The question of which version of the Lamborghini Countach is the greatest has been debated for decades, but the earliest LP400 ‘Periscopio’ is undoubtedly the purest, with no wings, arch extensions or wide wheels. Iconic Auctioneers will offer this example – one of only ten right-hand drive cars – at this year’s Silverstone Festival on 23 August. It’s a sale that represents the first time such a car has been offered at a UK auction in over a decade.
This 1975 car – chassis #1120094 – was originally finished in Tahiti Blue with Senape tan interior, but has since been restored in period-correct Rosso Miura over Nero Pella leather by renowned specialists Carrera Sport and Furlongers. The comprehensive restoration, completed in 2016, returned the Lamborghini to factory standards which has since earned it invites to the Cartier Style et Luxe Lawn at Goodwood and the London Concours.
Styled by Marcello Gandini at Bertone and previewed as a prototype at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, the production version appeared in 1974 with its dramatic wedge profile, scissor doors and longitudinally mounted 4.0-litre V12. Output was rated at 375bhp – enough to propel the LP400 to a top speed near 190mph.
• Read the full story of the LP400 by Harry Metcalfe here
As the name suggests, the LP400’s defining detail is the periscope-style rear-view mirror channel, recessed into the roofline – a feature phased out in later iterations. Just 157 LP400s were built in total between 1974 and 1978, of which only 19 were factory-produced in right-hand drive. This is one of those 19, and one of ten delivered new to the UK, making it among the rarest Countach configurations ever made.
It’s covered fewer than 12,000 miles from new and comes with an unbroken history, stretching right back to the first registered keeper – Lancashire property developer Dan Horrocks, who ordered it in May 1975. Accompanied by its original handbook, leather wallet and even a rare factory bulb kit, the car has been part of a private collection since 2018 and has seen only light use since its restoration.
Rob Hubbard, Managing Director and Principal Auctioneer at Iconic Auctioneers, described the Countach as ‘automotive rarity and desirability at its finest’, adding that opportunities to acquire an original right-hand drive LP400 Periscopio are vanishingly rare.
The estimate for the car has not been disclosed. Find out more at iconicauctioneers.com
