One to Buy: ex Rene Leimer 1981 Geneva Motor Show Lamborghini Countach LP400 S
/
Four years after the first production Countachs began to roll out of Lamborghinis factory, the firm from Sant’Agata unveiled an even more outrageous S version at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1978.
Inspired by the small batch of wide-arched and heavily spoilered Countach Speciales created for VIP customers like Walter Wolf and Albert Silvera, the S arrived during Lamborghini’s most troubled era and within a few months of its debut the company had filed for bankruptcy.
Fortunately, Automobili Lamborghini’s future was ultimately saved by the Swiss-owned Mimram Group who, in 1981, began to produce a third iteration of the Countach S to replace the first and second series variants manufactured since 1978.
Today, the low body first and second series Countach S rank among the most sought after iterations of Lamborghini’s fabled supercar and, on February 1st, Bonhams will be putting a particularly interesting example under the hammer at their auction in Paris.
Chassis 1121272 actually started life as chassis 1121070, a Series 1 Countach S commissioned by then co-owner of Automobili Lamborghini, Rene Leimer. Uniquely configured in Blu Notte Met. with Blu upholstery, it was subsequently uprated to Series 2 trim, re-upholstered with bi-colour Bianco-Blu leather and re-numbered ahead of the 1981 Geneva Motor Show where it appeared on the Lamborghini stand.
The car was purchased at the show by a Swiss customer who requested Lamborghini change the colour to red, which they quickly did. It remained in this configuration until the early 2000s when the original Series 2 colour scheme was re-instated.
Today, chassis 1121272 is presented in largely the same specification in which it appeared at Geneva in 1981 and represents a rare opportunity to buy a one-off Countach S with works history.
