US$300,000. Whether they are actually selling for that amount or not is another thing altogether, but this is the average price collectors and owners are currently asking for a 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach.
And why wouldn’t they? After all, this was a limited edition model built to commemorate a very special occasion for Automobili Lamborghini SpA – a quarter century producing some of the best sports car the world had ever seen.
Although it was mechanically similar to the 5000QV, the anniversary model featured exterior and interior upgrades in an attempt to build the ultimate Countach.
The iconic Lamborghini model’s lines are timeless, but there’s something extra special about the 25th Anniversary edition. So you can imagine my complete and utter disbelief when I spotted this example looking semi-abandoned in a ¥46,380 (approximately US$430) per month public parking lot in central Tokyo, a thick layer of dust acting like a car cover of sorts.
It’s hard to tell what the story is here. I’m not sure if the owner experienced some mechanical troubles (it’s an Italian supercar after all), or there was another reason it was parked up and seemingly forgotten about. The right-rear wheel was missing altogether with a couple of planks of wood employed to keep it level.
The 25th Anniversary came with special 15-inch OZ Racing wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires, but this one has traded those for custom-painted RS Watanabe 8-spokes. The tires still hold air, but it’s hard to say when the last time they actually moved was.
Inside, the Lamborghini has doubled-up as an expensive storage unit with a variety of random things strewn around the cabin. An aftermarket Sparco racing seat and Momo steering wheel hint at the fact that it was once driven properly, perhaps with late-night runs on the Wangan.
Without a shaken sticker or anything else to go on, there’s no real way to say how long the Lamborghini has been sitting here, or why it is. All we can do is hope the owner will one day make it roadworthy again, because if compared to the Porsche 928 S4 and AW11 Toyota MR2 that Dino found earlier this year, this Countach is still in amazing condition.
Ron Celestine
Instagram: celestinephotography
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Came across this one a few years back, amazing to see that its still parked in the same location!
Where is the location please ?
I also walked past this in November 2016, stood at the fence in disbelief
Apparently someone else in the comments spotted it back in 2014 o.o..
Where is the location ?
Holy crap lol. I saw it back in January and just been watching it for the past few months till I decided to actually walk by it with my camera in had.
Time spent editing out the license plate... wasted.
Lol fortunately it doesn't take me any time at all to do it
Ok, let me be the first: this is ugly.
Yeah, that red on red really does nothing for me. The Countach in Wolf on Wall Street was absolutely gorgeous.
@Adam Let ME be the first: You're not a car guy.
I never liked the look of any Countach except the first LP400 without all the overfenders and stuff. But if this thing was running and I could get behind the wheel I'd drive the crap out of it. It's not pretty, but just incredibly 1980's-cool.
Very cool ^^ I too would also love to drive the crap out of it (if it was running v.v )
Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion man...
I remember this car from my days of playing NFS Hot Pursuit as a little kid. Good times...
A Countach without wing looks so good! I love the typical Japanese added details like bucket seat and Watanabe wheels, it gives the car the Wangan touch.
If I see correctly, the DOT on the tires says, that they were produced in 2007?! So it is just a small hint, how long this car maybe sits there. But who the hell pays so much money for a parking spot a month and forgets, that he owns a fucking rare, classic Lamborghini?
The date code was the first thing I checked for too, they definitely say '07!
Nevermind, I see where it has been debunked, wow that's an oldie!
Lol right?? So far we can track it to 2014
You have good eyes lol.
And that has been the same question I've asked myself the past couple of months as I walked by it. Someone balling out of control I'm assuming..
The wing actually makes the car handle a lot worse (apparently)
Better roadholding, lower top speed.
Tires from 2000 and onwards have a four digit DOT code, the first two indicating the week of production, the latter indicating the year. Before 2000 it was a three digit code as seen here with only the last digit indicating the year, so the tires are either 1987 or 1997 (probably the latter).
Ahhh you´re right! It´s just a three digit code, so the tires are incredibly old! I won´t imagine, how long the car already sat there.
You´re right and I knew that before. I´m unsure if the DOT says "XX07" on one of the pictures (I thought so, or my eyes are bad, haha), so I thought they were produced in 2007.
RS Watanabes on a Countach is like an eighties dream come true.
Gotta love the 80s^^
If no one finds the owner can someone steal it? I would genuinely do that.(after that rebuild it etc.)
Uh lol..
:))))))
I mean lol? Maybe haha
You really ought to look into it. It's perfect as is, minus the fourth wheel, and it should really be saved and put back on the road.
Maybe worth checking the legality of the situation. If it's similar to the housing here, then there really isn't anything that can be done
not the best choice of wheel for this beast, but a cool find.
looks like the same parking garage dino found that ford RS200 years ago
Left for Dead
Such a pitty
RS Watanabes on a Countach?? Sorry, Nope.
What a pity...
Lol what wheel choice would you have put on your countach ?
If I had one, I'd prefer BBS RS or SSR mesh type wheels...
Hmm. Mesh could look pretty interesting on it as well. The Watanabes don't bother me tbh
It's so tastefully modified with its color-matched watanabes and racing seat. I wonder how much the owner wants for it...
That.. Is a good question o.o.. if it has been sitting for as long as we are speculating, maybe not much?
I'm conflicted. The Wats look way better than I imagine but have exaggerated the arch gap making it look a little Fiero/kit in the rear.
its on blocks in the rear... back right wheel is off
Derp. I totally read that and didn't put it all together ha.
Lol it happens to the best of us ^^
This is just heartbreaking. How can you just leave such a beautiful car like that? It seems almost cruel. How would you go about putting together a rescue plan for a car like this? Is there a legal avenue that can be taken to determine whether the car is abandoned, or something like that?
