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UPDATE: Blu Turchese Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopio Saved, To Be Restored

It's not like the Lamborghini Countach needed help from The Wolf of Wall Street to become popular, but the 2013 motion picture definitely pushed the V12 icon deeper into pop culture. Then again, the car used in the movie is a 1989 Countach Anniversary and, by the said year, the supercar's aspect had changed quite a lot compared to the uber-clean lines of the original. You know, the Countach LP400, a model that allows one to fully understand the nature of the machine.
Rare Lamborghini Countach Periscopio rescued 6 photos
Photo: kidstonmotorcars/instagram
Blu Turchese Lamborghini Countach saved for restoration (2019)Blu Turchese Lamborghini Countach saved for restoration (2019)Blu Turchese Lamborghini Countach saved for restoration (2019)Crashed Blu Turchese Lamborghini Countach in 1997Crashed Blu Turchese Lamborghini Countach in 1997
Of course, the 1970s LP400 reflected the vision of penning master Marcello Gandini much better, with its simple lines remaining a source of inspiration to this day.

Sant'Agata Bolognese only produced around 150 units of the Countach LP400 before moving on to the next iteration of the badge, namely the LP400 S. Now, as you can imagine, these original cars are the most sought-after now that the market for old Lambos has gone ka-boom.

So what would you say if I told you that a machine such as the one in the image we have here sold for $1.32 million at an RM Sotheby''s acution back in 2015?

Sure, that example was in mind condition, while the one we have here is in dire need of care. But this poor Countach is about to receive just that.

You see, the image we have here surfaced via an Instagram post coming from Kidston Motor Cars. The Swiss company handles classic cars, restorations included, while the hashtags of the post also talk about such a treatment for the Lamborghini - the images from the gallery above obviously portrays another example of the LP400 Periscopo (Wait, what? Is this a submarine?)

The machine even comes with the original Periscopio rear-view system, which cut into the roof of the car to take the rear visibility from absolute zero to... only slightly better.

Judging by the shape of the vehicle, this has been in a not-so-light crash and here's to hoping such dark memories will soon be left behind.

For instance, the said specialist finished restoring a Miura back in August and it looks like they pulled a Polo Storico (read: mint restoration, as performed by this dedicated arm of Lamborghini) - you can check this out in the second post below.

So it looks like we'll be seeing more of this Countach's blue in the future, albeit with the shade set to shine much brighter.

Update:As with old cars, the tale of this Countach seems to get better with time. And the update we have here comes after Simon Kidston, the founder of the company, had dropped new photos and details on the on-pause Lamborghini via Instagram.

It looks like the supercar was crashed by its first owner. Despite the accident having broken the gear head's leg and caused monumental damage to the vehicle, the family of the man decided to keep this in the garage until recently.

"Crashed by its first owner (who broke his leg), stored in his garage for 40 years and now coming home to Italy to be reborn. It’s still with the original family: I’ll remind him that Disco Era brakes are the size of vinyl records," Kidston explains.

A glance over the restoration services offered by the company shows this has ties with departments such as Ferrari Classiche and Polo Storico, while it has collaborated with factories during its restorations.

Sadly, the damage is much more severed than revealed in the original picture, frame included and it looks like Lamborghini's Polo Storico will have more than a hand in bringing this V12 icon back to the road.

You see, the comments section of the said post quickly turned into a bit of a Q&A session, which is how we found out how this restoration will get over the affected chassis.

"The original chassis builder is still in business and repairs them for the factory," we were told.

Oh, and did I mention the Blu Turchese (Turquoise Blue) shade of this Lamborghini Countach (this seems to also be used for the interior) reportedly makes it the only one of its kind?

See you as soon as fresh details about this Italian marvel show up (I've reached out to Kidston on the matter). Meanwhile, you can check out the ones mentioned above in the third Instagram post below.

Update 2:Returning to the point made in the intro, we must keep in mind that the trends populating social media nowadays may trace their roots to an era before the world wide web was invented.

For instance, the Al-Thani Royal Family of Qatar, whose baby blue Lamborghinis we've discussed in the past, has obviously been enjoying this shade for decades - where is this heading? Well, the Countach we have here was reportedly acquired by the said family.

According to Lamborghini online registry (fan site) LP112, which quotes the Lamborghini Countach Lovers Facebook Group as a source, this supercar was ordered for the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani. We're talking about the man who was the Emir of Qatar between 1972 and 1995 - the info also came with the last two images in the gallery above, which appear to have been taken back in 1997 when the car was stil waiting to be brought back to life.

Nevertheless, according to the said source, it was another driver who crashed the vehicle and caused it to be confined to the garage of the Royal Palace.

Returning to the vehicle, which is chassis number #1120250, it is said this came with blue wheels. So perhaps this feature will return once the black steelies serving as provisional items are no longer needed.



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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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