At the beginning of February, the traditional Retromobile show will be held in Paris, and its auction organized by Artcurial. Among the lots, one of the first examples of Lamborghini Countach delivered in France.
From February 1 to 5, the Porte de Versailles exhibition center (Paris) will host the Retromobile show. The traditional old car show will also be the venue for the auction organized by the specialist Artcurial, on February 3 and 4. The auction house is already making us salivate with the presentation of one of the lots on offer: a rare Lamborghini Countach LP400 “periscope”.
A very good state of conservation
This gray example from 1975 is one of the first produced and delivered in France. It also bears the production number 9. The model was sold new by Establishments Thépenier, a reputable garage based in Saint-Cloud and official Maserati and Lamborghini importer at the time. Bought by its current owner in 1983, when he was under 30, the Italian coupé has been stored for a decade in his property near La Rochelle.
Sheltered storage has kept this Countach in good condition, both inside and out. The interior is entirely original, and the vehicle has only shown 87,558 km. Artcurial specifies that the vehicle is “matching numbers”. Under its rear cover, it has its famous 3.9-litre V12 engine delivering 375 hp. The block was mated to a five-speed manual transmission. At the time, this allowed the Lamborghini to reach 270 km/h.
What is the “periscope”?
Since it is one of the first copies of the Countach LP400, it is still considered to be equipped with the “periscope”, this small opening placed on the roof which was to allow a better view of the rear of the vehicle thanks to the interior mirror. However, the production Countach no longer had this system from 1974 and only kept a hook on the roof to evoke the Periscopio present on the 1971 prototype.
The model will be exhibited on the Artcurial stand at the Rétromobile show and sold at auction during the event. It is already estimated at between €800,000 and €1,200,000, even if prices could soar much higher for such a vehicle!
Photos : Kevin Van Campenhout.
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