That is a very good question. I'm not an expert in this field but if it follows the same rules as housing in Japan... There isn't much you can really do. Japan has a big problem with vacant homes and cars are following the same route unfortunately thanks to these outdated rules v.v
That kinda sucks, dude. Maybe try asking Dino, or try to find someone who knows? For a car this good, it's worth looking into IMO.
But then, I do get a little emotional over the Countach anyway. Those sci-fi spacefighter looks just blow me away every single time...
Lol I feel your pain. I've loved them ever since a child and would love to save it if A) I can LEGALLY lol and B) afford to v.c.. I could only imagine how much that parking fee might be if the owner hasn't been paying for it
Sad to see it go to waste. Money says it was a Wangan car, though.
Looks like the 25yrs special edition! What was it? 25yrs anniversary edition i think.. What a pity..
Someone didn't read the article
it is
i admit i didn't
gomendasai...!
Haha it's all cool. There is always next time
Speculatively speaking, this looks like a car an individual who might answer to ads for small handbags at discount prices would drive...
My guess is some sort of financial crisis happened to the owner. You don't spend hundreds of thousands on a car, then customize it for racing just to intentionally neglect it. Especially a classic Italian supercar. It's obvious someone cares about the car but, maybe they aren't physically or financially able to do something about it in the time it's been there.
-Alex
What a find, I guess as long as whoever keeps paying the rental on the space, the garage won't bat an eye.
Let's hope the owner returns for it one day.
The 25th Anniversary Countach was actually the most produced from the Countach line. Got some nice shots!
Thank you! Yea, it was my childhood poster car. Well guys still is lol
LS Swap!
Lol! My thoughts exactly. That or a smallblock, until the original engine can be rebuilt. You'd have to build a real screamer to keep up with the gearing though. Which would be badass.
LOL!! It's Japan so it's gotta be a 2jz
although a LS would make more 'sense' I suppose lol
I'm betting on that missing wheel being theft deterrent. I bet it makes a great coffee table with a piece of glass on top. I bet the owner is hopeful for its return to the road but can't afford the time or money to do so. Maybe one day.
This is so interesting. I wanna know the full storyy
Yeah wow I stumbled across this in October 2014! Too chicken to venture in I quickly snapped some shots through the fence and continued on in disbelief. Wonder how long it's been there and why.
Wow...2014?! Yea its been there a LONG time then.. that's gonna be one hella of a parking bill (if the owner is still responsible for paying it)
Out of curiosity, did you try asking around the people in the area about the car? Like the people managing the parking lot? (If there are any)
There actually wasn't any parking attendees around (guess because it was Sunday) but I kinda wanna know more now myself. I'll check one day on my walk back from the gym and see if someone is there
WoW..., What a waste! if you park her up for 3yrs like this in an open garage so many elements go bad. Those Watanabe give it a real period appropriate wheel choice this the painted harts. Would not be my first choice, don’t think I would feel the need to change out the 3peice oz’s. Hope that rear wheels is still stored somewhere could be a pain, having to find a 3peice RS 12 or 13j wide rear wheel with that pcd and offset for this. If it’s there since 2014 that parking ticket is around 12k euro now(?) even if the motor would be junk and the wheel a goner u could still make money celling it I would like to get that in my garage to fix it up. I estimate a sad story is behind it, could still make an interesting read
So beautiful, especially without the wing. Im having trouble remembering but did all the 25th Anniversary models come with that massive rear bumper? I thought that was just an American delivery requirement.
This cars situation raises sooooo many questions for me: it's in the relative open (I'd never trust a wire fence to protect a Countach) it's on after market wheels which already points to non-purist roots, it's missing one (who gets a flat tyre, removes it to get it fixed and then, what, forgets it's for his lambo? ) the sparco seat and after market steering wheel again points to an owner a little left of field as far as typical classic supercar aficionados go... It's hella confusing.
My only other thought: is there any way of seeing if it's a forgotten movie extra vehicle? Stunt car that did a burnout out of a car park then got parked up and forgotten maybe? =P
Is that red tape by the driver's side headlight? I wonder what its doing there..
I also wondered about that but came to no real conclusion. Maybe to keep the lights up but why would you want to do that?
This bull needs to be in the open and let run free and wild.
I know right!!
US$430,00 per month to keep a car in a public parking lot? Whata !@#$%¨&*?!!!!!!!
Welcome to Tokyo! The home of the absurd parking fees!
It hurts
Where is this? what address?
I saw the car earlier this year. I am happy to see it again in this report
Sure it's the same one?
Looks like it's on the other side of the world..
lol i dont know why it's flipped upside down but that's the same one
Spotted this either in 2012 or 2010, when coming back from Shinjuku parc. Am only certain it wasn't in my last trip in 2015. Already had a missing wheel at the time.
Hey, the 2-digit numeric code on the top of the license plate says that registration is very very old, right?) It looks like this car has an interesting story)
Hi all. Although I've been a fervent reader of all ( well most...) articles posted on SH over the past couple of years, this is the first time I post a comment so please forgive my inexperience. There's a first time for everything...
Could that missing wheel be the whole reason why this car this car has not moved in a number of years? From what I understand, the size of the tires (tyres) used were specific to the Countach and Pirelli only make a batch when there is specific demand from owners.
there should be a marking on the tires, on what year they were made.
The ugliest of all the Countachs, but still sad to see it neglected.
Theory time....
Owned by wealthy businessman, parking fees are paid by his company, trust fund etc etc.
Businessman dies, has no debt because he's rich AF so no one goes looking for the car. His business keeps running after his demise and the parking fee is simply a bill they pay each month.
Bills are paid so no one cares about the car sitting there, owner isn't around to drive the car.....
Short answer is SpeedHunters need to "liberate" this for their next project car!
Could we pull a date code from the tires to get an idea of when it was last driven? I can't make one out from the pics.