Few names in motoring carry the weight of Countach. For a generation it was the car on the bedroom wall, the shape that defined what a supercar should look like. This week we had two of them side by side on our forecourt, built roughly forty years apart: a black Countach 5000 S and a white Countach LPI 800-4.
Seeing them together is a reminder of how far Lamborghini has come, and how much of the original thinking still runs through the modern car. It is also a good illustration of why looking after Lamborghinis properly takes two very different sets of skills.
The original: Countach 5000 S
The 5000 S was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1982, and it gave the Countach the larger V12 it had always been intended to have. Despite the name, the engine displaces 4,754cc, fed by six twin-choke Weber carburettors and producing around 375bhp at 7,000rpm, driven through a five-speed manual gearbox.
Production ran until March 1985, when the Quattrovalvole took over, and just 321 were built. That makes the 5000 S considerably rarer than the cars that followed it.
Our example is finished in black with white leather and is right-hand drive. Inside, it is everything a Countach of this era should be: the gated gearchange, the three-spoke wheel with its gold bull, and a dashboard full of analogue dials. It is a car that rewards people who understand it.
What a classic Countach needs
A car like this is mechanically demanding and sensitive to neglect. The carburettors need careful setting up and balancing, cooling systems need to be kept in good order, and the clutch and gearbox need to be understood rather than simply serviced. Just as important is judgement: knowing which parts of a car should be restored and which should be preserved, because originality is a large part of what makes a 5000 S valuable.
The tribute: Countach LPI 800-4
Lamborghini revealed the LPI 800-4 at Monterey Car Week in August 2021 to mark fifty years of the Countach. Only 112 were made, a nod to LP 112, the internal project code used when the original car was being developed.
Underneath the familiar wedge is thoroughly modern engineering. A naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 produces 780 CV, and a 48-volt electric motor powered by a supercapacitor adds another 34 CV, for a combined 814 CV sent to all four wheels. Lamborghini quotes 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 355 km/h. The monocoque and every body panel are carbon fibre.
Ours is white with a red leather interior, red brake calipers and the hexagonal design cues that tie it back to the original: the NACA-style side intakes, the slatted rear windows and the four exhaust tips set into the diffuser.
What a modern limited-run Lamborghini needs
A car like the LPI 800-4 has different needs. Many are driven sparingly, so correct storage matters: a stable environment, proper battery conditioning and a maintenance schedule that is followed whether or not the car is being used. Its hybrid system and electronics need specialist attention, and because so few exist, a complete and well-documented history is central to its value when the time comes to sell.
Two eras, one standard of care
The 5000 S and the LPI 800-4 share a name and a silhouette, but almost nothing else. One needs hands-on mechanical knowledge built up over decades; the other needs careful management, specialist systems knowledge and the right storage.
We look after both. Our in-house workshops handle servicing, preparation and restoration of classic Lamborghinis, and our storage facility, which is currently expanding, keeps modern cars in the condition they deserve. We also buy and sell Lamborghinis from every era, so whether a car is coming in or going out, it is in the hands of people who know it.
We are around 15 minutes from the Eurotunnel and five minutes from high-speed rail, which makes us an easy choice for owners across the UK and Europe.
Watch our reel on these cars
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Talk to us
If you are thinking about buying or selling a Lamborghini, or you are looking for the right place to store, service or restore one, we would be glad to hear from you. Get in touch through our website or give us a call.
