but two massive service updates. In January through April of this year, Dugan Enterprises in Oceanside performed an engine-out service. A rebuilt clutch assembly was installed, and all fluids, including the engine oil and filter and transaxle fluids, were replaced. The cooling system was flushed and bled, the A/C system was updated, the water pump was rebuilt, and the lighting system was diagnosed and repaired, plus an intermittent starting problem was diagnosed and repaired. Additionally, new left and right door shocks were installed, an engine idle fluctuation was diagnosed and repaired, a new fuel pump relay was supplied and installed, all new vacuum hoses were supplied and installed, new solenoid valves were supplied and installed, the right side cooling fan was inoperative, diagnosed and repaired, and the passenger’s side seat rails were cleaned and re-installed. Total invoice $17,295.02. Mileage 26,086 kms (16,209 miles). Invoice on file; ask us to e-mail you a copy.1989 Lamborghini Anniversary Countach s/n 12428 comes with a Lamborghini badged plaque stating it was built new for Lee A. Iacocca, and the owner’s manual is signed Lee A. Iacocca. We’re told s/n 12428 was new to Vik Keuylian, then the Lamborghini importer, and was then delivered to Iacocca at his home in Bel Air. It was then resold by Keuylian in 1991. Comes with the US version owner’s manual, the parts book, and both English and Italian workshop manuals. The car is cosmetically attractive with a nice older paint that remains in excellent condition overall, with a few small surface blemishes including a handful of chips. The body is straight, the paint glossy, and the panel fit is consistent with how these cars were originally delivered. The trim is excellent throughout, as are the modular OZ wheels. The glass and lights are also in excellent shape overall. The car has the correct Carello front fog lamps. The interior is in good original condition. The leather on the dashboard, seats, center console, sills, and door panels is in excellent shape with the expected wear to the driver’s upper seat bolster. The carpets are also excellent. The original instruments, switches, and controls are in excellent shape, and the air conditioning blows ice cold. Just completed a 90-mile shakedown to check all systems and now has 26,238 kms (16,303 miles).The engine compartment shows the extensive recent work. The engine itself is spotless, with excellent presentation of the airboxes, and the overall presentation of the engine compartment is very nice. The trunk carpeting is in good condition, and the front compartment looks as it should with nice black paint and the correct thin-line spare wheel and tire. The undercarriage has a nice, honest, and solid presentation with no evidence of accidents or corrosion.Countach s/n 12428 runs and drives well and is surprisingly user-friendly. The motor is well-tuned and tractable, sounds great, and the car is equipped with two new catalysts and a stainless steel exhaust system. The gearbox shifts well, with good synchromesh. The clutch is heavy but progressive and is no worse than that in a Testarossa from the same time period. The brakes have good bite and are effective, while the suspension controls the car we