Rod Stewart’s Lamborghini Countach up for auction
If the purest expression of Marcello Gandini's Countach design isn't enough for you, perhaps one owned by Rod the Mod might scratch the itch?
A 1977 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopio – of which only 150 examples were ever produced – is set to go under the auction hammer, with current bids at $US520,000 ($AU770,000), at the time of writing.
Beyond its limited production and relative stylistic purity compared to later Countach iterations, this specific example boasts particular provenance, having once belonged to British icon and rock star, Rod Stewart.
There's a local angle too, with this car having been delivered new to Stewart while he was touring Australia.
It is currently listed on the US auction site Bring a Trailer – with 562 kilometres on the odometer and is powered by a 3.9-litre quad-cam V12 engine, equipped with six Weber carburettors and Campagnolo 14-inch alloy wheels.
According to the seller’s listing, Stewart then brought the Countach home to Los Angeles, California, where it was modified in the 1980s with a wide-body kit and targa-style removable roof panel.
It was later relocated once more to the UK where it stayed in the rockstar’s collection before he parted ways with it in 2002. It is currently located in Los Angeles.
Being Australia-delivered, this Countach originally came in right-hand drive before the second owner converted it to left-hand drive.
The third owner – who purchased the Lamborghini in 2013 – reportedly “commissioned a refurbishment”, returning it to its “factory configuration” aside from retaining its left-hand drive.
The car was further refurbished in 2022 when the next owner reportedly changed the interior back to the original LP400 specifications before the current owner purchased the vehicle in 2023.
It's the second Countach with significant celebrity status to be sold in recent months, with a white 25th Anniversary model – featured in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street – setting a '25th Anniversary'price record when it sold for $US1,655,000 ($AU2,460,000) at an RM Sotheby's auction in December 2023.