One to Buy: ex-Ernie Marshall Bianco Perlato 1987 Lamborghini Countach Quattrovalvole
Having already commissioned an enlarged 4.8-litre engine for the Countach 5000 S which arrived in early 1982, the Mimram Group (which had rescued Lamborghini from administration in 1980) upped the ante with a further improved Countach three years later: the Quattrovalvole.
At the heart of this latest iteration was an engine taken out to 5.2-litres which notably now came with four instead of two valve cylinder heads. Downdraught instead of sidedraught carburettors were also adopted.
The output gains achieved were dramatic: Lamborghini quoted 455bhp at 7000rpm and 369lb-ft at 5200rpm compared to 375bhp at 7000rpm and 302lb-ft at 4500rpm for the outgoing 5000 S.
610 examples of the Quattrovalvole were constructed between 1985 and 1988, a particularly fine example of which is currently on offer at the DK Engineering showroom in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire.
Dispatched to Portman Lamborghini in London on April 29th 1987, chassis HLA12138 was ordered by serial Countach buyer and director of the Cornish-based DownDerry Construction Group, Ernie Marshall.
Marshall had this latest Countach configured in rarely seen Bianco Perlato, one of just four right-hand drive Quattrovalvoles completed as such. The interior was trimmed with Bianco leather upholstery, Bleu piping and matching Bleu carpet. Marshall also went for the optional rear spoiler.
13 months after having taken delivery, Ernie Marshall sold HLA12138 to make way for his new Countach 25th Anniversary. The pearl white QV was sold Carlo McCrindle of Lamborghini specialist, Top Gear Cars in Edinburgh, who went on to retain it for the next 35 years.
HLA12138 is currently showing 21,400km on the odometer and looks to be in immaculate condition throughout.
Reprinted below is DK Engineering’s description:
UK Supplied by Portman Lamborghini
1 of 240 RHD Countach built
1 of 4 Bianco Perlato UK RHD un-skirted QV
Only 3 of the 4 RHD examples remain
1 of 2 remaining in the UK
Single owner for 35 yearsPublicly offered for sale for the first time since 1987
Just 21,400 km from new
To replace the iconic Miura, Lamborghini would once again throw the design rulebook out of the window. Employing Marcello Gandini once more, Lamborghini launched the spaceship LP400 at the Geneva motorshow in 1971. Three years later the first customer cars were delivered.
In 1974 the Countach was a trailblazer. Its design both pioneered and popularised the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high-performance sports cars. The "cabin-forward" design concept, which pushes the passenger compartment forward in order to accommodate a larger engine, was also popularised by the Countach.
For the 5000 QV, the penultimate and most popular iteration of the Countach legend, the engine was bored and stroked to 5.2 litres (5,167 cc) and given four valves per cylinder (quattrovalvole in Italian). The carburettors were moved from the sides to the top of the engine for better breathing — creating a "power bulge" on the engine cover.
These engine changes meant that the car produces 455BHP @7,500rpm with 369lb ft @ 5,200rpm; some 70bhp up on its Testarossa rival and enough to propel the car from a standstill to 60mph in 4.1 seconds and on to 100mph in 10.
The Downdraft 5000 QV was in fact the only Countach to be homologated for the FIAs Group B, intending to rival the likes of the 288 GTO and 959 before the cancellation of the series due to safety concerns. Such was the over engineering present with the Countach, even at peak production just three handbuilt cars a week were finished in Sant’Agata.
It is these facts and figures which make the downdraft QV the Countach to have, whilst the headlines have been grabbed the early Periscopica Countachs which have soared in value, peaking at auction as high as $1,800,000. In 2011, world-renowned period test-driver Valentino Balboni spoke the highest praise of the QV, ’It’s still clean and pure Countach. I think it’s the best compromise. In terms of power and drivability, for me it’s the best. This is the one which has the most charisma, I would say. Pure Countach: the right engine in the right car.”
Just under 240 RHD Countachs were completed by the factory spread across the entirety of the production run between 1974 and 1990. These 240 cars were of course delivered worldwide. Of the 240 examples, just 41 were un-skirted QVs.
This example is one of the 32 UK supplied Quattro Valvole cars and 1 of just 4 optioned in Bianco Perlato; of those 4, just 3 remain. This car left the factory on 29th April 1987 and was subsequently delivered through official importers Portman Lamborghini of London. The interior of this example was optioned in ‘Bianco con filetti Bleu’, white with blue piping. Furthermore, this example received blue carpets.
First owner Ernie Marshall was a serial Countach owner, with no fewer than 7 examples to his name over the production run. A fanatic of the marque, Marshall was a regular at Lamborghini Owners Club events and track days and many of his cars were documented attending. Replacing his cars at least every 18 months, this example was his penultimate order ahead of his 25th Anniversary that would arrive in November 1988.
Marshall would sell the car after thirteen months to Carlo McCrindle of Top Gear Cars in Edinburgh who would retain the car for the next 35 years, servicing the car in-house as very much a marque specialist. The car was seen often and has featured in magazine articles over the years. More recently, the current custodian of this 5000 QV has since been on display at the Moray Motor Museum in Elgin, Scotland.
Available publicly for the first time since 1987, this 5000 QV presents as a rare opportunity for its next custodian. With the QV hotly regarded by test driver Valentino Balboni as 'the right engine in the right car', this 1 of 4 in Bianco Perlato examples is available to view at our showrooms outside London immediately.
